A longitudinal study of the professional dispositions of teacher candidates

Arlene Ignico, Kelly Gammon

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DOI: 10.4236/ns.2010.22014                

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the professional disposition scores of Physical Education teacher candidates over time. In ad-dition, differences between teacher and student ratings were investigated. Participants were 65 students who completed three methods courses (A, B, and C) across a two-year period. Both the teacher and the students completed a profes-sional dispositions instrument in each of the three classes. Results indicated a decrease in disposition self ratings and teacher ratings over time. A 2 (Rater) x 3 (Time) ANOVA revealed that the student and teacher ratings were different for classes A and B but not for class C. The findings are encouraging in light of the strong alignment between teacher and student ratings in the upper-level class. The dispositions in-strument appears to be a valid and reliable method to assess the professional behaviors of teacher candidates.

Keywords

Dispositions; Teacher Education;Professional Behavior

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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