Date of Graduation
1997
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This qualitative study examined the nature of reflection engaged in by four beginning graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) of Spanish in a large university foreign language department during a semester of professional development cycles, based on Cogan and Goldhammer's original models of clinical supervision. Data were collected by audiotaping the pre- and post-observation conferences of four professional development cycles as well as two espoused platform interviews and three critical incident recall sessions with each participant. During these discussions, which could be characterized as collaborative analyses of each GTA's teaching practice, the role of the author resembled that of a non-directive professional development consultant. A framework for the stages and characteristics of reflective thought was developed and used to identify the portions of the data that contained evidence of reflection on the part of each participant. These segments were then coded and sorted to analyze the themes that emerged from the GTAs' reflective moves. The data indicated that the reflection of the participants included technical, pedagogical and evaluative reasoning, as they focused on a number of pragmatic issues and basic teaching skills, such as classroom management and the process of lesson planning, concerns which are often associated with novice teachers. Yet all four of the GTAs also engaged in critical reasoning, which involves the analysis of actions and events in terms of the professional, societal, and cultural context in which they occur. Furthermore, they demonstrated a sound awareness of the precepts of communicative language instruction and a desire to facilitate learning in accordance with these principles. The findings of the study imply that reflection among novice teachers can be fostered through collaborative oral analysis of their teaching and that there may be value in considering the means by which we might promote reflection, so that novice teachers, from the start, are encouraged to form the habit of reflecting on the realities of their teaching practice. These findings raise further research questions regarding the professional development of GTAs as classroom instructors, the role of reflection in GTA preparation and supervision, and the impact of reflection on change in teaching behavior.
Recommended Citation
Supko, Ruth A., "The nature of supported reflection of novice graduate teaching assistants of Spanish." (1997). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 9861.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/9861