Abstract:

The current NCLB/ESSA-generation of pre-service teachers (PSTs) in the U.S. received their K-12 schooling during the standardized test-focused education accountability era. There is little research exploring how these PSTs perceive the disconnect between their K-12 teacher-centered, test-focused school experiences and the engaging, student-centered philosophy promoted in many colleges of education. As such, this study was conducted in a public university in the Rocky Mountain Region to explore perceptions of PSTs concerning the dichotomy between their K-12 test-focused experiences and their developing student-centered teaching philosophy. Utilizing a mixed method design, this study employed a survey (N=210) in which PSTs reported that they were influenced by K-12 instruction focused on standardized testing success. Additionally, qualitative data, including student oral and written reflections (N=52) exemplified PSTs’ implicit apprehension concerning their ability to prepare students for standardized testing success while maintaining a desire to implement engaging student-centered learning experiences. The significance of this study lies in the establishment of a foundational dataset concerning the teaching disposition of NCLB/ESSA-generation PSTs.

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