Experiences of continuity and discontinuity in student teachers' development

Abstract

The first two studies in this dissertation show that student teacher development can be characterized as idiosyncratic and unpredictable when it comes to feelings of (in)consistency in and over time. The vocational self-concepts of student teachers at the start of teacher education differ significantly in terms of which past perceptions and future expectations are considered relevant attributes for the profession. This calls for attention to individual student teachers’ sense-making and the experience of (dis)continuity when studying and designing teacher education programs. Also, vocational self-concepts of student teachers were found to change throughout teacher education, both in terms of when and how past perceptions, future expectations and associated feelings of (dis)continuity change. This calls for continued alertness towards changes in student teachers’ sense-making and efforts to customize supervision accordingly. The third and fourth study in this dissertation showed that discontinuity can have a function in developmental progress, as long as it is counterbalanced with (future) experiences of continuity in supervision conversations. Both studies illustrated how personal and complex problems are a part of student teachers’ development and, therefore, teacher educators’ supervision. This calls for acknowledging that a sense of inconsistency can have a meaningful role in developmental progress: embracing uncertainty and doubt can be a valuable ingredient of elongated development, as long as it is expected that a sense of consistency can be reestablished.