An Exploration of Teacher Dispositions and High School English Language Arts Pedagogical Content Knowledge

• Main Author: Austin, Jennifer Maurer
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Data Analysis; Educational Environment; Educational Policy; Educational Strategies; High School Students; Individualized Instruction; Language Arts; Lifelong Learning; Pedagogical Content Knowledge; Preservice Teacher Education; Preservice Teachers; Secondary education; Secondary School Students; Secondary School Teachers; Social Studies; Teacher Characteristics; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Students
• ISBN: 9798426837652

The purpose of this qualitative research case study was to better understand how high school teachers who teach the subject of English Language Arts (ELA) perceive and identify their personal dispositions, professional teacher dispositions, and English Language Arts pedagogical content knowledge. How teacher dispositions and English Language Arts pedagogical content knowledge align was also explored. Shulman?s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge theory and the construct of teacher dispositions (Bair, 2017) shaped this study. Teachers who participated in this study were grouped by years of service and identified as novice (1?5 years), experienced or mid-career (6?15 years), or veteran (16 or more years) educators. The following four research questions guided this study: 1. How do high school English teachers identify, perceive, and construct their personal dispositions and the professional dispositions they deem necessary to the success of the profession? 2. How do high school English teachers perceive that they have developed their pedagogical content knowledge? 3. In what ways do high school English teachers? dispositions and their pedagogical content knowledge seem to align? 4. What differences exist in the responses of veteran high school English teachers versus novice high school English teachers versus mid-career high school English teachers in terms of their perceptions of their own dispositions and pedagogical content knowledge? Teacher dispositions and pedagogical content knowledge are both relevant constructs in education that have been researched for decades, but they are still not universally understood, clearly defined, or consistently applied.