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Using Meads theory of emergence as a framework for sociological inquiry into pre-service teacher education

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 03:53 authored by Allen, JM, Sinclair, MR, Smith, RA
In this paper we take up Chang's (2004) challenge to apply Mead's theory of emergence in sociological inquiry. Largely overlooked by scholars, this theory is shown to prove explanatory in one field where limited solutions have been found to date. Specifically, the theory sheds light on how the theory-practice gap is created and sustained in pre-service teacher education. The argument is that under current institutional arrangements the trainee/beginning teacher encounters different and oft-times conflicting environmental, social and cultural conditions in the two 'fields of interaction' (Mead, 1934: 249) of their training program, namely, the on-campus pre-service program and the school. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian pre-service teacher education program. We conclude that the Meadian mechanisms of role taking and self-regulated behaviour within the two environmental fields of interaction inhibit the trainee/beginning teacher from exercising the power of agency to implement theory learned at university in practice in the classroom. In this sense Mead's theory of emergence predicts the obduracy of the gap between theory and practice in teacher education.

History

Publication title

Sociological Research Online

Volume

14

Issue

5

Pagination

1-10

ISSN

1360-7804

Department/School

Faculty of Education

Publisher

Sociological Research Online

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright © 2009 Sociological Research Online,

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Pedagogy