"Creating Coherence in Teacher Preparation: Examining Teacher Candidates' Conceptualizations and Practices for Equity"

Doctoral candidate Carlos Sandoval is lead author of an article in Teacher Education Quarterly on equity in teacher preparation programs. The title of the article is: Creating Coherence in Teacher Preparation: Examining Teacher Candidates' Conceptualizations and Practices for Equity.”
 
Co-authors are Professor Elizabeth van Es, Assistant Professor Shanyce Campbell, and Professor Rossella Santagata.
 
Sandoval’s research interests concern the employment of research-practice partnership (RPP) approaches to support equity, learning, and teaching. Prior to joining UCI's School of Education, Sandoval worked at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching where he focused on the application of quality improvement methods to systems of faculty professional development. For his doctoral work, Sandoval is specializing in Teaching, Learning, and Educational Improvement. Dr. van Es serves as his advisor. 

Abstract

​This study aims to examine coherence in a teacher preparation program relative to equity. Using performance assessments and artifacts from coursework, we explore how candidates define equity, what equitable practices they enact in their field placements, and whether a relationship exists between their conceptualizations and their practice. We found that candidates’ conceptualizations of equity were characterized by five categories; however, their conceptualizations were varied and wide ranging. Findings also show that candidates emphasized attention to student thinking in their teaching, a practice often described in frameworks for ambitious mathematics teaching. Lastly, we found little evidence of consistency between candidates’ conceptualizations and their instructional practices.