Becoming a Teacher in the United States: Are Attitudes of Incoming Candidates Malleable?

In the United States over the course of the last few decades, teacher education programs have been intentionally truncated. This often leaves teacher educators somewhat discouraged as to whether they are able to make any differences in teacher candidates during this relatively short period of time. Research seems to say that while we can teach prospective teachers specific knowledge and skills, we will find it much more difficult to change teacher attitudes or dispositions. The study reported in this article examines whether beliefs about teaching change during a two and one-half year undergraduate teacher education program. The study recorded the beliefs and attitudes of students as they entered a teacher education program and compared these with their attitudes upon graduation five semesters later, using a semantic differential instrument that demonstrates differences in perceptions of certain words. The results of this study are presented, and then this study is compared to a similar study undertaken with students in a one-year teacher education program. Finally, implications of the study for teacher education programs are discussed.