A Research Perspective

All educators in teacher education want to know what factors contribute to the academic success of undergraduate education majors or pre-service teachers. Teacher educators of eight universities across the state of South Carolina were determined to find out. This compilation is a result of their inquiry. The conclusions of this book are drawn from the contributors and each chapter helps expand teacher educator readers’ understanding and informs their practice as they work with initial certification students in educator preparation.

A Research Perspective promotes the academic success of pre-service teachers by exploring common research questions posed to education majors of the eight universities in South Carolina. Ranging from historically Black to predominately White, from private to public universities across the state, these institutions serve a diverse body of students who described some insightful contributing factors and challenges to their success. The case scenario begins each chapter that provides contextual snapshots of the myriad choices and obstacles faced by pre-service teachers; the research narratives offer insightful analysis for teacher educators. Though written from the perspective of South Carolina, the lessons learned and recommendations for teacher education are relevant to any state. This is a must-read for all teacher educators interested in student success.

This book is most interesting to members of teacher education organizations, especially the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and its 41 state and regional affiliates, including South Carolina Association of Teacher Educators (SCATE) and Southeast Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE). It also has wide appeal to members of other professional organizations, such as National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) and American Educational Research Association (AERA). Finally, it’s a good choice for professional learning communities of district personnel and classroom teachers since it provides insights that will strengthen mentoring and support systems provided to student teachers.