What Does Democracy Mean to Prospective Elementary Teachers?

Student teachers’ task perceptions of democracy in their future profession – a critical discourse analysis of students’ course texts

“…The high frequency of task perceptions representing a narrow notion of democracy accords with earlier studies of student teachers (Zyngier et al 2015;Zyngier 2016;Doerre Ross & Yeager 1999). As already pointed out, neither of these two basic concepts should be seen as opposing dimensions.…”

“…A clear tendency to a technicist view, emphasizing accountability based on the national curriculum, in teaching for democracy is reported in Dadvan's (2015) interview study of Iranian teacher students. Doerre Ross and Yeager (1999) analyzed 29 student papers as part of a course in which student teachers had to select three or four aims for elementary school students to develop. The result of the study indicated that high competence emphasized pluralism, equity and justice, while medium or low competence successively lacked such dimensions.…”

Doing Democracy in Social Studies Methods

“…There was very little mention of a justice or activist orientation. These informal probes correspond to the Ross and Yeager (1999) study: Democratic involvement was limited for many pre-service teachers, and quite a few desired deeper understandings of democracy education.…”

“…A study by Ross and Yeager (1999) found an alarming lack of democratic sophistication among graduate level, prospective elementary teachers. Of twenty-nine essays that probed aims for democratic education, only three ranked high on multiple criteria for democratic understanding.…”

“Power Without Honor Is Indeed A Dangerous Thing”: The Social Construction of Critical Literacy in Elementary Teacher Education

“…There has been much research published (see e.g., Beyer, 2001;Britzman, 2001;Cervetti, Pardales & Damico, 2001;Givens Generett & Hicks, 2004;Hammerness, 2003;McDaniell, 2004;McDonald, 2007;Ross & Yeager, 1999;Tillema & Kremer-Hayon, 2005;Toll, Nierstheimer, Lenski & Kolloff, 2004) offering elucidation about the resistant processes that work against developing critical readers of the word and the world, and encouraging and exhorting teachers and teacher educators to teach for social conscience and consciousness. Educators and researchers urge pedagogical choices that increase student voice, enhance democratic participation, and nudge students toward a critical stance (Au, 1998, Bomer & Bomer, 2001Christensen, 1999;Edelsky, 1999;Fairbanks, 1998;Gutierrez, Baquedano-Lopez & Turner, 1997;Lensmire, 1998;Lewison, Seely Flint & Van Sluys, 2002).…”