Title

Teacher Educators As Belief-And-Attitude Therapists: Exploring Psychodynamic Implications Of An Emerging Role

Abstract

Over the past several decades student-teachers have increasingly become the objects of psychological study, especially through cognitive, constructivist and psychoana lytic lenses. This research has been used, in turn, to focus teacher education on changing the beliefs and attitudes of student-teachers in order to foster new teaching practices. In this way, teacher educators are becoming 'belief-and-attitude therapists', a role that few have trained for or thoroughly understand. In this paper I examine the psychodynamic relationships between teacher educators and student-teachers, using Vaillant's taxonomy of ego defences. I illustrate selected examples of these ego defences from my work with teacher educators before exploring the social contexts of teacher education that foster these dynamics. Central to this examination is a double-bind between teacher educators' desire to reform schooling through pre-service teacher education, and the need to develop the professional competence of student-teachers. Finally, I adapt the notion of psychotherapeu tic neutrality as a way of helping teacher educators understand these dynamics in their practice. This line of inquiry begs for more research on the communicative dynamics between teacher educators and student-teachers, and how these are affected by institutional cultures. © 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Publication Date

12-1-2003

Publication Title

Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice

Volume

9

Issue

3

Number of Pages

257-277

Document Type

Review

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600309377

Socpus ID

38149012665 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/38149012665

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