Connections and Disconnections - Music Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions of Working with Universities

Oct 15, 2026

Study findings reveal how K-12 music cooperating teachers (CTs) who mentor preservice music teachers during student teaching perceive their work with higher education institutions. The research addresses CTs’ experiences with universities, identifies information that helps CTs prepare for student teachers and university supervisors, and examines procedures, tools, and interactions perceived as supportive. Seven participants contributed semi-structured interview data, summarized through interactions (Ask, Match, Collaboration) and themes (Personal Connections, Vetting CTs, Student Teaching Experiences), leading to practice recommendations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and Research Questions

Background on Cooperating Teachers and University Interactions

Related Studies on Power, Collaboration, and Selection of CTs

Contributions to Music Education Vol. 44, pp. 55-79. heathera. russell Cleveland State University Connections and Disconnections: Music Cooperating Teachers’ Perceptions of Working with Universities The purpose of this study was to reveal how K-12 music teachers who mentor preservice music teachers during the student teaching internship (i . e . , cooperating teachers) perceive their experiences of working with higher education institutions . The questions of the study are: 1) what are cooperating teachers’(CTs’) experiences of working with universities; 2) what information helps CTs prepare to work with student teachers (STs) and university supervisors (USs); and 3) what university procedures, tools, and interactions do CTs perceive as supportive to their role? The seven participants were K-12 music teachers who had been CTs . Data consisted of individual, semi-structured interviews . Participants’ experiences are summarized in three categories of interactions: The Ask (being asked to take STs); The Match (being matched with STs); and The Collaboration (working with USs) . Three intersecting themes emerged among these interactions: Personal Connections, Vetting CTs, and Participants’ Student Teaching Experiences . This study supports five suggestions for practice for music teacher educators, STs, and CTs: 1) taking time to evaluate K-12 music educators as potential ST placements; 2) explaining to CTs how they were vetted; 3) explaining how STs are matched with CTs; 4) communicating STs strengths/needs to CTs, and 5) using narrative as a tool for establishing relationships and evaluating prospective CTs . Keywords: music education, cooperating teachers, student teaching, university supervisors, matching, vetting cooperating teachers . Introduction Researchers and teacher educators have long recognized student teaching, the culminating field experience or internship of a teacher licensure degree program, as one of the most important components of teacher education (Clarke, Triggs, & Nielsen, 2014; Conway & Baugh, 2018; Draves, 2013; Zemek, 2008). It is vital topreservice teachers’ social development as professionals, and it prepares them for Contributions to Music Education the realities of teaching school music (Burton & Greher, 2007; Conkling, 2004, 2007; Haston & Russell, 2011) . Without cooperating teachers (CTs) welcoming student teachers (STs) into their classrooms, student teaching would not be possible, and researchers have found that cooperating teachers have enormous influence on the beliefs and practices of STs (Clark et al., 2014; Draves, 2008b, 2013; Zemek, 2008) . Because CTs are so influential and play an integral role as teacher educators, examining their experiences of working with universities might provide valuable insight for music teacher education that could strengthen the student teaching internship experience for all parties involved. The purpose of the present study was to reveal how K-12 music teachers who mentor preservice music teachers during the student teaching internship (i.e., CTs) perceive their experiences of working with higher education institutions. Several researchers have studied the interactions among cooperating teachers, student teachers, and universities. For example, Draves (2008b, 2013) demonstrated that CTs’ways of sharing power with STs strongly influences CTs’ perspectives of working with universities and STs. Further, Draves defined a continuum of power-sharing structures between ST-CT, from student-teacher to collaborative partnership, and determined that open communication and collaboration promotes the development of positive relationships between CTs and STs. In another example, Valencia, Martin, Place, and Grossman (2009) found barriers to effective collaboration between CTs and STs that included discrepant goals for student teaching, strained interactions within the triad (CT-ST-US), tenuous ties between coursework and fieldwork, unclear crit

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose?

To reveal how K-12 music cooperating teachers who mentor preservice teachers perceive their experiences working with higher education institutions.

Which research questions guide the study?

The study asks about CTs’ experiences with universities, what information helps CTs prepare for student teachers and university supervisors, and what university procedures, tools, and interactions CTs perceive as supportive.

How are participants’ experiences summarized in the findings?

Through three interaction categories: The Ask (being asked to take student teachers), The Match (being matched with student teachers), and The Collaboration (working with university supervisors), along with three intersecting themes.

Oct 15, 2026

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