Contributions to Music Education Vol. 47 - pp. 151-173 - Investigating the Impact of an Action Research Project on the Cooperating Teacher/Student Teacher Relationship

Oct 15, 2026

Investigates how a collaborative action research project affects the cooperating teacher/student teacher relationship within music student teaching. A collective case study involved three cooperating teacher–student teacher pairs, with data gathered before, during, and after project implementation. Themes showed cooperating teachers as welcoming leaders providing specific positive feedback and trust, while student teachers demonstrated inquisitiveness initiative respect gratitude and preparedness. Findings also indicate increased collegial collaboration and stronger personal connection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Review of Literature

Student Teaching

Relationship Between the Cooperating Teacher and Student Teacher

Contributions to Music Education Vol. 47 (2022), pp. 151-173. Julie K. hagen University of Hartford Investigating the Impact of an Action Research Project on the Cooperating Teacher/Student Teacher Relationship With the intent of better understanding how mentoring was established during the music student teaching experience, the purpose of this collective case study was to investigate the impact of a collaborative action research project on the cooperating teacher/student teacher relationship . Participants in this study were three cooperating teacher/student teacher pairs who worked collaboratively on an action research project, during which the author collected data before, during, and after implementation of the projects . The following themes emerged from the data: Cooperating Teacher Qualities (being welcoming, providing leadership/guidance, giving specific and positive feedback, showing confidence and trust in their student teacher), Student Teacher Qualities (inquisitiveness, taking initiative, showing respect, displaying gratitude, being prepared) and Increased Collaboration . The student teachers exhibited specific qualities that shaped their experience; the cooperating teachers appreciated these qualities in their student teachers and as a result, were more willing to share teaching responsibilities . Cooperating teachers and student teachers alike desired a personal connection with one another that would allow for an authentic, comfortable relationship . Participation in the action research project resulted in increased opportunities for collaboration between the cooperating teacher and student teacher, which led to a relationship that was more collegial in nature . Keywords: student teaching, mentoring, collaborative action research Introduction Student teaching is often the first extended experience preservice teachers have in the classroom. It is perceived to be the seminal or capstone experience in undergraduate education (Conway, 2002; Rideout & Feldman, 2002; Roulstonet al., 2005; Silveira & Diaz, 2014) . Further, the student teaching experience is Contributions to Music Education considered by both preservice and in-service teachers to be the most valuable component of an undergraduate music education program (Conway, 2002) . The relationship between the cooperating teacher and the student teacher is an important aspect of the student teaching experience. When cooperating teachers serve as mentors, the student teaching experience appears to be more productive and meaningful (Duling, 2000). However, the ability for the cooperating teacher to act in the role of a mentor depends heavily on the rapport that is developed between the cooperating and student teacher (Elliott & Calderhead, 1993; Veal & Rikard, 1998) . It has been suggested that working collaboratively might be an effective tool in managing and creating a successful student teaching experience (Bowles & Runnels, 1998) . In the following review of literature, I focus on multiple aspects of the student teaching experience, including the perceptions of the student teachers and their cooperating teachers as well as the development of the mentoring relationship between these two parties. Finally, given that the participants in this study were involved in a collaborative action research project, I explore the action research literature to better situate this qualitative study. Review of Literature Student Teaching Multiple studies have focused on the perceptions of music student teachers (Frederickson & Pembrook, 1999; Kelly, 2000; Killian et al., 2013; Madsen & Kaiser, 1999) . Discipline and classroom management were ranked as the greatest fears prior to student teaching, as well as the inability to apply knowledge and concerns about interactions with supervising teachers (Kelly, 2000; Madsen & Kaiser, 1999) . Killian et al. (2013) investigated self-reported concerns of 159 music student teachers pre-and post-student teach

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study?

To better understand how mentoring was established during music student teaching and to investigate the impact of a collaborative action research project on the cooperating teacher/student teacher relationship.

How was the study conducted?

The study used a collective case study design with three cooperating teacher–student teacher pairs, collecting data before, during, and after implementing the collaborative action research projects.

What themes emerged from the data?

Key themes included cooperating teacher qualities (welcoming leadership guidance specific positive feedback confidence and trust) and student teacher qualities (inquisitiveness initiative respect gratitude and being prepared), along with increased collaboration.

Oct 15, 2026

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