Current Issues in Middle Level Education - Vol 26 - Issue 1 - Article 2 - Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of Teaching in Middle School

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by nayy☆

Study examines how teacher candidates perceive teaching in middle school and how those perceptions might be reshaped within a newly created middle grades program. Using an emergent qualitative design and open-ended survey data, the research organizes findings around middle school philosophy, motivations to teach, and teacher preparation. Results reveal a deficit narrative about students despite admiration for middle school teachers, alongside stated needs for coursework in classroom management, adolescent psychology, and enhanced field experiences. Program implications address field experience structure and curriculum revisions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Abstract

Study purpose and research focus

Research design and data sources

Key findings and implications

Related projections and motivations

Current Issues in Middle Level Education | Volume 26 Issue 1 | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | 2021
““AA Brave Group ofPeople”: Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions ofTeaching in Middle School
Bettie Perry
Old Dominion University, [bperr001@odu.edu](bperr001@odu.edu)
Jori S. Beck
Old Dominion University, [jbeck@odu.edu](jbeck@odu.edu)
KaaVonia Hinton
Old Dominion University, [khintonj@odu.edu](khintonj@odu.edu)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle](https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle)
Part of the Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons | | Recommended Citation Perry, Bettie; Beck, Jori S.; and Hinton, KaaVonia (2021) "“A Brave Group of People”: Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of Teaching in Middle School," Current Issues in Middle Level Education: Vol. 26 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. DOI: 10.20429/cimle.2021.260102 Available at: [https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle/vol26/iss1/2](https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cimle/vol26/iss1/2) This research is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Current Issues in Middle Level Education by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, [please contact](please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu)[ digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu](please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu). “A Brave Group of People”: Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of Teaching in Middle School Bettie Perry Old Dominion University Jori S. Beck Old Dominion University KaaVonia Hinton Old Dominion University Abstract We set out to create a middle grades program and to inform the field about the perceptions of our teacher candidates on teaching middle school. To accomplish these twin goals, we sought to better understand our teacher candidates’ perceptions of teaching middle school and how these perceptions might be changed if necessary. Our review of research included three themes to frame this work: (a) middle school philosophy,(b) motivations to teach, and (c) middle school teacher preparation. We chose an emergent, qualitative research design to cull rich data from diverse stakeholders including open-ended survey data. We found an overarching deficit narrative about middle school students even though teacher candidates expressed admiration for middle school teachers. Our teacher candidates professed a need for coursework on classroom management and adolescent psychology as well as more field experiences to better prepare them for careers in the middle grades. Implications for middle grades programs are discussed, including the structure of field experiences and teacher preparation curriculum. We explain specific revisions to our own program in the attempt to generate analytic generalizability. The National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] is projecting that employment of middle school teachers will grow 8% from 2016 to 2027 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018) . These projections indicate a greater need for teachers who can educate middle level students, which is complicated during times of teacher shortages (e.g., Carver-Thomas & Darling Hammond, 2017). Motivating university students to make the teaching profession a viable choice continues to be an on-going goal of teacher education programs (Aragon, 2016) . Thus, there is a need for middle school teacher preparation specifically that prepares teacher candidates (TCs) to value young adolescents as diverse and complete individuals (Bishop & Harrison, 2021) . The purpose of the current study was twofold. As part of the creation of a new Master of Arts of Teaching degree at our university, we set out to create a middle grades specialization. However, to accomplish this goal, it was important to understand the perceptions

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study?

The study aimed to create a middle grades specialization/program while understanding teacher candidates’ perceptions of teaching in middle school and whether those perceptions could be changed. It also sought analytic generalizability for the program-design process and candidates’ views.

What research design and data were used?

The research used an emergent qualitative design to gather rich data. It included open-ended survey data from diverse stakeholders on campus.

What did the study find about teacher candidates’ perceptions?

Teacher candidates described an overarching deficit narrative about middle school students, even though they expressed admiration for middle school teachers. They also reported a need for additional preparation in classroom management and adolescent psychology, plus more field experiences.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by nayy☆