Abstract
Field experiences during teacher preparation programs support teacher candidates in forming and reforming teacher identities through real-world teaching situations. Trying out teaching approaches with children, reflecting on practice, and collaborating with cooperating teachers support teacher candidates in building a teacher identity. However, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, public schools closed in many states, requiring that field placements either end or change significantly. This is a study of five teacher candidates in an early childhood teacher preparation program. These candidates’ field placement ended in March 2020, requiring that university faculty develop an alternative teaching placement. Using Bourdieusian theoretical concepts of habitus, field, and doxa, this study explores how the candidates perceived this change and how they were able to continue to reflect and build their teacher identities.
Keywords
Introduction
Practicum placements, as part of teacher education programs, support the development of pedagogical skills as well as an emerging teacher identity (Sutherland et al., 2010). In Bourdieusian terms (Bourdieu, 1986), we might consider the practicum placement to be within the field of the school and the development of teaching identity to be a part of the habitus of that field. Preservice teachers’ understandings of their own identities as teachers are shaped by previous experiences, coursework, and practica (Garmon, 2004; McDonald et al., 2011). Through practica, preservice teachers may experience shifting role expectations based on changes in autonomy and responsibility, resulting in shifting definitions of self and understandings of their role as teachers. This results in a kind of “predictable instability” of the preservice teachers’ professional identity development (Henry, 2016).
In this study, the practicum experiences that teacher candidates expected changed suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring them to reconsider these identities. Rather than work in a classroom setting, candidates worked with children one-on-one in a virtual environment, resulting in significant personal and professional impacts and changes in emerging teacher identities. This study considers the following questions: (a) How were teacher education candidates impacted, personally and professionally, by the closing of schools at the start of the pandemic? (b) How did teacher candidates cope with the abrupt change in the field that resulted from the transition from a face-to-face field placement to a virtual experience? (c) How were teacher candidates able to continue to build their teacher identities and professional practice while teaching online?
Literature Review
Teacher Identity in Practicum Placement
Identity refers to how a person understands themselves and how they present themselves to others (Horn et al., 2008). Individual beliefs and perceptions of what is expected in context is important to teacher identity (Beltman et al., 2015). Practicum placements in teacher preparation programs are crucial in the initial development of teacher identity and the perpetuation of that identity into the first years of teaching (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2011; Chu, 2020; Maxson & Sindelar, 1998; Nghia & Huynh, 2017). The connection between theoretical learning in the university classroom and the experiences of teaching children might seem tenuous to preservice teachers, particularly those unsure of their own image as teachers (Maxson & Sindelar, 1998). Practicum placement concurrent with university classes and student teaching provide opportunities for teacher candidates to experiment with teacher identity while connecting theory to practice (Chu, 2020; Dobson & Stephenson, 2018; Nghia & Huynh, 2017).
The development of a teacher identity does not begin when a candidate steps into a classroom or even begins a university program. Teacher candidates’ preuniversity experience, including school experiences and family views of education become part of an emerging teacher identity (Beltman et al., 2015; Nghia & Huynh, 2017; Yuan et al., 2019). Candidates’ views of themselves as teachers evolve throughout the program in recursive cycles of forming expectations, having expectations challenged by classroom situations, and then modifying said expectations (Nghia & Huynh, 2017). This is a difficult process, particularly during practica, as candidates are in the cycle of having their identity continuously challenged, generating a great deal of instability in a candidate’s view of themselves during practicum placement (Henry, 2016).
The cooperating teacher’s role is pivotal in this process, as they serve as both a bridge between theoretical and practical experiences and a source of support for the candidate as they experiment with practice and identity (Chu, 2020; Dobson & Stephenson, 2018; Henry, 2016). Candidates may struggle against the expectations of classroom teaching and the roles given to them by cooperating teachers, which sometimes may leave them feeling they are not legitimate teachers (Chu, 2020; Henry, 2016; Nghia & Huynh, 2017). Through their interactions with the cooperating teacher, the children, and the school, candidates may also discover that teaching is not as they expected it to be (Nghia & Huynh, 2017). Over the course of the practicum experiences, identities shift with candidates finding themselves negotiating between an idealized view of themselves as teachers, feelings of not being a legitimate teacher, and actual experience (Yuan et al., 2019).
Crisis, Stress, and Teacher Education
Emerging research exploring the adaptation of teacher preparation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the need for adaptability and support of teacher candidates (Darling-Hammond & Hyler, 2020; Kim, 2020; Metscher et al., 2020). Peer support through online community building and online peer feedback supported teacher candidates through the stress of pandemic teaching while the teacher preparation program continued to provide conditions for building teacher identity by providing teaching tasks to candidates (Kim, 2020; Metscher et al., 2020).
Communication and adaptability were also necessary for supporting teacher candidates as they transitioned to online programs and online practicum experiences (Kalloo et al., 2020), as candidates had little knowledge of online teaching and learning, and teacher preparation programs were finding ways of adapting practice. Technological readiness supported further opportunities for resilience and professional development (Kalloo et al., 2020). Most importantly, it was necessary for programs to recognize the stress and anxiety that teacher candidates were coping with and provide intentional support (Metscher et al., 2020). During a typical teacher preparation program, practicum placements are a source of stress and instability for teacher candidates (Henry, 2016), but one that is predictable for faculty.
Practicum Placement in Times of Uncertainty
A teaching practicum supports the development of teaching skills through opportunities to connect the theory of the university classroom to real-life classroom experiences (Kim, 2020; Sutherland et al., 2010). The COVID-19 pandemic brought a sudden shift to practica throughout the world. Teacher preparation programs strategized online solutions to the loss of in-person teaching experiences providing teacher candidates with opportunities to practice the art of teaching in spite of unprecedented global shutdowns (Kalloo et al., 2020; Kim, 2020; Metscher et al., 2020).
As an emergency response, educational technology shifted from being a supplemental tool in teacher training (Kim, 2020) to becoming a primary form of instructional delivery in practica. Online education became the way for teacher candidates to continue their practica (Kalloo et al., 2020). Together with navigating the existential anxiety of a dangerous disease and program completion in uncertain times (Kalloo et al., 2020), teacher candidates experienced the stress and resilience of adjusting to online teaching during times of crisis.
Theoretical Framework
This study uses Bourdieusian theory as a lens for the experiences of five undergraduate teacher candidates in an early childhood teacher preparation program. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a series of changes to their program in the spring of 2020. This study employs Bourdieu’s theories of habitus, field, and hysteresis to understand the sense of dissonance between their expectations, the new normal, and how candidates processed their experiences.
Habitus and Field
Bourdieu (1977, 1990) describes habitus as systems of durable and transposable dispositions. He notes that these function as “structuring structures” as they are both the product of one’s position in the social structure and serves to shape practices, thus reproducing the structure (Bourdieu, 1977, p. 72). In simple terms, it is a history of an agent beginning in early childhood and adapting over time that shapes that agent’s interactions within the field. Habitus is both the embodiment of history and a function to produce individual and collective practices, creating new history (Bourdieu, 1990). The concept of habitus rejects dualisms that either hold the individual as completely constrained by external causes or as having complete freedom (Bourdieu, 1977, 2000; Reay, 2004b). Instead, the individual has agency, but the interaction between habitus and field causes some choices to be inconceivable or improbable.
Some scholars have criticized habitus for being deterministic. This is a misunderstanding of the concept. Bourdieu asserts that habitus continues to change, as it is in a constant state of relationship with the field and, therefore, in a constant state of adaptation (Bourdieu, 2000; Maton, 2008; Reay, 2004b). While it is continually changing, adjustments and transformations are generally gradual, allowing individuals to adjust over time to changes in the field (Bourdieu, 2000; DiMaggio, 1979; Hardy, 2014; Reay, 2004a).
Bourdieu (2000) notes that individuals occupy both positions in physical space and social space. Field refers to social spaces in which interactions occur (Bourdieu, 2005). Within the field, actors make decisions about how to proceed in different ways according to the field and the actor’s habitus. In his writings, Bourdieu references multiple fields of interaction, including (and not limited to) economic, political, and academic fields (Thompson, 2008). The shape of fields is not fixed. While interactions within the field are often competitive, with actors attempting to accumulate capital that can be activated within the field, ongoing interactions within the field and related fields can cause change (Thompson, 2008).
In this study, we recognize that teacher identity encompasses family and school experiences prior to entry into a teacher preparation program. Teacher candidates’ habitus before, during, and after teacher preparation have evolved such that becoming a teacher is an increasingly likely prospect. Candidates continue to have agency and may chose a different career, but the continuation of through the program both makes the path of becoming a teacher more likely while making other paths less likely, at least without significant effort from the actor. Teacher preparation programs serve to support actors as they shift from the role of student to the role of teacher in the field of the school.
Hysteresis
In most stable situations, actors are described as “fish in water” when navigating these gradual pushes and pulls between field and habitus (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992; Maton, 2008; Reay, 2015). However, when situations arise that force sudden change, the buffer afforded by the gradual adjustment ceases to exist, and the habitus is thrown into a changed and unfamiliar field. Hysteresis is a term used to explain this mismatch between habitus and field under chaotic circumstances and the primary source of social change (Bourdieu, 2000; Schindler & Wille, 2015). Bourdieu (1977, 2000) notes that, as regularities and rules within the field have changed, practices that would have previously been appropriate to the field are now too different from the field to which they had been originally fitted.
To the actor, what had once been “self-evident” is no longer clear, and previously held dispositions are no longer appropriate to the field (Bourdieu, 2000). This is unsettling, as Reay and colleagues (2009) note that these changes “can generate not only change and transformation but also disquiet, ambivalence, insecurity and uncertainty” (p. 1105). In his works, Bourdieu describes the disconnect between habitus and a changed field, causing situations such as missed academic opportunities (Bourdieu, 1988) and disorientation when moving from a rural to an urban setting (Bourdieu, 1999). Agents attempt to adjust to changes, often with those already in powerful positions best able to recognize capital in the changed field (Hardy, 2014). In this study, the usual experiences of teacher preparation—experiences that already create unease—were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school shutdowns, dramatically changing the field that the teacher candidates were expecting.
Methods
This is an instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) that considers the impacts on early childhood teacher candidates, both personal and professional, resulting from a disrupted practicum experience. This specific case is bound by the uniqueness of the case—the university program, the nature of the virtual teaching experience, and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this study is designed to promote larger understandings (Stake, 1995) of the experiences of preservice teachers during the pandemic. This case study focuses on an all-female cohort of 18 early childhood teacher candidates in their first year of the professional sequence.
The professional sequence begins in the junior year of the undergraduate teacher preparation program with the first practicum experience that includes teaching and lesson planning responsibilities beginning in the second semester. The program refers to this practicum as an “early field experience” or EFE, as it is experience in the classroom prior to formal student teaching. The first EFE is in primary-grade classrooms (kindergarten, first, and second grades). Candidates work in the classrooms one day per week during the first 6 weeks of the semester. Beginning in the seventh week, candidates attend placement 4 days per week. During this time, they take over some transitions, lead small group lessons, and support the cooperating teacher. They also teach four supervised lessons with the support of both the cooperating teacher and the university placement supervisor.
The teacher candidates that are the focus of this study found their first EFE disrupted by a gubernatorial order to close all public schools on March 21, 2020, ceasing face-to-face instruction. This order came during the university spring break. The candidates had completed their initial 6 weeks of once-a-week observation and the first 2 weeks of the second phase of the placement. All had taught at least one supervised lesson, and many had taught two. While the university community was anticipating a move to online instruction after spring break, it was uncertain whether it would indeed happen, and it was very unclear how long such a thing would last. However, the decision did come from the university that, while teacher preparation programs would look for strategies for continuing student teaching placements, all EFE placements would end immediately. In the case of these candidates, both the university and the state board of education agreed to not require field hours from this placement for teacher licensure. It was assumed that this group of students would have field placements during their final year—a second EFE in a preschool classroom in the fall and a student teaching experience primary grades in the spring.
The candidates were concurrently enrolled in an early childhood pedagogy course taught by the program director, who was joined by placement supervisors tasked with supervising the EFE placement. The course instructor and supervisors developed an alternative teaching experience in which teacher candidates would work with a child as an online tutor for 2 hours per week. Candidates were asked to work with a child between the ages of 5 and 8. If candidates knew a child of the right age (e.g., a family member or the child of a friend), they were permitted to work with that child. Otherwise, the faculty would match candidates with a child. The rationale for the online tutoring was to provide an alternative teaching experience to the teacher candidates while also providing support to children and families. As the online tutoring experience was up and running less than a week after the schools shut down, many of the children’s schools had not yet moved online. Those that had were in very early stages of pandemic instruction with families struggling to support learning at home.
Teacher candidates were tasked with scheduling time with the family, planning lessons, and supporting any work sent by the classroom teacher (if the child’s school was sending work). Supervisors met with candidates regularly, worked collaboratively to generate ideas and strategies for online teaching and developmentally appropriate activities for young children, and supervised one online lesson. Candidates also shared ideas with each other during class (Sanders-Smith et al., 2022). However, because the EFE placements ended, candidates no longer had a cooperating teacher. Instead, their primary contact was with the child’s parents.
Participants
This study focuses on five candidates in the cohort, chosen for their range of experiences. All five had previously had field placements in elementary schools in the small urban community that is home to the university. Four of the five participants were working with a family member. However, none were teaching the child in person. In addition, four of the five participants (all except Chelsea) had chosen to remain on campus and live in student apartments or university housing after the shutdown.
This cohort had previously been part of a study of the impacts of some aspects of the teacher preparation program on emerging teacher identity and had previously received approval from the university Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB approved an amended version of the project to include a study of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and all teacher candidates were informed and asked to re-consent to the study. All candidates agreed to continue.
Data Collection and Analysis
This study’s data sources include the candidates’ weekly placement journals, an end-of-semester reflection, communications between candidates and their university supervisor, class discussions about the tutoring experience, and discussion forum responses from their fall semester course. The weekly placement journals were a course assignment and asked that candidates discuss what had happened in online tutoring that week and to reflect on general challenges and concerns. The prompt used every week was Most candidates included personal reflections in these journals as well, though the instructor did not request these. The end-of-semester reflection asked candidates to reflect on the semester’s events, including the shift to all online classes and their experiences with online tutoring. All class sessions were recorded via Zoom. Only those portions of the class in which the candidates discussed the online tutoring experience and shared ideas with colleagues were included as data. Communications between candidates and their supervisors took the form of texts and emails in which the candidates asked questions about the tutoring, asked for support, and discussed teaching ideas. These communications were not standardized and instead were used by the candidates and supervisors as needed. The fall discussion forum was focused on the practicum placement for that semester (still online but in collaboration with a school) and course materials. However, candidates frequently referred to events of the previous semester.
As all three researchers were part of the candidates’ teacher preparation program, no data were analyzed until the semester and online teaching experience had ended and grades submitted. This was a requirement of the university’s IRB. The research team analyzed weekly journals for the entire cohort of 18 preservice teachers with particular consideration of the kinds of teaching experiences that the teacher candidates were having with the children. The research chose five candidates whose teaching experiences and responses to online teaching, as reflected in the journals, were representative of the larger group.
All data for these five participants were analyzed by the three researchers: the course instructor and two university supervisors. All data were coded in multiple cycles, as suggested by Saldaña (2016). All data except fall discussion forums were analyzed together, allowing for triangulation across data sources. The discussion forums were added after the fall course ended and grades for that course were submitted. The researchers began with a cycle of initial coding focused on the online tutoring experience broadly and allowing for deep reflection on the nuances of the data and the emergence of initial categories. These codes revealed such themes and subthemes as child engagement (trust, child-centeredness, supportive learning) and planning (figuring out online teaching, creating challenging experiences). While initial coding focused on the experience of online teaching, the researchers noted that the candidates stressed both personal and professional impacts of the pandemic and how they were—or were not—coping. The researchers adjusted the analysis and added the Bourdieusian lenses of habitus, field, and hysteresis in a cycle of theoretical coding. The researchers noted discussions of habitus related to teacher self and field of online learning and suggestions of disconnect between the two. We sorted data by codes focused on the feelings of loss and unease related to changes in the expected teacher preparation experiences, processes of attempting to adapt to changes in the field, and reflections on change that have become part of candidates’ teacher identities. The researchers then completed a cycle of concept coding, which allowed them to consider how smaller actions and reflections by the participants added up to a broader scheme of response (Saldaña, 2016). In this cycle, we noted such things as learning new technological tools, mindfulness strategies, and finding and being part of systems of support. In this way, the researchers noted that the candidates’ reflections and coping mechanisms evolved over the course of the semester.
Findings
Feelings of Loss
Reay (2005, 2015) notes that there is anxiety and fear when actors encounter an unfamiliar field under ordinary circumstances. These candidates were familiar with the field of the school but were developing in their new role and identity as “teacher.” There was the typical anxiety that comes with teacher identity development, though the candidates were at the start of becoming comfortable within this space, getting a feel for the “water.” Then the pandemic hit, schools were closed, and the field changed as instruction moved online. The candidates were saddened by the cessation of their classroom teaching placements and mourned the loss of the experience that they had been expecting.
Professional opportunity
The candidates were in their first “real” placement when schools closed. The first placement is often something teacher candidates look forward to with anticipation, as they recognize the importance of field placements to their development and identity as teachers (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2011; Nghia & Huynh, 2017). Chelsea reflected: “I had been anticipating the start of my student teaching experience since I came to college, and I am disheartened to have lost a semester’s worth of experience.”
Even though program faculty were able to find a way for candidates to continue to work with children, candidates felt the loss of the classroom experience and the ability to work with children directly. Madison noted the importance of being in the classroom: “I was getting great hands-on practice. I was so proud of myself . . . I was confident and consistent in my ability to assist in classroom and behavior management.” However, classroom management remained a concern for her into the following semester: “In our last semester’s placement, we were not able to see the process of establishing and following through with classroom management.” She noted feelings of inadequacy and illegitimacy as a teacher that many candidates face in field placements (Yuan et al., 2019) but limited opportunities to work through those fields in a classroom context.
Imani worried about losing time to work with children and what this might mean for her future. She lamented the loss of time to practice, but also: “I also thought about my teacher license being pushed back further. I was worried about not getting enough hours inside a classroom and not being able to obtain my teacher’s license on time.”
No goodbye
At the time that schools closed, the candidates had completed the two weeks of the 4-day placement. The plan had been for this schedule to last another 6 weeks. The placement was shortened by the pandemic, but the candidates had already formed relationships with the children. They left for spring break anticipating seeing the children again the following week. As the decision to close schools came during the break, there was no opportunity for the candidates to say goodbye to the children, something the candidates found very difficult and sad.
In her journal, the week that the placement ended, Madison wrote, “Needless to say, I also really miss my students!” Priya’s sentiment on this point was echoed by much of the cohort: “It breaks my heart that I may never see some of those kids again.” Victoria’s reflections on placement extend on this: I lost twenty-five friends that I had made over the first half of the semester. All those little first graders that I never even had the chance to say goodbye to, won’t know how grateful I was to them for sharing their days with me.
Imani turned this a bit to consider, not just how she felt about it, but what the children deserved: “I felt as if they deserved a better goodbye than the one given.”
Stress and loss
The early days of the pandemic were stressful. The candidates expressed during class and written reflections just how much they were feeling stressed. As Imani shared: “When the COVID-19 affected my placement, I felt stress come over me personally.” Madison and Victoria both found it difficult to focus on schoolwork while dealing with stress from the pandemic and suddenly having to do everything from home. Victoria reflects: “It’s a mental barrier not having anything to differentiate from class to homework to recreation . . . with a single laptop, there is no separation between class, homework, and fun.” Madison stressed that it was much easier for her to take classes face-to-face: “I had a very hard time staying organized with my schoolwork.”
Priya and Chelsea both talked about how the isolation of the pandemic and loss of daily activities impacted their mental health. Priya spoke at length about isolation in her reflection and noted: “Being an extrovert, this stay-at-home order is hard for me. I love seeing my friends every day and learning with them.” Chelsea reflected on the sudden loss of the busyness of everyday life: “I yearn for the structure of in-person classes and placement. I liked waking up and having a full day of activities to keep me busy.”
Existence in a New Field
After the practicum experience ended and candidates were placed with a young child for one-on-one virtual tutoring, they were unsure whether the experience would benefit them. The state of hysteresis, unsurprisingly, was most acute at the start. The candidates discussed some early struggles. Candidates’ teacher identities were in early formation, and now, they were asked to continue teaching without a cooperating teacher or classroom and using unfamiliar technology. From Priya: At first, the new virtual teaching experience created a little bit of stress for me since we were still figuring out a routine, and I was trying to figure out the best way to help my cousin understand the concepts that her teacher wanted her to learn.
Hardy (2014) asserts, “Hysteresis necessarily follows while field participants recognize the potential of new tools, learn new skills and repositions themselves within the field” (p. 140).
Uncertainty and stress
The stress and loss of the practicum placement was followed by the uncertainty and stress of the proposed online tutoring experience. Because the EFE had been their first, the candidates were already grappling with the uncertainty that comes with first stepping into the field of the school as a teacher rather than a student (Henry, 2016). The loss of the placement was overwhelming. The idea to have the candidates tutor online was introduced in their general pedagogy course on the Wednesday after spring break, the first week after local schools closed to face-to-face instruction. The candidates were invited to share their thoughts and ideas about the experience. As a group, they decided that 2 hours a week would probably be a reasonable amount of time to start work with the children, with the time adjusted later. Candidates expressed that they were looking forward to continuing to work with children and appreciated the ongoing support of their placement supervisor but were concerned about the loss of a typical classroom setting and cooperating teacher.
The candidates were also overwhelmed by the move to all online teaching and learning in general, including their teaching experience and university classes. All of the candidates expressed a sense of discontent throughout the semester, from the start when online teaching and learning was new through the end of the semester when we were uncertain about what the fall would bring. Imani reflected: “However it was not easy to adjust to the changes the COVID-19 brought upon us. As I tried to adjust to these changes, I felt as if it was becoming difficult for me.” Madison, who made a great effort to be positive throughout the semester, reflected: “The transition to online has taken a toll on me.”
Living situations for the candidates were also an ongoing source of stress and anxiety that only increased as the lockdown continued with no end in sight. For those candidates who chose to stay on campus, the result of this was isolation, as they could not venture out of their apartments and enjoy campus as they normally would. Imani stressed this in her reflection: “I have a one-bedroom apartment [near campus] and didn’t get a chance to go back home during the pandemic.” Chelsea chose to go home. She stressed how difficult it was to go back home under such circumstances: I have not really been feeling like myself since being at home. I am not able to work, I’m not allowed to go where I want and see who I want, and it kind of feels like I am a child. When I am at school, I have a lot more freedom, and I am a lot more independent than I am when I am at home.
Online teaching and learning
In tutoring, candidates used a combination of Zoom and Facetime to meet with children, and the program moved to Zoom for all teacher preparation courses. As Imani reflected on what it was to learn over Zoom when considering how to teach virtually: “I’ve seen from my own experience working through Zoom that learning over the internet is stressful and not easy.” Nevertheless, some of the candidates found the technology helpful in getting through the pandemic, though far from perfect. From Victoria: I’m thankful that Zoom has been able to connect my little sister and me as well as to my classes. While Zoom allows us to proceed with our education, it does so with glitches. internet disconnections, video and audio cutting in and out, a lack of class-centered functions, and just sitting and staring at a computer screen for so long.
As novice teachers, particularly those who had been in their first practicum placement, figuring out how to adapt the kinds of active learning promoted by the teacher preparation program to an online environment was difficult (Nghia & Huynh, 2017). In the case of these candidates, the field of the school that the program used to frame instruction was different from the field that the candidates were teaching in. The difference was significant enough between the fields that the regularities and expectations of the field had changed from what the candidates had anticipated (Bourdieu, 2000). Priya reflected on this difference: “I think it definitely changed our whole perspective on teaching. We never expected it to be completely online. We had to get more creative.” Madison found that trying to get the technology to work as intended was an ongoing chore and frustrating for both her and her tutored child, Danny: “He spent a lot of time trying to make his text boxes on the worksheet the same size. He told me that if the boxes were not the same size, then it would hurt his stomach.”
As the semester progressed and candidates spent more time with their tutored children, they started to surprise themselves by finding ways to make things work. Chelsea, who had noted several times that she was both worried about teaching online and tutoring Annie, who was older than children she had previously worked with, started to gain confidence late in the semester as she found Annie responding well to what she had planned: “I found myself adapting my teaching plans as I learned more about Annie and her academic abilities, became aware of more teaching resources, and gained experience and confidence to tutor remotely.” Imani discovered that she and her niece Sierra could use their time well without overthinking the lesson and materials: “Conducting online tutoring has taught me how to use minimum materials to create a broad lesson for a child.”
Professional development
During the last weeks of the semester, candidates reflected positively on the online tutoring experience and considered how it, while unusual, allowed them to continue their preparation. Similar to other teacher education programs that moved online at the start of the pandemic (e.g., Kim, 2020; Metscher et al., 2020) this program continued to provide conditions for building a teacher identity through extending opportunities to engage in teaching tasks. The candidates reflected a great deal on what they had encountered through their online teaching experience that they would not have done had they stayed in their EFE practicum placement. For Chelsea, it was the experience of needing to challenge a child who was a bit older and working above grade level: I really enjoyed working with Annie this past month. I was skeptical at first to work with such an advanced student, but it was good practice, and I think I was able to adequately teach and challenge her at different times.
Victoria was in a similar situation, working with her sister, Kate, who was also working above grade level: “While my sister is incredibly advanced in math and she learns it so easily and with so much passion, it is important to keep in mind that the majority of my students won’t be like this.”
Madison’s cousin Danny was in the IEP process but did not yet have an IEP. She found herself needing to figure out how to support him in doing his schoolwork while minimizing frustration, all while teaching over Facetime. From Madison: “I gained a lot of experience in dealing with ADHD.” Priya, whose cousin Prisha was nervous about going outside during the pandemic, discovered how important it was to communicate with families, particularly when a child is struggling with something going on in their lives: “I learned about new communication programs that work well between the teacher and families. I learned how to connect school and home life.” Imani, who immensely enjoyed having one-on-one time with Sierra was thankful for the time: “I also want to thank the COVID-19 for allowing me to get the opportunity to practice by working with her.”
Systems of support
From the start of the pandemic and into the fall semester, the candidates considered where they might find professional and personal support. Program faculty and placement supervisors provided what support they could through discussions in class, one-on-one discussions, texts, and email, and sitting in on the online tutoring sessions. The candidates took note of these and were responsive to the support and suggestions provided. For example, when Chelsea and another candidate, who were tutoring siblings, were having difficulty finding time to work with the children, the course instructor suggested that the two work together to plan lessons that could be taught together and address the needs of both children. Chelsea reflected on this in her journal: “As per [instructor’s] suggestion during last week’s class, Alyssa and I decided to try a combined read-aloud and shared writing activity with both of our students. It went extremely well!”
The cohort found a great deal of support within their group, much like candidates in other teacher preparation programs who found communication with peers to be a necessary support (Kalloo et al., 2020). They shared ideas and resources, both in class and on their own time. The cohort shared words of encouragement and reminders to take care of themselves in nearly every class and opportunity for discussion. An example from Madison: “I am also proud of you and the rest of the cohort for pushing through during these challenging and stressful times.”
In creating the online tutoring experience, the instructor and supervisors hoped that it would allow candidates to continue to grow their professional practice while also providing support to families tasked with virtual schooling. It was not expected that the tutoring experience itself would also become a key source of social and emotional support for the candidates. Nearly all of the candidates stated on at least one occasion that working with children online made them feel less lonely and more positive in general. Imani, who had previously reflected on being lonely in her one-bedroom apartment, reflected: “[Online tutoring] also affected our way of dealing with isolation positively . . . this tutoring session brought me happiness during my days.” Priya had a very similar experience: This new way of doing things affected my way of dealing with isolation in a positive way because I was able to talk to someone other than my family and friends throughout the day. It was also fun for my cousin because she got some social interaction in her life outside of her mom and dad since she is an only child.
Victoria was happy for the extra family time: “It’s been so much fun to spend extra time with my little sister, Kate.”
New Capital, New Conceptions of Teaching
The candidates attempted to adjust to the changes brought by the move to teaching online. However, none of the candidates considered the change in the field to be permanent and resisted transforming entirely. Discussions throughout the spring semester and into the fall referenced when things would get “back to normal.” Nonetheless, the candidates recognized that there were things to be gained from the experience that they saw as giving them a long-term advantage in the field of the school. They saw the unusual circumstances as continuing to support the development of their teacher identity.
Focus on self care
Self-care was a topic of great interest for the candidates. They had previously talked about mindfulness and the necessity of the prioritization of their own well-being as part of their teacher preparation courses. However, self-care became difficult when the candidates found themselves trapped at home—in some cases having only a dorm room or bedroom in a shared apartment to themselves. They shared ideas for better self-care and even investigated the topic deeply when experimenting with project-based learning in their fall pedagogy class. Strategies for self-care included spending time with pets (Victoria and Chelsea), making time for loved ones (Madison and Victoria), meditation and dance (Imani), and looking for the sense of wellbeing that can be found when spending time alone (Priya).
In the spring and into the fall, the candidates reminded each other to take time for themselves and to be proud of the work they were doing. For example, Chelsea began her discussion with this reminder: “Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well and still finding ways to practice self-care because we need it!” Later in the semester, when another candidate in the cohort started a discussion post with a short mindfulness exercise, Madison responded with enthusiasm: “What a great way to start your post off by providing some positivity! It really did help to take five deep breaths.” Madison, in her reflections and discussions with other candidates, kept coming back to this point: “I have to accept and be okay with the fact that it was perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and unorganized at times.”
Technology
Through the sudden shift of practicum onto a virtual context, candidates were able to increase their motivation and proficiency with new online learning technologies (Kim, 2020).
Priya reflected during the end of the semester that she was more tech-savvy after having navigated online teaching, saying: “We are now better prepared to tackle obstacles like these in the future.” Madison and Imani added that teaching online during a time of crisis undoubtedly offered them the training to incorporate more technology into their future classrooms. Imani, who had been very hesitant about educational technology at the start of the pandemic, found some tools to be very useful: “I’ve never used the app Seesaw. Thank you for another reliable resource I can use in my future classroom.” Their experiences glean insight into the reality that there is an inevitability of future crises. As a result, online learning needs to be further incorporated into student teacher training curricula (Kalloo et al., 2020).
The candidates considered what the incorporation of technology for distance learning into everyday practice might mean. Madison considered the advantage of having used these applications regularly: “We are so lucky to be in student teaching during this crazy time because we are getting such great experience with the different ways to incorporate technology into our future classroom.” Chelsea considered further applications: “I am personally in favor of schools allowing students to take ‘mental health days’ off of school. I think e-learning could be a useful tool to assist this movement.”
Future teaching
The candidates considered how the experience of teaching and tutoring online during a global pandemic would impact the ways in which they teach in the future. These were professional impacts that they saw going beyond learning to better use technology or find creative ways to engage children. Such impacts had positive effects on the candidates’ developing teacher identities as they found themselves able to overcome difficulties. The candidates discussed how they felt that learning to cope with the stress of the online tutoring experience and shifting to all online classes prepared them to cope with stressful professional situations in the future. Priya shared that the unexpected experience of teaching online had better prepared her to navigate stressful obstacles that were out of her control. She reflected that she was able to find positive ways to deal with the stress and isolation brought on by the pandemic.
Imani reflected that she would be highlighting the overall accomplishment of teaching online on her resume. She believed that the experience had trained her to better navigate stress and uncertainty. Echoing Priya, Imani stated that the whole experience, though stressful, would be beneficial to her throughout her professional career as an educator. Similarly, Victoria saw many of the challenges of the pandemic as supports rather than hinderances to her professional development: “I don’t worry about COVID-19 affecting my future as a teacher. I know that I am surrounded by those who truly care about teaching, and I know that when I eventually get a job and my first classroom, I’ll continue to be surrounded by teachers that care; they’ll just be my coworkers this time instead of professors.”
During the middle of the semester, Madison stated that the sudden circumstances of online teaching had made her feel stressed and unprepared in various areas of the teaching field. However, as an end-of-semester reflection, Madison demonstrated a transformation in her perspective. She reflected that the semester had changed her life and that she had indeed identified herself as a teacher. This growth had been encouraged by the sudden opportunity to lead as a teacher: “I have learned a lot about myself as a future teacher. This experience taught me the importance of self-reflection, patience, and preparedness.”
Discussion
Losses and Gains
In the teacher preparation program that was the focus of this study, this group of teacher candidates were, in many ways, the most impacted by the closing of schools and migration to online learning. The senior cohort began student teaching in January of that year and had completed all previous placements and 10 weeks of classroom-based student teaching prior to the schools closing. Furthermore, this senior cohort was able to continue working with children in their student teaching placement. Younger cohorts dealt with the migration of university classes to online but were not yet in practicum placements. This junior cohort had only begun their practicum placement when the schools closed and were denied the opportunity to continue working with the children, even in an online setting. At the time, the practicum placement coordinators thought that the decision to end EFE placements would ease the stress on cooperating teachers. In hindsight, given the inexperience of the teacher candidates and their need for close supervision by cooperating teachers in classroom settings, this was probably the best choice. Nevertheless, it did drastically impact the amount of field experience that the cohort had.
The loss of the practicum placement had initial adverse effects on the candidates’ developing teacher identities. They were not able to make the theory-to-practice connections that are so important to developing teachers (Chu, 2020; Dobson & Stephenson, 2018). They lost the typical opportunities for the expectations of teaching to be changed and then modified through classroom practice (Nghia & Huynh, 2017). If anything, online teaching was so new to the candidates that they were unsure of just what to expect. Furthermore, it was new to program faculty and university supervisors as well, as they were also needing to adjust to provide guidance for online teaching strategies while drawing mainly from classroom-based teaching experiences. Previous methods of teacher candidate guidance (e.g., visiting classrooms, talking to cooperating teachers) were no longer appropriate, creating a mismatch between habitus in field across the program (Bourdieu, 2000; Schindler & Wille, 2015).
One of the most significant impacts to the candidates in the loss of the practicum placement was the loss of the cooperating teacher. The cooperating teacher has a pivotal role in the development of a candidate’s teacher identity in practicum placements (Chu, 2020; Dobson & Stephenson, 2018; Henry, 2016). While the program attempted to fill the gap during the online tutoring through the ongoing support of the university supervisor, the candidates lost the frequent and consistent teacher model that they needed at this early stage of teacher development. During the spring semester, the candidates largely expressed their recognition of this loss in discussions of having to do all of the planning for their tutoring sessions rather than work with a cooperating teacher to plan. It was not until the fall semester when candidates reflected on the experience that they began to discuss what they missed by not having a cooperating teacher as a model throughout the semester.
As this was the candidates’ first practicum placement with teaching responsibilities, they had not yet found themselves as “fish in water,” able to navigate the field of the school comfortably while in a teaching role (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992). However, the instability of a developing teacher identity is one that is familiar to teacher educators and not wholly unexpected by teacher candidates. While in the teacher preparation program, teacher candidates are supported through the gradual changes in habitus that promote teacher identity (Bourdieu, 2000; Hardy, 2014; Henry, 2016). The sudden closing of schools and state-wide stay-at-home order made what should have been a gradual and, at least somewhat, predictable development, an abrupt change during which the candidates had to adapt to a new and chaotic reality (Bourdieu, 2000; Schindler & Wille, 2015). This abrupt change in the field was very unsettling for the candidates and led to a great deal of stress and uncertainty, which is not unexpected when there is chaotic change in the field (Reay et al., 2009).
Strategies for Adapting to the Field
The teacher candidates struggled with online learning, both as teachers and as learners. The uncertainty that exemplified the early days of the pandemic did not help matters, as they (as was true of most people) were unsure of how long lockdown measures would last. Teachers in schools in the United States and abroad have since reported that they assumed they would be back in the classroom in 2 weeks (Martinez Negrette et al., 2022). While the cancelation of the EFE placement was disheartening for the candidates, it did have the effect of giving them one thing that they were sure of; they would not be returning to the classroom that school year. Therefore, they could wholeheartedly invest in online learning and dispositions that would be appropriate to the changed field (Bourdieu, 2000), knowing that it would carry them through the end of the semester.
The candidates were sincere in their attempts to find ways of bridging the theory of the university classroom with actual teaching, even though their university courses continued to be focused on teaching practices in classrooms (Sanders-Smith et al., 2022). While this was an unusual teaching situation, this created possibilities for the candidates to continue building their teacher identities’ by forming expectations and practicing teaching skills, and then reflecting on the response of the children (Henry, 2016; Nghia & Huynh, 2017). They lost the perspective of their cooperating teacher. Instead, they drew strongly from peer interactions in class and the on and offline support of the program faculty and university supervisors, similarly to teacher candidates in other teacher preparation programs (Kim, 2020; Metscher et al., 2020). These five candidates reflected proudly on their successes and their abilities to make pedagogic connections with children, even in a virtual setting.
The online tutoring experience was a source of emotional support for the candidates. This was noted by all five candidates and most frequently by Imani and Victoria, the two with the closest pre-existing relationships with their children. All five candidates reported that working with children made them feel better. The work of teaching provided focus, and the interactions with children allowed them to be in a position of caring for someone else.
The candidates experienced the disorientation of hysteresis throughout the pandemic, as the abrupt change to the field and uncertainty regarding the shape of the field going forward caused unsurprising disorientation (Bourdieu, 1977; 2000; Reay et al., 2009). Hysteresis begets insecurity. But the candidates did try to adapt as best they could to the new circumstances. They were able to, at least to some extent, activate cultural capital in the new field, drawing from what they did know of teaching and learning and adapting it to online teaching. Candidates were also able to draw support from relationships, including those with faculty and supervisors who were helping them and the children they were tutoring.
Teacher Identity and Online Teaching
Teacher identity is not built solely in practicum placements or even in teacher preparation programs. Teacher candidates bring their home, communities, culture, and own school experiences into the program with them (Beltman et al., 2015; Nghia & Huynh, 2017; Yuan et al., 2019). This habitus embodies the candidates’ history (Bourdieu, 1990) and structures the ways that they interact with professional courses and classroom placements. However, practicum placements promote teacher identity through practical experiences interacting with children in a teaching role in a classroom setting (Chu, 2020; Nghia & Huynh, 2017).
In the case of these five teacher candidates, they were able to continue building their teacher identities despite the loss of their practicum placement and the transition to online teaching. This was possible, in our summation, precisely because teacher identity does not begin the moment teacher candidates walk into a classroom. These candidates were considering their roles in the field of the school and a future identity as teachers before entering the program. They had knowledge of teaching from the university courses taken to that point and an understanding of teaching and learning from having been learners. From this point, they were able to begin to make connections between what they previously knew of teaching, what they had learned in their courses, and what they were able to apply to the online tutoring experience. As a result, all five of the participants discussed successes and moments of “feeling like a teacher.”
Hardy (2014) notes that, for actors to be able to adjust to changes in the field after a chaotic change, they must be able to recognize the capital of the changed field. For these candidates, they did recognize the potential of technological tools, such as Zoom or Seesaw, and made a point to learn how to use them. They also recognized the potential of learning from each other, instructors, and supervisors and made a point of asking questions and soliciting suggestions. The candidates adapted with the perceived understanding that adaptation was temporary, and that their “normal” teaching placements were ahead of them. But they all recognized what they had gained from the experience—not only competence in educational technology but also a level of flexibility and resilience not normally required of preservice teachers. Habitus creates history, which then becomes habitus (Bourdieu, 1990). These experiences are now part of these candidates’ habitus, now part of their developing teacher identities. The experiences of having to adapt to teaching in a drastically changed field of the school will be part of their identity throughout their careers.
Implications and Limitations
The school shutdown and state-wide stay-at-home order due to the pandemic were unprecedented. However, crises do happen in schools—to teachers, to children, and to communities. Preservice teachers enter university programs with the expectation that all will go smoothly and exactly as planned. Very often, that is what happens. But it is not a guarantee. The ways in which teacher candidates encountered and coped with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on their teacher preparation program offer lessons for future crises. Similar to other research on teacher preparation during the pandemic (e.g., Darling-Hammond & Hyler, 2020; Kalloo et al., 2020; Kim, 2020), the candidates were supported through choices by program faculty to adapt the teacher preparation program and through ongoing peer interactions. In addition to these, one of the candidates’ most essential forms of support was teaching and, through teaching, being able to continue to interact with children. These interactions were a source of happiness and pride for the candidates. Teaching provided an opportunity to support a child and family through the pandemic. Teacher preparation candidates enter early childhood education because they like children and want to support learning. Providing candidates with the opportunity to continue to do that not only allowed them to continue building their teacher identity but to do something that they had been looking forward to for some time. In future crises, we urge other programs, to the extent possible, to look for ways for teacher candidates to continue to be engaged with children.
This unprecedented crisis highlighted the need for teacher preparations programs to offer courses that familiarize candidates not only with different instruction delivery models but also strategies appropriate to those environments, as suggested by Darling-Hammond and Hyler (2020). These teacher candidates learned to be very flexible and adaptive, skills that they recognize as important for teaching. Teacher preparation programs should consider what lessons about modes of instructional delivery and teacher flexibility learned during the pandemic should become intentional parts of teacher preparation.
This was a small study focusing on five candidates of a single early childhood cohort in a large research university. As is indicative of case study, the context is unique (Stake, 1995). The candidates did have the advantage of being at a well-resourced university. Furthermore, while the university is quite large, the program is small, allowing faculty to work closely together. However, it should be noted that, while all of the families working with the program were able to provide some means of the child being online, the children were from a range of racial, cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We hope that there will be other studies emerging from the pandemic of how other programs addressed practicum placements during school shutdowns. Furthermore, follow-up studies with our participants and other teacher candidates from other teacher preparation programs will be necessary for understanding the long-term impacts of the disruption of practicum experiences on teacher identity.
Conclusion
For teacher candidates, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the normal course of their teacher preparation program. This left candidates with a feeling of hysteresis as they were already navigating an unfamiliar role in the field of the school. The candidates felt the loss of the experience they were “supposed” to have as well as the relationships that they had already built with the children in their placement. But, by drawing on their existing habitus and activating the capital that they did have in this changed field, they were able to adapt—perhaps not fully but well enough to continue to build their teaching skills and to be able to reflect on what they had learned. While the candidates felt the loss of a classroom setting and cooperating teacher through the whole of the online tutoring experience, they recognized what they were gaining. Future research will reveal the extent to which this experience will impact their teaching in the long term. But, for now, the pandemic, the end of their practicum, and their experience working with a child one-on-one without cooperating teacher support are all part of their habitus and, by extension, their teacher identities.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
