Partnerships in Tension: An Activity Theory Analysis of the University-School Relationship in Three Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

The relationship between teacher education programs and the K-12 school system seems naturally interdependent: schools benefit from quality teachers and teacher education programs are designed to prepare teachers for schools. This relationship also impacts the learning to teach process as schools provide opportunities for preservice teachers to enact theories presented in preparation programs and engage in clinical practice. The benefits of a collaborative relationship between teacher preparation programs and schools are well documented in the literature. A report by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Blue Ribbon Panel (2010) calls for clinical practice to reside at the center of all teacher preparation efforts and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Clinical Practice Commission (2018) highlights the value of embedding teacher preparation in the PK-12 setting, noting that “clinical practice is central to high-quality teacher preparation” (p. 13). However, extensive research points to a gap between the university and the K-12 school system. Indeed, the university-school divide continues to be a perennial problem faced by college- and university-based teacher education programs (Cochran-Smith, 2008; Feiman-Nemser & Buchman, 1985; Fullan et al., 1998; Smagorinsky, Cook, & Johnson, 2003). The nature of this problem is particularly puzzling, as ostensibly teacher education programs and K-12 schools have common goals, shared understandings and joint interests, nonetheless, scholarship demonstrates that the tensions between the two systems are historically rooted, multifaceted, and persistent (Martin, Snow, & Franklin-Torrez, 2011; Murrell, 1998; Zeichner, 2007, 2010). Building on this body of literature, this qualitative multicase dissertation investigates the university-school relationship in three teacher education programs, each representing a positive exemplar of a class of similar programs offered across the country: a Master’s in Teaching program, an early entry “alternative route” program, and a teacher residency program. The purpose of this research is to analyze the university-school relationship culturally, historically and institutionally and examine the impact organizational structures have on the university-school relationship. Cultural-historical activity theory in general and the third generation of activity theory in particular provide a comprehensive framework for generating and interpreting data. Data for this study include documents pertaining to the university-school relationship in each program, observational field notes and interviews from 43 participants involved in the university-school partnerships. The cross-case analysis on the university-school relationship in teacher education revealed three major findings: first, the problem of competing motives, priorities and objects was found across all cases of partnerships; second, differences in organizational structures afforded and constrained how the partnerships engaged the commonly found problem; and third, opportunities for collaboration and program learning varied across the cases and were shaped by the organization of the decision making processes. The value of this research is twofold. On the one hand, the findings may be used to inform programmatic decisions in teacher education. On the other hand, this study provides several implications for teacher education policy.