Pre-Service Teacher Dispositions

The objective of this study is to discover what other universities are doing to address pre-service teacher dispositions. Many universities have utilized assessment tools and policies directed toward student dispositions which can be very useful for institutions who have not yet begun the process of evaluating disposition traits in their candidates. This analysis can be most beneficial to departments and colleges who are looking for research based practices during their own implementation phases of policy creation geared toward assessment of pre-service teacher dispositions. The research will be most useful for any educator working with pre-service teachers. This data can be used as one component within educational programs to help candidates become the most effective teachers possible. Further, all educators can benefit from this study by recognizing both positive and negative dispositions in their own instruction with students. This can be a powerful self-reflection strategy to support any teacher’s professional development. The literature research will identify that many institutions are already using student disposition characteristics as a powerful instructional tool when preparing candidates for the profession. Further, the literature suggests two key components that will be of focus within the review and used to bolster the reasoning behind the study. First, this will validate the analysis of what dispositions are and how they are understood, while supporting the need for disposition evaluation. Second, the literature will identify the premise that dispositions are difficult to assess because of the fact that pre-service teacher dispositions are rather subjective in nature.