The influence of preservice training and teaching experience upon attitude and concerns about teaching

The subjects for this study were prospective teachers at three stages of training and three groups of inservice teachers completing their first, third, and fifth years of teaching ( N = 1193). Relationships between selected characteristics of these teachers and changes in their attitude and concerns about teaching over these six stages of development as predicted within development models of teacher evolution were investigated. Attitude toward teaching as a career was found to be positive and relatively stable over the six developmental stages, teaching task-type concerns increased, self-type concerns decreased, and impact upon pupil-type concerns remained stable and higher than the other two types of concerns. Additionally, teaching field and gender were found to be related to changes in attitude and concerns about teaching, and statistical interactions revealed dissimilar changes, when compared to other groups, in the transition from training to teaching for the male and secondary teachers; these changes were characterized as less positive attitude and concerns about teaching.