Research On The Construction Mechanism Of Teachers' Practical Knowledge

Since the 1980's, with the orientation turning of the study concerning teachers and the rising of the teacher professionalizing movement, some scholars began to research teachers'practical knowledge. In the world there are some famous scholars like ELbaz(1981, 1983, 1991), Connelly and Clandinin(Connelly & Clandinin,1984,1985, 1988, 1995;Clandinin, 1985, 1986;Clandinin & Connelly,1986) etc. whose research findings drew many scholars attention and spread to China in the middle and late 1990s. In recent years, there are more and more scholars who have realized the importance of teachers'practical knowledge in the field of teacher professional development.Nevertheless the author finds out the issue on teachers'practical knowledge construction have not been systematically and profoundly studied by China's and foreign scholars. This research focuses upon the elements and structures sustaining teachers'practical knowledge in order to give some advice on shaping, developing and perfecting teachers'practical knowledge.Teachers'practical knowledge construction is closely related to teachers'personal and professional life history. Based upon large numbers of documents read and my personal experience, the author finds that teachers'life history has a strong influence on teachers'practical knowledge, nonetheless, such influence of life history is not a reoccurrence of the simple experience because the hinge is the construction of teachers'self originated from teachers'life history. Thereby, the theoretical hypothesis of this research is that the mechanism of teachers'practical knowledge construction lies in"teachers'life history→teachers'self→teachers'practical knowledge.In order to expound and experiment this hypothesis, the author tries, in researching, to achieve the effect of triangulation: rational for using multiple sources of evidence. Therefore, in the whole process of researching, the author has paid particular attention to the study and understanding of methodologies, which causes the author's collecting, arranging and applying materials as well as constructing the discourse regarding the theme.The research materials collected focus on the following three respects: firstly, collecting and arranging related materials on teachers'life history, teachers'self and teachers'practical knowledge; secondly, the application of devices like the visiting and talking as well as self measurement and spot observation researching on cases of teachers'life history and teachers'self and teachers'practical knowledge; thirdly, doing questionnaires to teacher groups for their life history, teachers'self and teachers'practical knowledge.The structure of discourse is perfectly around the theme. To start with, documents and theories about teachers'life history and teachers'practical knowledge have been systematically studied and arranged, based upon which the dissertation represents the research strategy and process. It has also had a further analysis and annotation to the cases concerning teachers'life history and the shaping and development of teachers'practical knowledge, which becomes the firm basis of forming the mechanism model in the construction of teachers'practical knowledge.The conclusions of the study research are: firstly, the constructing mechanism of teachers'practical knowledge shows spiral cycling process among teachers'life history, teachers'self and teachers'practical knowledge; secondly, teachers'life history, teachers'self and teachers'practical knowledge constitutes the cycle of interaction; at the same time, the understanding and application of teachers'practical knowledge also forms self-construction; with the occurrence of meaningful activities, teachers'practical knowledge can broaden and enrich meaning of life, and exceed teachers'past life history; exceeding teachers'life history and reconstructing teachers'self accordingly develop and perfect teachers'practical knowledge.In order to enhance the understanding of constructing mechanism of teachers'practical knowledge, the author has made a further elucidation to the factors of life history like culture, society, family, education, on-the-job learning, individual and so on.Additionally, in order to seeking for a novel model of teachers'development, the author has also tried to set and undertake a new cooperative relationship between the author and the teachers by listening to the teachers and interacting. The author has truly realized that this kind of model has mutual benefit and teachers are the most important resources of curriculum.This study, based on teachers'life history and teachers'self, focuses on the issue of teachers'practical knowledge construction mechanism, which is an originating and beginning study. Nevertheless, because of the limitation of time, the cases concerning teachers of this research can only be confined in the Chinese subject of senior high schools and metropolises(Shanghai, Taipei). Therefore, continuing study is quite necessary. This kind of research probably needs multi-disciplinary, multitudes of grades, numbers of would-be teachers besides on-the job ones, numbers of teachers from undeveloped regions besides those from developed regions, etc.