Perspectives on preparation: Nine art teachers reflect on their preservice education in light of their experiences of contemporary schooling

This study explores the ways in which nine art teachers, who have between 1-16 years of teaching experience, reflected upon their art teacher education programs and their preservice preparation in light of their teaching experience. As a way to further the reform of art teacher education programs, this study questions how the collaborative relationship between those who teach art and the field of art teacher education could better identify the preparation most critical for teaching art in today's educational climate.;Through a review of the scholarship related to teacher education in general and art teacher education specifically, the opinions, beliefs, and reflections of those who teach art have not often been featured as the critical signpost of what programs need to address in the preparation of future teachers, thus creating a space for further investigation.;The nine case studies of the art teachers discussed in and through this study were developed using semi-structured interviews and are presented as a collection of individual narrative portraits of each participating art teacher. A cross-content analysis of the case studies yielded a collective case study, revealing common emergent themes and issues identified by the participants as important to the preparedness of future in service art teachers. The emergent themes and issues not only address the study's research questions, but have created the basis for thematic narrative portraits that further address those aspects of teacher preparation that participants have reflected upon as critical to art teacher preparation, thus needing focus in and through art teacher education programs.;While this dissertation may not be generalizable, it concludes with suggestions for how themes and issues raised through the research may be considered and addressed in programs that prepare art teachers for the rigors of teaching in contemporary schooling.