The moral socialization experience of teacher candidates in South Korea

This study examines how Korean teacher candidates learn to become teachers within teacher education programs (TEPs). The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) to explore Korean teacher candidates' perspectives about K--12 schooling as well as their attitudes toward the teaching profession; (2) to examine whom teacher candidates refer to as significant others and generalized others; (3) and to understand what the significant indicators of teacher candidates' socialization are.;For this purpose, a questionnaire study was conducted of 266 teacher candidates enrolled in four major TEPs in Korea. Descriptive statistics as well as a multiple regression method were used for the questionnaire data analysis. In addition, two focus groups were organized with twenty students selected from two of the four TEPs. A content analysis was employed for focus group data analysis.;My study supports symbolic interactionists' arguments that teacher socialization is a lifelong process in which teacher candidates' prior socialization plays a crucial role in their teacher socialization. During their TEPs, both the clinical experience and the media were found to have a significant influence on teacher socialization. Surprisingly, faculty and coursework were found to have minimal impacts. In addition, students who entered teaching for such reasons as self-realization and social service were found to have had a lifelong commitment to teaching and high self-esteem as prospective teachers. To enhance the effects of teacher education on teacher socialization, these findings suggest that: (1) learning from theory (e.g., coursework) be incorporated with learning from practice (e.g., student teaching), (2) TEPs integrate the media discourse with course materials so that teacher candidates can critically discuss the potential media influence on teacher socialization, and (3) TEPs consider the applicants' reasons for entering teaching admissions criteria. These findings also suggest that future research should examine how the media influences teacher socialization.