Teacher Candidates’ Attempts to Implement Anti-Ableist Pedagogy and The Constraints Therein

Authors

Benjamin Barnett-Perry, University of Washington - Seattle CampusFollow

Keywords

Teacher Preparation, Social Justice Education, Anti-Ableist Pedagogy

Abstract

In this qualitative study, I interviewed four special education teacher candidates with a stated interest in enacting anti-ableist pedagogy in their student teaching placements. I drew on Holland et al.’s (1998) figured worlds to examine their attempts to enact anti-ableist pedagogy in their classrooms and their navigation of the hierarchy within their placements. Participants entered their student teaching eager to implement anti-ableist pedagogy. However, their attempts at implementation were often met with pushback from a variety of sources and a new understanding of how much they could actually accomplish from their place at the bottom of the school hierarchy. Findings reveal how TCs ultimately questioned their desire to pursue a career in special education as a result of their experiences in their placement.

DOI

10.15760/nwjte.2025.20.2.2

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44286

Recommended Citation

Barnett-Perry, Benjamin (2025) "Teacher Candidates’ Attempts to Implement Anti-Ableist Pedagogy and The Constraints Therein," Northwest Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 20 : Iss. 2 , Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15760/nwjte.2025.20.2.2