Term

Summer 2026

Capstone

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

Trish Harvey

Abstract

This autoethnographic study examines how the cooperating teacher-student teacher relationships shapes professional identity, culturally responsive practice, and long-term teaching efficacy, particularly when preparing educators to work with students of color. Drawing on my own reflective narrative as a Black woman who navigated a predominantly White teacher preparation program and entered the profession inadequately prepared to serve diverse students, alongside three rounds of data collected from former student teachers, this study asks: How does the student teaching experience affect teachers’ educational journeys? What support do cooperating teachers need to effectively mentor student teachers working with students of color? How does the relationship of the cooperating teacher with the student teacher influence the development of culturally responsive teaching practices?

Using the methodological framework of evocative and analytic autoethnography, and drawing on a mixed-methods survey, two rounds of semi-structured asynchronous interviews with three former student teachers, and my own sustained autoethnographic narrative, this study reveals critical gaps in teacher preparation programs that perpetuate educational inequities. The research demonstrates that cooperating teachers often lack training in cultural competency and critical mentoring frameworks, leaving student teachers unprepared to address implicit bias, develop anti-racist dispositions, and implement culturally relevant pedagogy. Findings indicate that the quality of mentoring relationships directly impacts new teachers’ efficacy, retention, and ability to serve diverse student populations, and that what participants absorbed during the student teaching placement is still actively shaping their professional practice between four and nine years later.

This study offers practical implications for teacher preparation programs, school districts, and practicing educators. By centering vulnerable storytelling and reflective practice within an autoethnographic framework, it provides evidence for restructuring mentoring relationships through compatibility-based placement, implementing culturally responsive professional development, and creating support systems that prepare educators to honor students’ cultural identities while maintaining high academic expectations. Ultimately, this research calls the profession toward transformation, moving from deficit-based to asset-based approaches that recognize diverse students’ funds of knowledge and that ensure no educator stands in front of other people’s children without what they need to serve them well.

Research Methodology

Narrative (portariture), Survey (attitude scale, opinion, questionnaire), Autoethnography

Keywords

Achievement, Reflective Practice, Teachers/ Teaching, Mentorship

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

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