“We never got to try that experience of total chaos": Exploring preservice music teachers’ agency in teaching practicum.

Abstract

The purpose of this instrumental case study was to investigate one single case of four preservice music teachers’ (PMTs) in their teaching practicums, carried out as a part of a Norwegian general teacher education program. The main data sources were based on material from three focus group interviews and observations from the PMT’s teaching practicums implemented at two practice schools for a total of five weeks. Emirbayer and Mische’s triadic conception of agency provided the theoretical framework for the analysis, highlighting temporal orientations (past, present, and future) of the actions. The findings revealed how the temporal dimensions of agency gave nuanced understandings of the PMT’s experiences of being supported (or limited) to make decisions and take actions in music teaching settings, either by the school-based mentors or themselves. The study underlines the importance of increased focus and inclusion of agency within teaching practicum contexts to prepare PMTs for future challenges.