Internal Dilemmas and External Burdens: Exploring Student Teacher Lesson Planning

Learning to teach is challenging as preservice teachers apply a multitude of knowledge and skills in complex situations. Preservice and student teachers struggle to effectively use metacognition and lack the ability to address numerous motivational factors in their learning. We do not know how student teachers utilize these ideas while lesson planning. This multiple case study explored student teacher lesson planning motivation, knowledge transfer, and metacognition. The themes of teacher identity development, giving permission to overcome stress and procrastination, learning to adapt lessons, and stress impacting lesson planning emerged. The findings indicate student teacher growth throughout the practicum and provide insights for teacher educators to enhance motivation, metacognition, and knowledge transfer. We recommend teacher educators consider how they intentionally incorporate knowledge transfer and metacognition in their programs. Further, teacher educators should conceptualize how they scaffold lesson planning skill development, clearly communicate expectations, and use lesson plan templates to help address student teacher stress and procrastination. Future research should continue to explore ways to improve metacognition and knowledge transfer within the student teaching field experience and during lesson planning.