Cognitive Learning Strategies and Candidates in Teacher Education Programs: A Phenomenology

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of graduates from teacher education programs in the Western United States and their exposure to cognitive learning strategy instruction. The theory that guided this research is cognitive learning theory, which focuses on the internal processes surrounding memory and information. The research questions explored the experiences of teacher education program graduates with cognitive learning strategy instruction, how these programs incorporated cognitive learning strategies into their curriculum, and how graduates applied their knowledge of these strategies to their own teaching post-graduation. The chosen design was hermeneutic phenomenology, which is used to understand the lived experiences of a group of individuals who share a common phenomenon, and employs data-gathering from the individuals and the development of a synthesized description of the phenomenon. Participants consisted of a sample size of 12 recent graduates (1 - 5 years post-graduation) of teacher education programs in the Western United States who have taught in K-12 schools. Qualitative data was collected through surveys, individual interviews, and a focus group. Data analysis was conducted using Moustakas’s seven steps and involved an in-depth examination of the survey responses, interview transcripts, and the focus group transcript to identify common themes that were utilized to describe the essence of the phenomenon. Identified themes include the extent that teacher education programs incorporated cognitive learning strategies, the misunderstandings these graduates had around cognitive learning strategies, and the extent that teacher education programs prepared graduates to support student learning. Implications for practice in light of the study results are discussed.