Prelude to a career of experiential learning: investigating how teacher candidates processed their clinical experience

This study investigated how 10 teacher candidates processed their experience during a senior yearlong clinical placement. Each candidate was interviewed five to eight times. A qualitatively driven mixed methods design using quantization to facilitate case selection was employed over three phases of analysis: (a) an initial phase of qualitative coding was quantitized for comparison purposes, (b) followed by an examination of the relationship among coded comments, and (c) a cross-case comparison of two participants selected based on differences in their quantitized data. Findings revealed that (a) teacher candidates commented on four facets of experience (action, cognition, emotion, and awareness) in different proportions, (b) they increasingly integrated those four facets of experience over time, and (c) a high level of integration facilitated greater cognitive complexity, emotional energy, and self-development through awareness. These findings highlight the need for increased attention to how teacher candidates process their experiential learning.