Field‐based experience: a study of social control and student teachers’ response to institutional constraints

Abstract This paper reports the findings of an ethnographic study of student teaching experiences in a preparation program that emphasizes field‐based practicums. It explores what students do in these practicum sites; what forces influence their behavior, ideas, and/or attitudes; and the different ways students respond to the constraints found in their field placements. Finally, it discusses the implications of the study's findings towards the theoretical constructs of reproduction and resistance as they apply to the professional socialization of future teachers.