Assessing Preservice Teachers' Dispositions: A Critical Dimension of Professional Preparation

The early childhood faculty at the University of Memphis developed the Early Childhood Education Behaviors & Dispositions Checklist for four main purposes: (1) The faculty needed a way to clearly communicate to students the expectations for their dispositions and the means of assessment; (2) It is a professional obligation in preservice teacher education; (3) Forming and implementing one document ensures consistency and limits subjectivity on the part of the evaluator; and (4) Preservice teachers need to know that who they are and what they believe will have a long-term effect on their careers and on their future students. Creating the Early Childhood Education Behaviors & Dispositions Checklist required a great deal of research, reflection, and discussion on the part of the early childhood faculty members at the University of Memphis. This article describes the impact of the Early Childhood Education Behaviors & Dispositions Checklist on the students, faculty and the early childhood program at the University of Memphis.