I want to be nice, but I have to be mean: Exploring prospective teachers' conceptions of caring and order

This study explored prospective teachers' conceptions of caring and order. One hundred forty-one teacher education students responded to a brief "Teacher Beliefs Survey." Results indicate that prospective teachers think about achieving order mainly in terms of management rather than pedagogy or interpersonal relationships. In contrast, caring was seen primarily in terms of interpersonal relationships (e.g., establishing rapport, "being there" for students), with little mention of either pedagogy or management. Significant differences were apparent when the data were analyzed by status and field. For both caring and order, secondary teachers emphasized teaching more than elementary, while elementary teachers stressed interpersonal and management strategies more often than secondary. These findings suggest that teacher educators need to help prospective teachers develop broader, more inclusive notions of both caring and order. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.