The place of the personal: Exploring the affective domain through reflection in teacher preparation

Emotions and emotional states play an important role in learning to teach, encouraging teacher educators to consider the place of the affective domain in preservice teacher preparation. Preservice teacher reflection provides a means by which to constructively explore the affective domain in teacher preparation. This article draws from two qualitative studies on reflection and technology conducted at an American university to explore the affective domain in teacher preparation. Using the web-based data of online discussion posts and weblog entries, this article considers the affective issues addressed in preservice teacher reflection and the implications of those emotional concerns for teacher preparation.