An interpretive inquiry into using adolescent literature to inform pre-service teachers about middle grades students

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice teachers' perceptions of young adolescent development during the literature component of teacher education by examining the following dimensions: (a) How do students preparing to be middle level teachers perceive young adolescent development? (b) What are the themes, patterns, and unique differences in the perceptions of these pre-service teachers at the beginning of a unit on contemporary realistic fiction? (c) How do they express their perceptions differently as they read contemporary realistic fiction? (d) How do they express their perceptions differently after their experience with contemporary realistic fiction? Data were obtained from 12 pre-service teachers through interviews, journals, and essays. Data were examined to reveal pre-service teachers' perceptions of young adolescent development with the investigator looking for recurring themes, patterns, and unique differences. All three data sources were used to gain insight into participant perceptions