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A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacher's role in teaching students to write. Participants (N = 107) enrolled in writing-focused methods courses across four universities completed a reflective quick write near the end of the course. Since writing is a complex and multidimensional activity, these responses were analyzed through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. When describing the role of the teacher, the data indicated candidates across all institutions primarily focused on the affective aspects of teaching writing, specifically supporting and developing students' confidence in writing. Some mentioned the need for explicit instruction such as developing students' writing skills and use of strategies. A smaller percentage included both the importance of affective and explicit instruction. Many candidates indicated the significance of the role that teachers play in students learning to write. Implications for writing pedagogy support within and beyond teacher preparation are discussed.

A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacher’s role in teaching students to write. Participants (N = 107) enrolled in writing-focused methods courses across four universities completed a reflective quick write near the end of the course. Since writing is a complex and multidimensional activity, these responses were analyzed through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. When describing the role of the teacher, the data indicated candidates across all institutions primarily focused on the affective aspects of teaching writing, specifically supporting and developing students’ confidence in writing. Some mentioned the need for explicit instruction such as developing students’ writing skills and use of strategies. A smaller percentage included both the importance of affective and explicit instruction. Many candidates indicated the significance of the role that teachers play in students learning to write. Implications for writing pedagogy support within and beyond teacher preparation are discussed.

This article examines the discourses of writing evident in teacher candidates’ memories of writing and considers implications for teacher preparation. Data sources were written memories from 120 teacher candidates from six institutions across the United States. Grounded in a discourses of writing framework, data were investigated using thematic and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that language associated with a skills discourse of writing, emphasizing structure and correctness, was prevalent in the memories of how teacher candidates were taught to write. More dominant in these memories, however, was language related to negativity and absence, indicating that teacher candidates were critical of their K–12 writing education and that these experiences were limited across multiple dimensions (i.e., writing pedagogy, processes, products, purposes, audiences, writer agency). In contrast, when teacher candidates wrote about their most memorable writing experiences, the majority were replete with language related to positive affect, and discourses of agency and purpose were widespread. These memories suggest that despite their dominant narratives of absence, teacher candidates possess access to broader discourses of writing that might inform their teaching, especially those associated with social practice. Implications include three ways that teacher educators might position future educators to disrupt narrow discourses of writing in schools.