STUDENT-TEACHERS AND MODELS OF ENGLISH

The introductory section of the Cox Report, which formed the basis of the National Curriculum for English in England and Wales, posits five models for the teaching of English which it claims give a broad approa ch to the subject. Critics, however, suggest there is an unresolved co nflict between the subject philosophies of the models represented in t he report which might be perceived more sharply by those entering teac hing. This paper explores the views of 23 English graduates in the ear ly stages of a postgraduate training course to discover how they conce ptualise the subject in the light of Cox's models as they make the tra nsition from higher education to secondary school English teaching. An open-ended questionnaire together with an attitude questionnaire take n from a study of English teachers are used. The findings suggest that the student teachers, like the English teachers, recognise and broadl y support all five models; differences do emerge, however, over the de gree of support for the cultural analysis and adult needs models.