Internship and Research in Initial Teacher Education: changes in personal meanings of the teaching activity

Abstract: Based on Cultural-historical Activity Theory, we analyze the transformations of a future teacher's personal meanings of teaching during supervised internship and research, especially student learning and experimentation in Physics Teaching. This internship aimed to articulate theory and practice in initial teacher education and was carried out as part of courses in Methodology of Physics Teaching offered by a Brazilian public university. We used data from the supervised internship report and a semi-structured interview. The results indicate that, initially, the supervised internship was not characterized as an activity for the future teacher, but only as an action needed to complete the undergraduate degree. His personal meanings of the teaching activity neared the notion of teaching-learning transmissive/receptive. However, during the formative process, new personal meanings of the teaching activity were elaborated. These results reinforce the importance of the supervised internship, together with research, in initial teacher education.