Studentship in preservice teacher education: a qualitative study of undergraduate students in physical education

Studentship is a process by which teacher trainees react to the demands of their training environment. It consists of an array of behaviors that students may employ in order to progress through a training program with greater ease, more success, and less effort. The purpose of this study was to examine in a naturalistic setting the types of studentship behaviors teacher trainees employ, the context within which such behaviors were displayed, and the total for regularities that might allow for the development of theories that are grounded in data. The data generated by the study might enhance the development of theories. Data collection consisted of nonparticipant observation, formal and informal interviews, and a document analysis. Data were analyzed by multiple reviews of all data sources, sorting and resorting of themes, development of 21 final subcategories and four major classifications, and preparation of summary descriptors from a triangulated perspective. It was determined that the observed studentship behaviors can best be classified under the following four major headings: short cutting, cheating, colluding and psyching-out, and image projection. Several conditions had to be present before students could employ some types of studentship, and studentship was influenced by such factors as perceived pressure to meet instructor expectations, students' perceptions regarding the worth of assignments, and the importance of receiving good grades.