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For this study, 119 middle level teacher candidates identified, observed, and documented their interactions with middle school "ghost children" as part of their field placement activities. About two thirds of the 124 ghost children identified for this study were male. The teacher candidates documented additional characteristics of ghost children, which were subsequently coded into themes that included classroom demeanor, social skills and interactions, and attitudes toward school activities. Data analysis found that the ghost children observed in this study (1) were academically capable, (2) lacked social skills, and (3) appeared unmotivated, disengaged, or bored with classroom activities. More ghost children were noted as academically capable as opposed to low academic performance. Implications and suggestions for preservice and in-service teachers and teacher preparation programs are discussed. Suggestions for further studies of ghost children in academic settings are provided.
Teacher educators are tasked with providing meaningful activities for aspiring teachers in the methods classes and during field experiences. My middle level teacher candidates engage in a case study of a ghost child as a field-based activity. You may be thinking "Who or what is a ghost child?" A ghost child is one of those students you struggle to recall when prompted with a name. Sadly, even veteran educators may not notice the student, which is what Hailey, a middle level teacher candidate, experienced during her field assignment. This is what she wrote in her field notebook the third week of her field placement:
Peter P. is a boy in my first period class that has the various issues with discipline, learning disabilities, etc. He often gets forgotten because he is neither good or bad, he is quiet and doesn't seem to ever have questions or problems with any of the work we do. I realized he went under the radar when the teacher called everyone up one by one to check their swords [a project for class] and she forgot him. Not only did she forget him, but when he came up to her desk and asked her to check his sword she couldn't remember his name. She said to him "Honey, I am sorry. I can't remember your first name." When Peter P. responded, my teacher kind of chuckled and said, "Oh goodness, I...