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of interaction as I needed to determine patterns of interaction among methods used
within the system, identifying commonalities and pinpointing who was following
other models and, indeed, whether there were patterns to follow when implementing
changes necessary to success in the intern as teacher model.
Within the CAS framework, criteria of success would highlight the performance
measures used by the mentor teachers, interns, individuals within a K–12 setting, and
other unknown individuals in the CAS when they selected strategies and artifacts
Dr. Deb L. Marciano to implement in the program. The interaction between each factor (i.e., variation,
is Professor of Teacher selection, interaction) would suggest how to define success in the intern as teacher
Education at Valdosta model.
State University.

dlmarciano@valdosta . Participants
edu Participants for this qualitative case study were initially identified through
contacts with field and clinical directors in south Georgia. In Georgia, field and
clinical directors work in education departments at universities to place teacher
candidates in school districts for field and clinical experiences. After receiving
Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the study, I sent invitations to
participate in focus groups to interns across south Georgia colleges and universities
who were completing the student teaching in an intern as teacher role. Seven interns
expressed interest and completed a Qualtrics participation form that outlined the
study and provided their contact information. I spoke to four interns on the phone
about the study but could not reach the remaining three interns over the course of 3
weeks. After introducing the study to interns, I asked them to discuss it with their
mentor teacher. If they were interested, I would hold an orientation to ensure they
were comfortable participating in the study. Upon the conclusion of the orientation,
three mentor-and-intern pairs agreed to participate.
As Maxwell (2005) reminded researchers, the intended samples initially
identified may change as one gains more information about the population, which
occurred in this study. After I identified mentor and intern participants and began
the data collection phase, it became apparent I needed information from decision-
makers involved with the intern as teacher model. Participants described other
individuals within their university or districts who were making decisions regarding
their placements and experiences. Several participants identified specific individuals
they worked with directly who could better answer some of the interview questions.
Other participants acknowledged additional universities involved in the intern as
teacher model, creating a snowball effect of identifying additional participants.
Thus, P–12 and university administrators, known as decision-makers in this study,
were included as participants after an addendum to IRB. The 16 participants in
the study ultimately included 3 interns, 3 mentor teachers, 3 P–12 personnel, and
7 university faculty/staff (see Table 1). Two of the decision-makers in the study
represented two districts outside of the original mentor-and-intern participant pairs.
It was important to provide alignment of districts in the study because of the factors
analyzed throughout the study.
Dr. Barbara J. Radcliffe is
Associate Professor and
the Director of The Sullivan
Scholar Program at
Valdosta State University.

bjradcliffe@valdosta .edu

10 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators