Teacher candidate disposition: moral judgement or regurgitation?

Developing teacher candidates who are able to make moral judgements to equitably resolve classroom dilemmas, conduct student assessment and allocate resources is critical for today's diverse classrooms and should be part of fostering professional disposition. However, one challenge of incorporating dispositions in teacher education and a valid argument for those opposing the trend is how to accurately assess growth in the development of in teacher candidates. This study investigates two measures of moral judgement and explores the congruence between these assessments. Findings indicate inconsistency in the congruence between the quantitative assessment (Defining Issues Test 2) of moral judgement and qualitative data (teacher candidate written assignments), suggesting an inaccurate picture of teacher candidate disposition. Patterns of incongruence are explored and linked to specific phases of moral judgement followed by suggestions for teacher education programs on building congruent assessments