Acceptance and alignment, misconception and inexperience: Preservice teachers, representations of students, and media culture

The author of this article examines student representations within the Dangerous Minds television series and further explores how preservice teachers perceive these representations. Applying a multiperspectival analysis, the author first looks at the political culture: the history behind the making of the Dangerous Minds television series. She then analyzes five specific episodes of the television series that embody the themes found within this formulaic narrative representation and the themes found within the complete television series: hero-teacher, teacher/student interactions, and angry and out-of-control adolescents. Finally, she inquires into preservice teachers' interpretations and wonderings of/about the Dangerous Minds television series. Specifically, this author explores how these media representations of students influence the perceptions preservice teachers have of their emergent teaching identity and of education to open up broader pedagogical discussions with regard to the ways media culture shapes our understandings of the world, social power, public opinion, values, and behaviors.