Dr. John C. Pruit, assistant professor of sociology, has learned the lessons taught in preschool often have the ability to go beyond classroom walls.
“Analytically, the preschool teacher is a simplified social identity, but preschool teaching is strikingly complex in everyday practice,” said Pruit. “With my research, I wanted to show that how preschool teachers teach is anything but straightforward.”
Pruit focuses his research on preschool teachers and classroom settings — an interest that began from both an analytical and personal standpoint. When his own son entered preschool, Pruit found himself wondering what he could do better in regards to understanding both the constraints of and constructs within the classroom.
Studying education and preschool teachers in particular has influenced Pruit’s own teaching style. Through his research, he has realized that preschool teachers both teach and care for their students, which is something he tries to achieve in his own interactions with college students.
Using a constructivist approach, he engages students in critically thinking about how sociology, especially sociological theory, is applicable to their everyday lives.
Pruit received the Teaching Excellence Award for being an outstanding faculty member in the College of Liberal and Applied Arts.
