Seeing it all vs. not seeing anything: Professional identity and belief structures in prospective mathematics teachers’ interpretations of experiences

We present a retrospective analysis of two prospective teachers with similar backgrounds who participated in the same courses and were paired for several of their field experiences in a secondary mathematics education program. One prospective teacher ended her program feeling satisfied with the coherence of her experiences, having pieced together parts of her field experiences to connect with her coursework. The other expressed disappointment she did not see the ideas discussed in coursework enacted in the field. Our explanation for the differing interpretations is based on iterative coding of interviews and reflections and involves consideration of the process of recontextualization as it relates to professional identities and belief structures.