Determining the Effectiveness of a Teacher Preparation Course by Exploring the Transfer of Complex Teaching Models by Graduates

Abstract

The area of research interest in this study was the degree of transfer of complex teaching strategies or models of teaching into the ongoing classroom practice of newly graduated teachers. The population surveyed, over two consecutive years, was all graduates of the Graduate Diploma of Education who were in their first year of teaching at the time of the study (response rate=98%). The study sought information by means of a telephone survey using a structured interview schedule utilising both quantitative and qualitative questions. This research found a higher rate of transfer of complex teaching strategies than that reported in similar studies drawn from a review of the literature. A third of the total number of respondents in both populations implemented three strategies with some being successful with five different complex models. Teachers who successfully utilised two or more complex strategies in their regular teaching practices appeared to exhibit high levels of self-efficacy, sound self-reflection techniques, and reported feeling more in control and less stressed than their colleagues. Gender appeared to be a factor affecting the ability to incorporate new learning into a graduate teacher's regular teaching practices.