Exploring the potential of video-based discussions to support student teachers’ situation-specific skills in initial teacher education

In the contextual model of teacher competence by Blömeke et al. (2015), teachers’ situation-specific skills, like perception, interpretation, and decision-making (PID-skills) are regarded as central aspects that determine the performance of teachers in a classroom and are deemed as processes that revolve around student thinking and learning (Santagata & Yeh, 2016). Teachers’ ability to notice and meet students’ needs, in turn, influences their motivation and engagement in learning. In need-supportive teaching, teachers use instructional behaviors that support students’ basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The aim of the current qualitative study was to assess student teachers’ level of PID-skills for needs supportive teaching. Due to the situative characteristics of PID-skills, authentic classroom videos were selected to assess student teachers’ noticing, analyzing and decision-making skills. After watching video clips, semi-structured interviews were carried out. Content analysis was used to discover what aspects student teachers notice; what is the level of their interpretation and decision-making. The study was conducted with 10 first-year MA-level students of several subjects teachers´ programme. The results of the study reveal that although noticing skills are of a good level, interpretation and decision-making skills can be described through lower levels, which indicate the need to pay more attention on the targeted development of student teachers PID-skills in teacher education.

In this dissertation, we wanted to provide empirical evidence for the proposition that performing practice-based research in PDSs is a powerful incentive for the professional development of (student) teachers. Therefore, the aims of this dissertation were: 1. Mapping the concepts associated with (student) teachers’ practice-based research in schools in terms of research input, research process, and research outcomes. More specifically the following aspects were investigated: (a) contextual input, or the realization of research environments in schools, (b) personal input, or teachers’ and student teachers’ motives for performing practice-based research, (c) the research process, or the performed practice-based research activities by teachers and student teachers, and (d) research outcomes, or the perceived outcomes regarding research and teaching following practice-based research. 2. Investigating the added-value of PDSs settings compared with non-PDSs settings. More specifically, PDSs and non-PDSs (student) teachers’ perceptions of the aforementioned aspects associated with practice-based research were compared. 3. Testing a hypothetical model that describes the relations between (student) teachers’ perceptions of the input (contextual and personal), process and outcomes of practice-based research, and with that, the relative importance of these different aspects in relation to each other. To meet these aims, four studies were conducted for these purposes using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The following four key questions were addressed: 1. What are participants’ – school leaders’, teachers’ and student teachers’ – perceptions of the actual and preferred situation regarding practice-based research in Dutch PDSs? 2. What features characterize teachers’ practice-based research activities and what is the impact of these activities in terms of quality standards and criteria, and learning outcomes? 3. Do PDSs make a difference in terms of (student) teachers’ perceptions of input (contextual and personal), process and outcomes of in-school practice-based research? 4. What model explains the empirical relations that exist in (student) teachers’ perceptions of factors associated with the input (contextual and personal), process and outcomes of in-school practice-based research?

This intervention study, based on the competence model developed by Blömeke et al. (2015) and using classroom management (CM) in physical education (PE) as an example, investigates the effects of three developmental components. Specifically, it investigates how the following components influence the CM-related performance development of pre-service teachers in primary schools (PSTs): (1) improvement of CM-related knowledge, (2) enhancement of CM-related perception, interpretation, and decision-making skills (PID), and (3) implementation of CM-related quality criteria within one’s own teaching practice. Four interventions were carried out in which all three CM-related competence facets (knowledge, PID, and performance) were measured before and after the respective interventions. One intervention group (IG1) participated solely in an internship. Targeted interventions were developed for IGs2–4, creating cumulative interventions, whereby a further development component was integrated into the next higher intervention stage in addition to the internship. The results indicate that a general internship (IG1) had no impact on the performance development of the PSTs. In IG2, targeted interventions led to a significant advancement in knowledge, and in IG3, both knowledge and PID improved significantly, but this had no influence on the performance development. Only in IG4 was a significant progression of performance observed. The results indicate that improvements in CM-related knowledge and CM-related PID alone do not lead to an enhancement in CM-related performance. Instead, progress in CM-related performance is achieved through teaching and learning arrangements that incorporate additionally the components of coaching, video-based feedback, self-reflection, and training.

Novice and expert teachers’ situation-specific skills regarding classroom management: What do they perceive, interpret and suggest?

This study investigated the effectiveness of clinical simulations (CS) as an instructional strategy to prepare student teachers to conduct parent-teacher conferences. A pre-test/post-test study was set up in order to study the impact of online (n = 181) and face-to-face CS (n = 95) on student teachers’ parent-teacher communication competence (PTCC). Assessment of PTCC development was based on a video-based instrument and a self-efficacy scale. Results suggested that both types of CS are effective instructional strategies to improve student teachers’ PTCC. Both student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and situation-specific skills regarding parent-teacher communication improved. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The development of situation-specific skills in prospective physical education (PE) teachers is crucial for effective inclusive PE. While research emphasizes the need for such competencies, there is a gap in understanding how school internships contribute to their development. The present study evaluates the impact of a teaching sequence, combining a seminar with a supervised school internship, on the situation-specific skills of prospective PE teachers in inclusive PE. Building on the Qualification of Prospective PE Teachers for Inclusive PE (QiPE) project, this study employs a quasi-experimental longitudinal design with an intervention group (IG) and a control group (CG) across three measurement points (t0, t1, t2). The intervention consists of a university seminar (t0–t1) followed by a supervised school internship (t1–t2). Situation-specific skills are assessed using three scales—Recognition; Individual Support; and Participation—developed based on video-recorded PE lessons and expert evaluations. Statistical analyses include mixed-model ANOVAs and robust Welch’s tests to determine the effectiveness of each intervention phase. The seminar (t0–t1) significantly improved situation-specific skills in the IG across all three scales: Recognition (η2p = 0.17), Individual Support (η2p = 0.04), and Participation (η2p = 0.13). The supervised internship (t1–t2) showed a sustained effect for Participation, stabilized the effect for Recognition, but led to a slight decrease in Individual Support. A teaching sequence combining a seminar and a school internship can effectively promote situation-specific skills for inclusive PE, with the seminar demonstrating a strong initial impact. The supervised school internship particularly enhances skills related to Participation. Further research is needed to optimize the internship component, especially for Individual Support, and to explore the influence of mentor support and beliefs on skill development.

ix Introduction The study has the purpose (1) to describe and explore the Mathematics student teachers’ performance inside the classroom during the training course “teaching practice” at the University of Jordan/ Amman, and (2) to include the main factors which influence the development of the professional teaching competence in their mode of action. This study has particularly the aim to investigate the difficulties which face the student teachers’ performance, and the facilities which help them in their performance and decrease the obstacles of the development of student teachers’ performance. The study has the aim to answer the following questions: 1. How does the performance of student teachers develop with respect to time of the training course? 2. What difficulties do the student teachers face during the training course? 3. What are the facilities that help in developing student teachers’ performance during the training course? 4. What are the factors related to performance? Are they personal, social, methodological, or related to mastering the curriculum? 5. What is the relation between student teachers’ performance and supervision? The 1st opening chapter of the study describes some facts about Jordan, the school system there, the system of pre-service teacher education, the background of the study, and the purpose of the study with the questions mentioned above. In the 2nd chapter a review of the existing literature follows with the theoretical concepts which are connected with the questions. Main concepts are: development of teachers’ performance, factors affecting the trainees’ performance, supervision and teacher development, problems of beginning teachers, models in teacher development, facilities that help trainees, standards of teaching competences, methodological basis of teaching Mathema tics. Chapter 3 describes the plan of the empirical research and the four methodological tools which are used: video tapes, interviews, questionnaires, and self reports. It is a case study with the seven Mathematics student teachers of the academic year 1999/2000 at the university of Jordan/Amman. Chapter 4 contains the data collection from the four resources in English. The data material was collected in Arabic and then translated into English by the author. Chapter 5 starts with the data analysis and description of the 7 cases. Chapter 6 continues the data analysis, presents the results, discusses these in an overview. This leads in chapter 7 to a combination of the results which come from the analysis of chapters 5 and 6, and to the answers to the que stions 1—5. The main results are concentrated around the main features of performance, which are in the teacher education plan of Amman five areas: lesson plan, mastering content knowledge, methods of teaching, assessment of teaching, and classroom management. This study is the first one which describes and analyses scientifically the phase of practice teaching at Jordanian universities. It is done exemplary at the University of Jordan/Amman with all Mathematics student teachers of one academic year. It for the first time is possible to win insight in the individual professional development of single student teachers in Jordan, and insight in the influence of specific relating factors. This study has a valuable starting point, looks to be won for a further development of the teacher-training in Jordan. These are attached in a short section as "recommendations".

As a contrast to traditional approaches to learning, this chapter explores two examples of active learning conducted with student teachers in Norway. In the first example, the chapter reports from a case study on student teachers’ engagement with the Scandinavian Romani exhibit at a local museum. For this example, the chapter discusses student teachers’ possibilities for developing a critical consciousness through immersive experiences. In the second example, the chapter presents and discusses a project using virtual reality (VR) technology designed to build student teachers’ capacity for their future professional role in schools. For this example, the chapter addresses the development of student teachers’ awareness of their own professionality and their active role in home-school cooperation. In both examples, the chapter draws attention to the leading role of the teacher educator, who actively facilitates a collaborative, interactive, and participatory learning environment. Theoretically, the chapter elaborates on student-centered learning from the perspectives of John Dewey and Paulo Freire, underlining the significance of active engagement and critical reflections.

Stage 1: Survival During Stage 1, which may last throughout the first full year of teaching, the teacher's main concern is whether she can survive. This preoccupation with survival may be expressed in questions the teacher asks: "Can I get through the day in one piece? Without losing a child? Can I make it until the end of the week? Until the next vacation? Can I really do this kind of work day after day? Will I be accepted by my colleagues?" Such questions are well expressed in Ryan's enlightening collection of accounts of first-year teaching experiences (3).

Introduction Situation-specific skills, comprising Perception, Interpretation, and Decision-making (PID), are considered a central facet of teachers’ professional competence, linking professional knowledge to observable performance. However, empirically validated instruments to assess these skills in the specific context of Classroom Management (CM) in Physical Education (PE) are lacking. This study details the development and validation of a video-based test instrument designed to measure pre-service PE teachers’ CM-related PID. Methods The study utilized a sample of n = 877 pre-service PE teachers from four Swiss universities of teacher education. The instrument includes 10 unscripted video vignettes with 150 closed-format items. Psychometric properties were analyzed using Item Response Theory (IRT), specifically comparing 1PL, 2PL, and 3PL models, as well as testing for dimensionality and differential item functioning (DIF). Results Findings supported a unidimensional 2PL model as the most parsimonious and robust solution, despite theoretical assumptions of a tripartite (P-I-D) structure. The instrument demonstrated acceptable reliability ( EAP = 0.73) and good local fit. A shortened version (7 vignettes) was successfully validated ( r = 0.81 with the full version), enhancing test economy. Construct validity was supported by a significant moderate correlation with CM-related professional knowledge ( r = 0.29). Criterion-related validity was supported, as the test successfully differentiated between students in their first and third years of study. Discussion The results indicate that the instrument is a valid and efficient tool for assessing CM-related situation-specific skills in teacher education. The unidimensional structure suggests that closed-format video tests primarily capture a holistic, knowledge-based reasoning ability. The study discusses limitations regarding ceiling effects and provides implications for using the instrument in future intervention studies and diagnostic contexts.

EFL STUDENT TEACHERS IN TAIWAN: EXPLORING THEIR LEARNING TOnTEACH IN A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL CONTEXT The purpose of this study was to begin exploring the process of English as anforeign language (EFL) student teachers' learning to teach. It was conducted during twonEFL student teachers' yearlong induction program in a Taiwanese junior high schoolncontext. This exploration further revealed the complex interactions among these EFLnstudent teachers, their cooperating teachers, their university supervisor, and variousnschool colleagues. The relationships between this interaction process and these EFLnstudent teachers' socialization and teaching beliefs and practices also emerged.n Multiple data sources and multiple data collection methods were employed tongather data for this study. A survey and interviews were conducted with the studentnteachers, the cooperating teachers, and available school teachers and administrators,nrevealing teachers' perceptions of their school's (technical) culture-how teachersnperceived their workplace environment (i.e., school), and why they did what they did innit (Kleinsasser, 1989). The student teachers, the cooperating teachers, and the universitynsupervisor were interviewed to purport different perspectives on the process of thesenstudent teachers' learning to teach. Furthermore, the student teachers also kept writtennjournals to record their experiences in this specific school context. Additionally, all thenparticipants offered related written documents to understand student teachers'nprofessional development and this school's (technical) culture.n The findings of qualitative and quantitative data revealed that these two studentnteachers' professional development was affected by this school's (technical) culture.nMost teachers at this school perceived little collegial communication, collegialncollaboration, and teachers' learning opportunities. Nor did they perceive an explicitnteacher evaluation system and parent involvement in relation to their instructionalnpractices. These teachers' instructional practices appeared to aim at preparing studentsnfor the entrance examinations and managing student behavior. Hence, the majority ofnEnglish teachers at this school tended to teach examination-oriented English which putnemphasis on vocabulary and grammar structure explanation. Within such a schoolnenvironment, these two EFL student teachers individually had very complexnsocialization experiences and appeared to have difficulties developing their teachingnbeliefs and practices. Interestingly, both student teachers' instructional practicesnappeared similar, regardless of their original teaching beliefs. They tended to followntheir cooperating teachers and most English teachers they observed at this school bynpreparing students for the school examinations or the entrance examinations.n In the extant educational literature, little has been documented concerning hownEFL (student) teachers learn to teach. Although the researchers examined various issuesnrelated to foreign language teaching and learning, the school context in which it takesnplace is rarely, if ever, investigated. This study sheds some light on the EFL studentnteachers' professional development by collectively describing multiple stakeholders'nviewpoints in one school context at one time, little of which can be found in thenliterature.n

I have felt like a student ... because [Mary] is teaching me so many things and so sometimes we're in that role. But it's not me sitting on the other side of the desk. It's kind of like sitting beside her being a student. And, I have felt like we're colleagues when we share, particularly when we work with literature. ... We were able to feed off each other. It wasn't me so much learning, I mean I was learning, we were learning from each other. A student teacher in the Effective Mentoring in English Education (EMEE) project, Jessica (pseudonyms used), described the various relations she negotiated with her cooperating teacher, Mary. In this interview, she portrayed herself as both student and colleague. Later in the same conversation, Jessica described Mary as a friend who invited Jessica to dinner when her husband was out of town. Jessica's portrayal provides a glimpse into the importance she attached to her relationship with her mentor teacher, one in which she could find guidance, mutual learning, and friendship. This supportive, friendly relationship has not frequently appeared in the professional literature on preservice education. Most recent studies have focused on the student teachers' perceptions of their preservice experiences or the power cooperating teachers exert over their less experienced colleagues (Britzman, 1991; Vinz, 1996). In these studies, mentor teachers have often been viewed as impeding student teachers' professional growth rather than as promoting it. Considering the importance student teachers place on their practice teaching and the crucial role that mentor teachers play in this experience, the few portraits of effective mentors highlight the need for detailed examinations of effective mentoring in preservice teacher education. To this end, the EMEE project explored how effective mentors, such as Mary, supported student teachers during their practice teaching. We organized this project as a clinical partnership (Wagner, 1997). In these partnerships, teachers participate in reflexive, systematic inquiry sustained by the opportunity to engage in extended conversations about teaching practice (Wagner, 1997, p. 13). In the EMEE project, the cooperating teachers and student teachers served as both coresearchers and informants, exploring with us the significance of their evolving relationships for the education of new teachers. This research process was exploratory, emergent, and dialogic in character (Allen, Cary, & Delgado, 1995; Clark et al., 1996; Dyson, 1995). It emphasized the voices of teachers and student teachers in understanding experiences while it engaged them in expanding the boundaries of their own knowledge about teaching and professional growth. This approach and the topic of inquiry are significantly connected to contemporary thought on teacher development (Clifford & Green, 1996; Elliott, 1995; Hawkey, 1997; McNamara, 1995). Previous studies have suggested that mentors act as instructional models, sources of advice, and sounding boards for concerns about teaching; they challenge student teachers to think more broadly about their practice; and they guide the student teachers' professional development (Daloz, 1986; Elliott & Calderhead, 1993). Moreover, research suggests that mentoring relationships evolve over time in predictable ways, although student teachers' growth may be spurred by unanticipated but significant events (Fairbanks & Meritt, 1998; Maynard & Furlong, 1993; McIntyre & Hagger, 1993; Vinz, 1996). Current research suggests that mentoring relationships shape new teachers' professional practice in important ways (Hawkey, 1997). McNamara (1995) argues that the quality of mentoring influences student teachers' capacity to reflect on teaching strategies and to incorporate them into their own practice. In sum, these studies suggest that mentoring consists of complex social interactions that mentor teachers and student teachers construct and negotiate for a variety of professional purposes and in response to the contextual factors they encounter. …

Foreign language teacher education has been having a shift from a transmissive into a transformative and progressive perspective with which pre-service teachers (student teachers) have become more aware of their own learning, growth and progress since the beginnings of the 2000s, in particular. What transformative teacher education is designed for today is that a prospective teacher is to be aware of how they are learning to teach by themselves. Transformative teacher education focusses mainly on pre-service teachers’ awareness of how they are becoming a teacher and what is happening throughout their becoming since they can transfer all of that experience into their own future careers and their prospective students’ lives. With the integration of technology, we, teacher educators, have more opportunities today, to witness our student teachers’ (pre-service education teachers’) awareness situation and their stories of becoming teachers. Digital portfolios which provide them to save all of their written work as a digital copy throughout months, even years, help us be constant witnesses of their professional growth and development throughout the years they attend the faculty of education. This also gives way to make our evaluation from many different perspectives: we can see how they prepare their paper work as lesson plans, worksheets, reports, checklist and so on and besides, we can read their digital journals where they write their thoughts, opinions, ideas and feelings about their own practices, experience and learning, which would make their becoming stories a very humanistic cooperation and collaboration work. This paper intends to present a longitudinal research on the digital portfolio of pre-service (student) teachers of FLTE in a state university, İstanbul, Turkey for two years from 2015 to 2017. During their final years (year 4), approximately 120 student teachers kept a digital portfolio in which they saved their lesson plans, observation checklists, and teaching reports about and in a practicum course at the faculty and the practicum in primary and secondary schools in İstanbul. This paper evaluated the process and outcomes of these portfolios in terms of their contributions to the student teachers’ professional developments regarding pre-service teachers’ reported reflections. The results showed that the digital portfolios, especially their digital journals provided quite positive outcomes relevant to their awareness on their professional development.

This study reports on the design of a video-based instrument to assess student teachers’ parent–teacher communication competences (PTCC) in a reliable and valid way. PTCC refer to the competences needed to communicate successfully with parents during conversations such as parent–teacher conferences. Taking into account both conceptual and methodological challenges regarding the measurement of competences, several methodological steps were followed to design a video-based instrument focusing on the assessment of student teachers’ perception, interpretation and decision-making skills (PID skills) regarding parent–teacher communication: designing video vignettes presenting realistic job situations regarding parent–teacher communication; developing instructions to elicit student teachers’ PID skills; designing a coding scheme to analyse student teachers’ responses; and implementing the instrument (n = 269) to test and refine it. This ultimately resulted in an instrument consisting of (1) three video vignettes, (2) a series of open-ended questions eliciting student teachers’ PID skills, and (3) three coding schemes to develop a perception score, an interpretation score and a decision-making score for PTCC. The (4) implementation of the instrument confirmed that this innovative video-based tool might be a promising approach to assess student teachers’ PTCC. To conclude, the quality and contribution of the measurement instrument and the implications for further research are discussed.

This paper describes the main gains resulting from student teachers' first contact with the teaching profession. The Inventory of Experiences and Perceptions at Teaching Practice (IEPTP) was used to assess the range of experiences of a sample of 224 student teachers on five dimensions of teaching practice: (1) learning and professional development; (2) professional and institutional socialisation; (3) socio‐emotional aspects; (4) support/resources/supervision; and (5) vocational development. The results describe the main changes occurring in the student teachers' perceptions between the beginning and the end of teaching practice. They also suggest more significant changes in the areas of vocational development, professional and institutional socialisation, and learning and professional development. Strategies to promote student teachers' learning process and to decrease the difficulties emerging during this period are suggested. Supervisors' role in fostering and supporting the new candidates' professional and personal growth is also addressed.