From Teacher Preparation to Classroom Practice: Perceptions of Novice Emirati Teachers

Abstract

The teacher-training college where this research took place prepares Emirati primary school teachers to teach the subjects of English, Mathematics and Science through the medium of English. The college courses taught have been aligned to the 'New School Model' developed by the Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) as part of the overall education reform. The current group of graduates is unique in that most English Medium Teachers in the past have been recruited from overseas to teach these subjects. They were also the first graduates to have been specifically trained to teach these subjects in English throughout their entire course of study. Therefore, it is critically important to review the effectiveness of their college preparation. This study explores their journey in their first year as novice teachers, looking at the ways in which they found their teacher preparation useful and relevant, and the ways in which they felt it was lacking. Findings from survey and interview data identify the areas where the novice teachers suggest how preparation can be improved, and give suggestions for ways in which the gap between theory in college and practice in school can be narrowed to become more effective.