Spelling Problems and Teaching Strategies for Student Teachers at a South African University

The purpose of this study was to examine the English as a Second Language (ESL) student teachers’ critical incidents during teaching practicum. Critical incidents are situations that are seen as challenging and that require immediate ratification before effective teaching and learning is restored. By their very nature, critical incidents result from the unpredictable environment in teaching and learning landscapes. However, there is a paucity of studies that focus on describing student teachers’ critical incidents as part of their teaching knowledge construction process. Against this background, this study sought to answer the following question: What critical incidents do student teachers encounter during teaching practicum? Theoretically, the study is underpinned by insights from reflective practice, and experiential and transformative learning, and embraced a qualitative intrinsic case study design within an interpretivist paradigm. I collected data using participants’ reflective journals and focused group discussion in which they recorded written descriptions of critical incidents. Purposive sampling was utilised to select 15 student teachers as participants. Using inductive thematic analysis, the following themes emerged:critical incidents in developing professional identity, critical incidents in the context of teaching English Language and critical incidents in teaching Language skills. Based on the findings, a need for guiding student teachers’ professional awareness as part of their reflection practices was identified.Keywords: critical incidents; ESL; reflective practice; student teachers; teacher education; South Africa

PurposeThis paper looks at how participation in a community of learners can be a resource for learning and identity making (Wenger, 1998). The paper is an interpretation of the selected pedagogical scripts (learning journals) of three student teachers in an English Pedagogics module over a 13-week period in one university context in the south of Ireland. The paper highlights how participation is both a personal experience and a social process, and how the mind is a distributed force in meaning making and a socially mediated phenomenon. The paper draws attention to how sociocultural theory and the concept of participation can extend and support our understanding of learning.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is deductive and interpreted through an existing literature frame. In contrast to “indigenous concepts” inducted from the data the author draws on Patton’s (2002) notion of “sensitizing concepts” which have their origins in social research theory and the research literature: “Sensitizing concepts give the analyst ‘[…] a general sense of reference’ and provide ‘direction along where to look’ (Blumer,1996: 148). Using sensitizing concepts involves examining how the concept is manifested and given meaning in a particular setting or among a particular group of people” (p. 456). Connecting the theoretical sensitizing concepts of “participatory learning” and “identities-in-practice” to the data set of learning journals, three emblematic themes emerge: “Using cultural artefacts to generate teacher identities”, “Participation as learning” and “Challenges of participatory learning”.FindingsThe narrated excerpts from student English teachers’ learning journals, read in the light of sociocultural theory, highlight the process of rendering an identity in participation. Student teachers have worked towards conceptual reach, emotional awareness, experiential understanding and understanding scaffolded learning practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe reading of student teachers’ written work in this paper is both particular and partial and aims to illuminate understandings of the practices and processes of participatory learning rather than make generalizable and validity claims. The student cohort is small and is not representative of larger classes.Practical implicationsWenger (1998) writes that it is the experience of meaning that counts in our human endeavours and in this study the author focuses on student teachers’ meaning making as they develop a professional identity through participation. Dam and Blom (2006) stress that the acquisition metaphor for knowledge is not adequate in preparing student teachers and he makes the case for a balanced coexistence with the participation metaphor. In this paper, the author focuses on the practice of participation for learning.Social implicationsHall et al. (2014) explain that sociocultural theory has significant explanatory power for understanding and supporting learning. They claim that, particularly in Western societies, learning is often seen as individual, decontextualized and focused on discrete bodies of knowledge. They welcome the sociocultural perspective which does not divorce the individual from their context and highlight how participating with others has a powerful impact cognitively and emotionally.Originality/valueThere has been a dearth of empirical studies focusing on the process of participation in rendering an identity. In this paper, the author has theorised and explicated the process of participation and participatory learning. Participation in the practices of teaching, enriched with reflection and inquiry (Cremin, 2009), has the potential to change the pointing rituals (Sumara, 1996) of teaching and deepen the learning. Furthermore, through such activity, desired behavioural gestalts can be embodied, and the perennial theory practice divide in initial teacher education has the potential for more integration.

Background: South African learners have performed consistently poorly in reading assessments. This paper addresses two key components in improving reading literacy: vocabulary development and teacher knowledge and skills required for quality vocabulary instruction. Aim: This small-scale exploratory study reports on the English vocabulary teaching strategies of eight Grade 3 teachers in South African township schools serving poor communities and their implementation of these strategies in practice. Setting: The Western Cape teachers taught English Home Language (HL) learners. The Eastern Cape teachers taught Xhosa HL and English First Additional Language (FAL) learners. Methods: Teacher interviews and classroom observations. Results: The teachers used a range of basic vocabulary teaching strategies that complied with evidence-based vocabulary teaching strategies identified in the literature. However, most of the strategies employed did not reach an advanced level of active learning in which students were challenged and took ownership of their own vocabulary learning. Results showed that especially the English FAL teachers relied heavily on their L1 for vocabulary instruction. Conclusion: Grade 3 teachers in South African schools that serve poor communities are capable of providing rich print exposure in their classrooms showing that schools can, to a certain extent, play a compensatory role for the limited literacy opportunities in homes of children from low socio-economic backgrounds. However, in order for the learners to develop a more durable, rich vocabulary their teachers would need to engage in more interactive and in-depth instruction. Implications for policy are discussed.

This paper focuses on professional development for school principals, drawing on literature on the education of leaders and school leaders' development. The Swedish National Principal Training Programme (NPTP) is a state-regulated executive education for professional principals in preschools, schools, and school-age Educare centres. It has been mandatory for all newly appointed principals in Sweden since 2010. The NPTP is a mandatory in-service programme and consists of three courses: school law and governance, governing with objectives and results, and school leadership. The programme runs over three years, parallel to working full-time as a principal. The participants are expected to spend 20% of their working time on their studies. The NPTP uses a networked educational design, which is a valuable research topic from a networked professional learning perspective. This pilot study aims to explore the role of networked educational design for novice principals' professional development and strengthened professional confidence and identity. The research question that frames the study is: In what ways do novice principals' experiences of professional development contribute to the development of their professional confidence and identity with a networked educational design? The study employed a qualitative case-study design with a purposive sampling method to include novice principals undertaking Sweden's national school training programme. Data were collected during 2018-2022 from post-programme evaluations, including individual digital questionnaires with close-ended and open-ended responses and small group oral evaluations documented in a log book. The participants were novice principals studying in the NPTP at one university in Sweden. In all, 321 school leaders from 10 cohort groups in the programme consisting of principals and deputy principals from preschool, primary, secondary, and adult education participated voluntarily. The programme evaluations were carried out during the participants' last residential stay in the programme. Results indicate the importance of residential stays and networking opportunities in the educational journey of principals. These opportunities help connect with peers, establish contacts, and acquire valuable strategies. Completing the training increased principals' professional confidence, particularly in their roles as school leaders. The study shows that the networked educational design supports the development of a professional network among principals, which enhances their professional identity and confidence. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of this networked educational design, which helps shape principals' professional identity and confidence. The findings emphasise the value of networked professional learning.

The current study explored in what ways a problem-based learning (PBL) programme influenced the (trans)formation of the professional identities of six student teachers of English. The student teachers’ narratives and responses to the questionnaires involved the (re)formed pedagogic meanings and related actions and emotions which constitute their professional identities. Data analysis disclosed that the PBL programme contributed to the formation and/or transformation of the student teachers’ professional identities in a way that led them to specify their desire to be a teacher; (re)form pedagogic meanings; and relate their learning in the PBL programme to other pedagogic activities. Based on the findings, the researcher discusses implications for implementing effective PBL for the construction of student teachers’ professional identities in teacher education programmes.

Peer Assisted Learning in Allied Health Professional Clinical Education

Education has always been a subject to changes structure and content wise; its quality has been an issue all the time. In Latvia, the recent reform named School 2030, which essence is a competence approach to the curriculum, is introducing its requirements. Additionally, the government has planned to introduce a system monitoring the quality of education by 2023. Consequently, questions like what a good school, teacher and teaching are gain certain attention. The particular qualitative approach research concentrates on finding out student teachers’ answers to these questions as core values they remember to be the most significant ones to make them think of their schools, teachers and their teaching as good. The aim of the research is to examine how student teachers of English who have begun their teacher education studies recently perceive good teaching. To provide answers, they filled out Personal Statement – an introductory part of the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages. The research sample of the case study consists of 55 second and fourth year full and part-time students who have decided to become teachers of English. They are studying at the faculty of Education, Psychology and Art, the University of Latvia. To analyse student teachers’ opinions, content analysis was used. The data allows concluding that student teachers’ perception of good teaching is characterised by three key elements: good classroom management techniques, relevant teaching methodology and teachers’ personalities. Furthermore, student teachers of English are of the opinion that in good teaching environment teachers take into account their pupils’ personalities. The same ideas prevail in the answers revealing what student teachers want to master in their studies. That implies student teachers of English long to see academic staff at the university as role models of good teaching.

This article focusses on the methodological implications of using participatory action research (PAR) in an English Education lecture-room at a South African university. It argues that research with, by and for student teachers may engender their empowerment and transformation. Using a system of interventions with literary texts as catalysts, the student teachers worked towards becoming agents of change in their future classrooms. Over a twoyear period, the student teachers and researcher worked collaboratively on the study that was framed by critical pedagogy. Information was collected using interviews, focus groups, student evaluations, drawings and written work and the data was analysed qualitatively. The study found that using PAR teaches student teachers important research skills that they may take into their classrooms. Further, the use of active dialogue and collaboration in a supportive environment facilitates PAR progressing successfully. Finally, critical reflexivity in PAR enables the process of change agency.

Background: There is considerable agreement that learning to teach is optimised when coursework learning is combined with quality practice learning experiences in schools.Aim: The main aim of this study was to explore the views of a group of student teachers on their practice learning experiences in a ‘teaching school’ (TS) and in the other schools where they were placed for school experience.Setting: The study was conducted at a rural campus of a South African university.Methods: Quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (focus group) data were collected, involving all the student teachers in the programme (n = 100). The responses to the questionnaire were analysed descriptively, and the constant comparative method of data analysis was used to analyse the focus group interviews.Results: The overall pattern in the data shows that the practice learning experiences contributed to the student teachers’ development as teachers – not only at the TS but also at the schools where they were involved in work integrated learning, despite challenges, including teacher absenteeism and lack of guidance. Involvement in these schools potentially enables an understanding of the challenges that are typical in many South African schools. However, school experience in a well-functioning school remains crucial. Were it not for the TS, the majority of the student teachers would not have been exposed to mentoring and good teaching practices to be emulated.Conclusion: The study concludes that TSs indeed hold the potential to strengthen the teaching practice component of teacher education considerably. International experience with school partnerships and the experience at another South African university also attest to this.

A primary challenge in the multicultural school is to meet the needs of learners from linguistically diverse backgrounds. Although English as language of teaching and learning (LoLT) has been the popular choice among parents and learners in most South African schools since 1994, proficiency in home language plays an important part in cognitive development and provides the common underlying proficiency for the successful acquisition of English among learners. Learners' academic achievement is closely linked to their proficiency in both their home language and the second language (L2). This article reports on an investigation of the Xitsonga reading performance and Xitsonga writing performance of Grade 7 learners in township schools who are using English as LoLT. A literature study investigated the role of home language in supporting second language acquisition as well as the relationship between reading and writing skills. An empirical inquiry compared the assessment of reading performance in Xitsonga and writing performance in Xitsonga of selected Grade 7 learners through standardised testing. Findings indicated that learners performed poorly in both reading and writing skills. This holds implications for home language teaching methods used in schools and learners attitudes towards learning in their L1.

The purposes of this study were to compare the writing proficiency levels between Arabic and EFL student teachers, measure the differences in the perceptions of both parties of challenges concerning writing skills, and identify the most common types of writing mistakes made by both of them. The study was based on a sample of 72 Arabic (n=40) and EFL (n= 32) Saudi student teachers. A mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was used in this study, where the analysis of writing proficiency levels was based on the participants’ written samples and information on the perceptions of challenges concerning writing skills was collected using a five Likert-scale ranked questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The results of a Mann-Whitney U Test revealed a statistically significant difference between Arabic and EFL student teachers in the content, grammar and sentence structure of written materials, legibility, organisation, and overall writing skill proficiency levels in favour of the EFL student teachers. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding spelling and punctuation proficiency levels. Regarding perceptions of challenges concerning writing skills and subskills, the results revealed a statistically significant difference in favour of EFL student teachers. The replies to the open-ended question revealed writing challenges faced by both Arabic and EFL student teachers. The results of the semi-structured interviews showed that that both Arabic and EFL student teachers made some common types of mistakes while writing on the board or designing activities at home. The study concludes with some practical implications, recommendations, and suggestions for future research. Keywords: Writing Proficiency, Arabic & English Student Teacher, Perceptions, Writing Challenges, Common Writing Mistakes DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/62-07 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

This study aims to examine the use of Communication Strategies (CSs) by English language student teachers within a classroom setting. To achieve this, a qualitative research method involving document analysis was utilized. The analyzed documents consisted of video lesson studies from English education students participating in a 2024 educational internship program. Data collection involved: 1) selecting videos of model lesson study teachers from the internship schools for analysis, 2) the model teacher and their team reviewing these videos, 3) the model teacher and team engaging in group reflections and analyzing the use of communication strategies using a predefined list of CS types while providing example quotes, and 4) the team questioning the model teacher about the rationale behind using these strategies. The data analysis process included three concurrent activities: data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verifying. The study's findings indicate that English education student teachers employed 16 different types of CSs during the internship program for classroom communication. These strategies include Message Abandonment, Message Reduction, Message Replacement, Approximation, Restructuring, Literal Translation, Code-switching, Omission, Self-repair, Other-repair, Comprehension Check, Asking for Repetition, Asking for Clarification, Expressing Non-understanding, Interpretative Summary, and Repetitions.

School-Based Experience (SBE) is integral to teacher training in South African universities. SBE in South African universities is organized in education schools and is mandatory for all students who pursue education. This study aimed to explore how student teachers from the Economic and Management Science (EMS) discipline perceive their SBE. This study aimed at the students’ experiences and their impact on their perception of the teaching profession and assessed the challenges that students encounter while in school. The study adopted a guided reflection theoretical framework to understand student teachers’ perceptions of the SBE. A qualitative approach was employed with a purposive sampling of 10 second-year EMS student teachers. Data was collected through individual interviews and analysed using Content Analysis (CA), and categorised using thematic analysis. The study's findings revealed that student teachers perceived SBE as impactful, providing an opportunity to gain school experience and put theory into practice in their teaching profession. Moreover, the findings revealed that student teachers experience challenges while on SBE, such as a lack of school resources, unpreparedness, and poor organizational skills. The study recommended that more support be provided for SBE student teachers.

PurposeSince a teacher's identity is the result of ongoing discussion, explanation, negotiation and justification, famous education quotes were integrated into a language teacher practicum in a teacher education program in the northwest university in Taiwan. This study aims to explore the influence of discussing education quotes on 10 English as a foreign language student teachers' professional identities. This study also aims to discuss the following research questions.Design/methodology/approachThis case study focused on 10 student teachers' identity construction in a practicum class under one advisor. According to Merriam (1998), a case is a “thing, a single entity, a unit around which there are boundaries” (p. 27). The case was a practicum and the unit of analysis was participants' identity construction.FindingsFirst, reading and discussing famous quotes was a useful “discourse” and “language” for student teachers to construct and negotiate their identities. Second, through the integration of reading and discussing quotes, participants revealed more professional identity in knowledge and expertise, particularly in English instruction in the post-test.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examined the influence of discussing educational quotes of 10 students’ professional identity. However, given the nature of the study, there were some limitations. First, although the small sample size offered rich data through observation, artifacts and pre-and post-tests, it restricts our ability to generalize the results.Practical implicationsThis study is highly practical (i.e. learning by discussion) and strongly interactive among the participant in a professional and social context. The conceptual framework in Figure 1 presents a theoretical framework supporting reading and discussing quotes as the discourse for the student teachers for their professional identity construction. Social context and relationship shape their professional identity (Izadinia, 2013). Student teachers spent much of their time with their cooperating teachers and administrators in their cooperating schools. In order to foster student teachers’ professional identity construction, it is recommended that student teachers should be encouraged to read and discuss educational quotes with teachers and administrators in their cooperating schools as a mean of professional dialogue and learning.Social implicationsIn this study, it was argued that educational or English teaching quotes could be used as viable, effective and appropriate materials in documenting student teachers' professional identity construction out of their classroom practice in their practicum. The findings of this study derived from the nature of 10 student teachers' professional learning via discussing famous education sayings, and professional learning took place during the practicum.Originality/valueMost of the studies reviewed above were small-scale and qualitative case studies. Some involved only one or two single cases (e.g. Antonek et al., 1997; Calandra et al., 2006; Camp, 2013). Only a few studies were analyzed and explored based on theoretical frameworks (e.g. Chasteen, 2015). No explicit references were made to any theoretical frameworks in most of the studies. This study included both qualitative (observation and artifacts) and quantitative data (pretest and posttest) to explore the influence of discussing education quotes on 10 student teachers' professional identities and reflective practices.

Teaching point-of-care ultrasonography (PoCUS) to medical students is resource intensive. Peer-assisted learning, where the teacher can be a medical student, may be a feasible alternative to expert-led learning. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the PoCUS performance assessments of medical students receiving peer-assisted vs expert-led learning. This study was submitted to PROSPERO (CRD42023383915) and reported with PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, Education Source, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to November 2022. Inclusion criteria were studies comparing peer-assisted vs expert-led PoCUS teaching for undergraduate medical students. The primary outcome was performance assessment of PoCUS skills. Two reviewers independently screened citations and extracted data. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials was used to assess study quality. Studies were included in the meta-analysis if mean performance assessment scores with standard deviations and sample sizes were available. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the accuracy score of practical knowledge test for each group. A meta-regression evaluated difference in mean scores. The search yielded 2890 citations; 1417 unique citations remained after removing duplicates. Nine randomized-controlled studies conducted in Germany, USA, and Israel, with 593 participants, were included in the meta-analysis. The included studies assessed teaching of abdominal, cardiac, thoracic, musculoskeletal, and ocular PoCUS skills. Most studies had some risk-of-bias concerns. The estimate accuracy score after weighting is 0.56 (95% CI [0.47, 0.65]) for peer-assisted learning and 0.59 (95% CI [0.49, 0.69]) for expert-led learning. The regression coefficient estimate is 0.0281 (95% CI [-0.1121, 0.1683]); P value is 0.69. This meta-analysis found that peer-assisted learning was a reasonable alternative to expert-led learning for teaching PoCUS skills to medical students.