Transformation of Prospective Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs during a Pre-Service B.Ed. Programme in Pakistan

Abstract

Teachers’ pedagogical beliefs play a vital role in the process of teaching and learning. These beliefs are often reflected in their practices which lead to the formation of their instructional decision making. Pre-service teacher education programs are offered in many universities of Pakistan with the aim to prepare professional teachers with strong beliefs in the value of teaching profession. Therefore, this qualitative case study aimed to explore the transformation of pre-service prospective teachers’ beliefs regarding teaching skills during a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program in the context of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The data were collected from eight participants through semi-structured interviews in two phases: before teaching practice and after teaching practice. Findings revealed that pre-service teachers joined B.Ed. program with certain traditional beliefs about teaching skills that were rooted in their past experiences as students. The transformation of those beliefs took place at the time of teaching practice in a real classroom. The paper concludes that only coursework of pre-service teacher education might not be sufficient to transform prospective teachers’ beliefs, rather the teaching practice should be a contributory factor in transforming their pedagogical beliefs. This could mainly be attributed to the prospective teachers’ practical experiences in real classroom situations during the teaching practice. The study has important implications for teacher educators and educational researchers in terms of highlighting the important role of teaching practice in the professional preparation and development of prospective teachers.