Using Computer Technology to Compare Student Teaching Behaviours

Abstract

There are issues concerning the effectiveness of different types of lnital Teacher Training in Physical Education in England, thus there is a need to study the relative effectiveness of 4‐year undergraduate and Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programmes. The purpose of this study was to compare student physical education teachers during school experience relative to a set of teaching behaviours. The participants were 10 first‐year undergraduates, 10 fourth‐year undergraduates and 10 PGCE student teachers from the same university in England. Each participant was videotaped teaching one lesson which met the requirements of the English National Curriculum in PE at Key Stage 3 (pupils aged 11‐14 yrs). Teaching behaviours were analysed by a team of researchers using a modified configuration of the Behavioral Evaluation Strategies and Taxonomy (BEST) software (Sharpe and Koperwas, 1999). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no differences in the observed teaching behaviours between the fourth‐year undergraduates and the PGCE group. However, the first‐year undergraduates displayed significantly higher levels of behavioural management than both the fourth‐year and the PGCE group. Also, the first‐year undergraduates were found to have lower levels of positive skill feedback, but this was not statistically significant The results of this study suggest that there were no differences between the effectiveness of teaching produced by the fourth‐year undergraduate and the PGCE student teachers.