Current Teacher Education Research Articles

In-service teacher education in death education through participatory action research (PAR)

ABSTRACT Current teacher education neglects educational needs, such as death education. A participatory action research (PAR) approach based on the needs and interests of teachers was adopted. One private and two state schools at all levels of non-university education were involved. The objective was to understand a process of change in teaching facilitated by PAR in the context of a teaching innovation project in death education. The results are presented according to the PAR phases. Conclusions are that the training process reduced the gap between scientific knowledge and educational practice, and that specific death education competencies were developed alongside personal growth amongst teachers.

Exploring Non-Native-English-Speaking Preservice EFL Teachers’ Cognitions: What Teaching Philosophy Statements Can Tell Us

This study investigates the content and characteristics of the cognitions of 30 Turkish English-as-a-foreign-language preservice teachers as manifested in their teaching philosophy statements. The study showed that the preservice teachers’ cognition was focused on both the pedagogical (teaching-learning and language teaching methods) and the personal and interpersonal (learners’ and teachers’ roles and the relationship between them) aspects of teaching and was characterized by high idealism and naïveté, but they also demonstrated a certain level of awareness of the future contexts in which they would be teaching. Although their past experiences significantly shaped their cognition, they found that their current teacher education program helped them develop a critical view of these experiences.

A Critical Analysis of the Issues with the Teacher Education Programme in Bihar

The 21st century will require our logical Teacher Education Programme and Institutes to undergo additional changes. These days, more teachers will be needed. witch is an epoch of expanding knowledge. Changes are required to the current Teacher Education Institutes. This article discusses four models that explain these changes and provides some philosophical perspectives.A purpose and a positive attitude towards the profession of teaching are formed through teacher education programmes. The number of issues arose with mushrooming of teacher training institutions. Deviation from norms in terms of Buildings, personnel, students, the type of teacher-to-student ratio, curriculum, practise teaching, admission, evaluation, and other factors are some of the issues that need be redressed in teacher education. An analysis of the various issues and certain corrective measures has been attempted in this paper.

Exploring student and teacher perceptions of the ideal teacher in Russia

ABSTRACT To improve current teacher education and teacher evaluation practices it is important to collect and critically examine different perspectives on who the ideal teachers are. The present study explores and compares how the ideal teacher is conceptualised by students and their teachers. Data were collected from 53 high school students and 16 of their teachers in urban and rural schools in Russia using an exploratory mixed-method study. The results indicate that students saw teachers’ ability to recognise students’ individual differences but treat everyone equally as the two most important teacher qualities. Teachers, however, attributed the most value to professionalism and ability to follow ethical principles. In addition, rural teachers self-assessed their own teaching quality more favourably than urban teachers while both rural and urban students gave similar ratings to the quality of teaching provided by their teachers.

Reconceptualising initial teacher education in South Africa: A quest for transformative and sustainable alternatives

Education serves as a catalyst for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and it is essential for education to keep pace with societal dynamics. This paper argues for the reconceptualisation of initial teacher education in South Africa to promote an alternative transformative and sustainable pedagogy. Questions arose regarding the compatibility of the current teacher education program in South Africa with the needs of today's learners. Therefore, it is important to assess whether South African higher education institutions provide adequate training for future teachers. The current teacher education programme has remained unchanged for many years, failing to adapt to the evolving educational landscape and instead adhering to traditional methods that were relevant in the past. Incorporating flexible, transformative pedagogies and technologies can enhance student learning and engage learners of the 21st century. Using a typological methodological design, this conceptual explanatory paper identifies six themes: program content, pedagogy, technological advancements, preparing teachers for inclusion, school-based experiences, and addressing anxiety. This paper contributes to existing knowledge by advocating for the reconceptualisation of teacher education programs, aiming to produce graduates who are equipped to address global challenges. Furthermore, it emphasises the need for an alternative transformative sustainable initiative to overhaul teacher education programs to align with modern societies' complexities and dynamics. Therefore, this paper calls for the reformulation of South Africa's initial teacher training to align with SDG 4 (quality education) and Agenda 2023, which underpin Africa's transformational aspirations for a better future for all.

Voices from the field: Integrating e-portfolios in early childhood education

Digital technologies are increasingly integrated into early childhood education (ECE), prompting discussions regarding their potential benefits and drawbacks. Research has shown that technology designed for children’s developmental needs can enhance learning and development, while also improving communication between parents, teachers, and children. However, issues like access, equity, ethics, and teacher workload require careful consideration. This qualitative study explores the expected outcomes of integrating e-portfolios into ECE through one-on-one interviews with key stakeholder groups. After gathering general opinions, the participants were asked to provide detailed feedback on how the application affects children, teachers, and parents. In addition to revealing a diverse range of voices regarding the implementation of e-portfolios, this study aims to utilize the information gathered from participants for informed decision-making, offering valuable insights for the improved e-portfolio design and implementation. The study involved 34 Turkish participants from five stakeholder categories: ECE and primary school teachers, faculty members from ECE and primary school education departments, and parents. Results revealed that e-portfolios were viewed as highly beneficial, providing permanent and comprehensive documentation, facilitating data transfer to subsequent schooling levels, enabling multidimensional assessment, promoting child-centred practices, improving communication, enhancing reflective thinking and digital skills, and allowing resource utilization. However, participants raised concerns about workload, documentation gaps, and ethical issues. While e-portfolios hold promise for integrating digital technologies into ECE, current teacher education may lack sufficient training in key areas like digital literacy, documentation, assessment, and ethics. Further education in these areas can help ensure effective implementation and positive outcomes.

Environmental and sustainability education in teacher education research: an international scoping review of the literature

PurposeHalfway into the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) timeline, we deemed fruitful an injunction into current teacher education (TE) practices at higher educational institutes (HEIs). The scoping literature review used all known English nomenclature interrelating to environment, sustainability, development, and education as regards TE. We explicated and modelled the data through timelines favourable to UN initiatives within a spatiotemporal metric. Thematic research topics and research methodologies strictly pertaining to TE were rigorously researched and delineated. Our study aims to elucidate a grander picture of the trends-as-patterns of environmental and sustainability education in teacher education (ESE-TE) research in HEI and potential contributions to come.Design/methodology/approachThe spatiotemporal study adopts a scoping review as an investigative tool to probe current research trends on ESE-TE in the academic literature with respect to thematic research topics and research methodologies midway through the SDGs.FindingsA total of 2,142 research papers spanning five decades, 152 journals and 96 countries were screened equally by two researchers. Of the 788 papers deemed eligible (i.e. English-language, peer-reviewed, pre-service/in-service TE that explicitly mentioned ESE-TE research), data from 638 studies have been included in the authors’ study.Originality/valueComprehensive trends in the international literature of all known environmental and sustainable education nomenclature specific to international ESE-TE research throughout the time period (1974 – 2021) were identified. Value is accrued by illuminating international trends in research topics and methodologies, exposing gaps in the history of the subfield, and predicting future trends for Agenda 2030 (e.g. SDG 4 – education) to mature the field.

Will the UK Government’s Initial Teacher Training Market Review Report provide the catalyst for a renewed values-based dialectic in teacher education?

ABSTRACT The context for this study is the recommendation of the UK Government’s Initial Teacher training (ITT) Market Review (2021) to require all, including historic English university partnerships, to apply for re-accreditation. There follows a detailed examination of current policy documents, culminating in the ITT Market Review, which demonstrates a clash of ideological values between current neo-liberal instrumentalism, aimed at aligning teacher education with school improvement and historic narratives which embed teacher education within the civic, social democratic values of the university. It is argued that such a clash of ideological values may provide hope for re-generating a Gramscian values-based dialectic in current teacher education which can contribute to the development of the moral and political values of trainee teachers. Application of the Gramscian Dialectic and Historical Consciousness to a textual analysis of the University of Manchester's archival teacher training documentation reveals a dialectic over the period 1963–1975 between the university delegacy's social democratic values and new managerialist values. The textual analyses of the current Manchester Ofsted report and current primary training documentation suggest that, just as the narrative of that 1963–1975 dialectic informs the development of student–teachers’ moral and political values of the time, so too does it continue to inform the professional values and practice of current trainees underpinning their outstanding inclusive practice. The study concludes with a fundamental question about narrative and its implications for the development of the moral and political values of trainees in new teaching alliances.

METHODOLOGY FOR THE FORMATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL BASE OF STEM IN THE PREPARATION OF FUTURE BIOLOGY TEACHERS

The contemporary educational landscape necessitates the integration of science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) into the preparation of future biology teachers. This study presents a comprehensive methodology for establishing a robust educational base in STEM, tailored to the specific needs of biology teacher training. Recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of STEM and its growing significance in biology education, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to explore effective strategies for embedding STEM principles within the biology teacher curriculum. The methodology encompasses both quantitative and qualitative analyses, utilizing surveys and interviews with teacher educators and STEM experts. The research highlights a significant gap in current teacher education programs regarding STEM integration, underscoring the need for innovative teaching methods such as project-based learning and collaborative educational models. These approaches aim to enhance the proficiency of future biology teachers in both STEM concepts and their application in educational settings. The findings suggest that a holistic and integrated approach to STEM education is imperative for developing future teachers who are not only well-versed in biological sciences but also skilled in the pedagogical application of STEM principles. The study emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development and institutional support for teacher educators to facilitate this integration. The proposed methodology offers a strategic framework for effectively incorporating STEM into biology teacher education, fostering a generation of educators equipped to navigate and teach in an increasingly interdisciplinary academic environment.

The Development of Pre-Service Teacher’s Professional Competence in Teaching English at Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi

Teaching English as a second language requires pre-service educators to possess a diverse skill set and adapt to evolving teaching methodologies and language acquisition theories. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the factors that contribute to the development of pre-service English teachers' professional competence to ensure their readiness to enter the teaching profession. This study aims to investigate the factors contributing to the development of pre-service English teachers' professional competence in teaching English, addressing the lack of research in this area. More specifically, it aims to explore the challenges faced by pre-service teachers in developing their professional competence, identify areas where current teacher education programs may fall short, and provide practical recommendations for pre-service teacher training programs. This study employs a descriptive qualitative research method by involving five pre-service English teachers participating in a School Teaching Practice Program. To gather the data, this research uses a reflection section and then analyzedcategorized. The findings highlight the significance of active learning experiences, such as fieldwork and classroom practice, in fostering the development of professional competence among pre-service teachers. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for pre-service teachers to be adequately prepared to meet the evolving needs of English language learners, especially in the context of changing teaching methodologies and advancements in educational technology.

Depicting classroom social climate: Using drawings to examine primary students’ perceptions of geometry teaching and learning practices

Climate conducive to learning is one of criteria of good teaching. Even though current pedagogies argue for contemporary type of instruction, mathematics instruction may still be dominated by traditional type of instruction. The present study examined participant-produced drawings of 250 primary grade students regarding geometry teaching and learning practices. Not only different aspects of traditional type of instruction, such as the teacher standing in front of the classroom and delivering the content while students sit at their desks and passively listen to the teacher with little student-student communication were reported, but also some aspects typical for contemporary type of instruction, such as learning through teacher-student discussions, and the use of teaching materials and tools. Still, the aspects of traditional type of instruction prevailed. The results offer potential opportunities for reconsidering the current teacher education as well as policy that would reflect the teaching practices conducive to contemporary geometry instruction.

매체발달과 교원역량 담론의 역사적 전개

The main focus of this study was to examine the relationship between the development of educational technologies and teacher competencies. The study focused on UNESCO's educational assistance programmes since the end of the Second World War. To this end, the study heavily relies on archival resources in UNESCO's official documents such as proceedings, conference papers and official reports. It also examines the required teacher competencies for ICT and emerging AI education that have emerged since the 1980s with the development of information and communication technologies, to identify how these competencies differ from previous ones, and to stimulate discussion on the implications of these changes. The rapid development of technology and new media has led to demands for changes in the field of education, with teacher education being no exception. Hence, exploring the global trends of how teacher competencies are presented and their necessity will serve as a vital foundation for organizing teacher competencies in current teacher education in Korea through evolving technology and changes in media.

Examining the Role of Teachers in the Provision of Guidance and Counselling at Secondary School Level

Scientific and technological advancements have affected all walks of lifeand have brought about significant changes in them. Keeping in view theever-changing nature of society, educational demands and needs,employment and religious exploitation, school students are under a lot ofstress. The situation demands that they should be helped to cope with thisstress. Educational guidance and counselling have played a vital role forstudents in this regard. The present study was planned to investigate therole of educators in providing guidance and counseling to students ofsecondary level. A descriptive survey design was used for this purpose.The participants were included through stratified sampling technique.These comprise principals, teachers and students of secondary schools inthe Islamabad Capital Territory. Three separate questionnaires weredesigned for the participants. These included questionnaires for: theprincipals of secondary schools, students and teachers. The findingsrevealed that the teachers lacked the skills and knowledge required forproviding guidance and counseling to the students. The current teachereducation programs don’t equip teachers with the skills to provideguidance and counselling to students. In addition, the teachers are notready to play the role of guidance counsellors. The analysis revealed thatthere did not exist any arrangement for providing guidance andcounselling to the students.

Examining the Role of Teachers in the Provision of Guidance and Counselling at Secondary School Level

Scientific and technological advancements have affected all walks of lifeand have brought about significant changes in them. Keeping in view theever-changing nature of society, educational demands and needs,employment and religious exploitation, school students are under a lot ofstress. The situation demands that they should be helped to cope with thisstress. Educational guidance and counselling have played a vital role forstudents in this regard. The present study was planned to investigate therole of educators in providing guidance and counseling to students ofsecondary level. A descriptive survey design was used for this purpose.The participants were included through stratified sampling technique.These comprise principals, teachers and students of secondary schools inthe Islamabad Capital Territory. Three separate questionnaires weredesigned for the participants. These included questionnaires for: theprincipals of secondary schools, students and teachers. The findingsrevealed that the teachers lacked the skills and knowledge required forproviding guidance and counseling to the students. The current teachereducation programs don’t equip teachers with the skills to provideguidance and counselling to students. In addition, the teachers are notready to play the role of guidance counsellors. The analysis revealed thatthere did not exist any arrangement for providing guidance andcounselling to the students.

Using Body Maps to Understand Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Embodied Understanding of Care Related to Intersectional Marginalization during the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Teacher educators need to thoroughly understand of teacher candidates’ (TCs) experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to support TCs’ development and practice of care in the post-pandemic era. Here, I examine how TCs identified body discourses, and examine how those TCs understood and enacted critically oriented caring practices during the pandemic in online asynchronous courses in the Southeastern U.S. I used body mapping as a pedagogical tool for TCs to identify, critically reflect on, and respond to body discourses that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic in their process of understanding and enacting caring practices. I find that TCs conceptualized their care toward students, families, and colleagues in three overlapping yet distinct ways: (a) care as a motherly presence; (b) care as relational work; and (c) care as the promotion of critical consciousness. This study contributes to current teacher education scholarship by showing that a deeper understanding of TC’s embodied experiences is critical for supporting TCs’ understanding and practice of care. In addition, this work highlights how body mapping activities can be used in practice, in order to scaffold teachers’ critically oriented care work.

Reading habits and attitudes in first-year EFL student teachers and their implications for literature course design in an Austrian study programme

ABSTRACT This paper reports results from a quantitative curriculum study on literature modules in Austrian undergraduate teacher education programmes. In order to optimise course delivery in literature classes at the University College of Education Upper Austria (PHOÖ), reading habits and attitudes of 153 first-year EFL students for secondary school education were assessed in an online-questionnaire. The questionnaire examined students’ exposure to literary texts, their self-assessment as avid readers, their performative literacy, and their preferred reading stance. Results show rather limited avid reading, a self-centred performative literacy as well as a profoundly pragmatic reading stance. Such habits and attitudes could not only jeopardise success within the current teacher education study programmes but also aggravate the well-known Peter Effect, rendering prospective EFL teachers incapable of inspiring enthusiasm for literary reading in their future students. After discussing these results, the paper concludes with potential ramifications for curricular revisions as well as avenues for further research.

The Evaluation of Physical Literacy of Preservice Physical Educators

The term “physical literacy” has been integrated into national physical education standards. This study was designed to better understand how preservice physical educators put physical literacy into practice and prepare to be role models within the school context. Sixty preservice physical educators (46 males, 14 females, aged 19 to 25) participated and performed multiple tests in accordance with the second edition of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy testing battery, as well a questionnaire about their perceived physical competence. Participants had significantly poorer performance than the standard for a 12-year-old child in cardiorespiratory endurance, motor performance, and overall physical activity level. In addition, waist circumference was significantly negatively related to physical competence and physical activity level. A significant positive relationship was found between perceived physical competence and physical activity level among participants. Waist circumference size and low cardiorespiratory endurance were the areas of greatest difficulty and concern for preservice teachers. Also, there was not a significant relationship between actual competence and perceived competence. Our findings suggest a need for a review of the current teacher education curriculum to draw attention to the benefits of physical fitness and motor skills competence for physical education teachers as possible role models.

Teacher Language Awareness in Initial Teacher Education Policy: A Comparative Analysis of ITE Documents in Norway and New Zealand

Dramatically increased population flows since at least the 1980s, primarily through economic migration and refugee resettlement, have brought considerable ethnic and linguistic diversity to classrooms around the world. This diversity has been amplified by the rising recognition of in-country indigenous and minority languages. In such plurilingual learning environments, teachers require sophisticated language education skills. They need to be able to teach the dominant language/s across the curriculum, support plurilingual learners, and often teach foreign or additional languages. One conceptual lens through which to analyse the presence of these competencies in current teacher education policy is that of language awareness. While this term originally referred to the raising of student awareness of features and functions of language, it now incorporates knowledge about flexible languaging practices. Through a comparative analysis of the two key teacher education policy documents in Norway and New Zealand, we have investigated how the concept of teacher language awareness is incorporated in high-level policy documents pertaining to ITE in these two countries and how these converge and diverge in their treatment of language awareness. Our in-depth comparison of these important educational policies urges both jurisdictions, as well as others, to be aware of local particularities and broader patterns in meeting the needs of teachers to be plurilingually aware and equipped for 21st-century classrooms.

The Use of Music to Connect the Past, Present, and Future

Artists have long addressed social injustices within popular music. As teachers consider how to deconstruct and teach the events of 2020 (and beyond) with an eye toward the future, we offer a novel pedagogical approach to incorporating music into the social studies classroom: the set-list. The set-list can be understood as containing temporal conditions insofar that all traditional demarcations of time (e.g., past, present, and future) are implicated in its construction. Extending the concept of the set-list into education holds excellent potential for teachers and students seeking to develop a more complex perspective about criticality and social in/justice. Our set-list example originates from years-long conversations around our experiences as former secondary social studies teachers, current teacher educators, fathers, spouses, and individuals living in the United States. Music encourages students to recognize how the past, present, and future are intertwined in learning history. While the official social studies curriculum does not include music as an approach to learning history in the social studies classroom, using a student-generated set-list starts transforming the world within the context of social justice.

Epistemic analysis of high school science teachers’ class talks

ABSTRACT An increasing number of studies in science education have proved the positive effects of students’ epistemic beliefs on their academic achievements and self-efficacy. Despite the critical roles of teachers’ classroom talks on shaping students’ epistemic beliefs, little research has explored teachers’ talks from epistemic perspectives. Therefore, this study undertook an epistemic analysis of two high school science teachers’ class talks in China. The findings show the teachers’ talks were focused on ‘constructing knowledge’ practices, with very few of ‘explanation’ operation. In the observed classes, teachers led most ‘description’ and ‘argument’ operations, while the students were involved in a low level of epistemic load. The epistemic features of teachers’ talks were influenced by both exam pressures and teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. This study argues that the latter was undermined by exam pressures in education systems and was neglected in the current teacher education system. This study indicates the context-dependent nature of teachers’ epistemic talks in science classes and advocates the explicit teaching of epistemic cognition in teacher education courses.