Teacher Education Experiences Research Articles

Experiences of Sexuality Education Educators in Secondary Schools of Mbarara Municipality, Uganda

While schools in Uganda have sexuality education implementation programs in place, adolescents enrolled in school continue to have considerable concerns about sexuality. This indicates that there is still a gap in the teaching of sexuality education. Understanding, that the pursuit of excellent educational outcomes cannot understate the significance of educators. The objectives of the study were to understand how teachers have influenced the implementation of sexuality education in schools and to understand their influence. We explored their sexuality education teaching experiences. For this study, we purposively sampled 12 teachers from six secondary schools in Mbarara Municipality. These were classroom teachers teaching Biology, Christian Religious education, and Literature, subjects in which topics about sexuality are included. Others were male and female senior teachers in charge of guidance and counselling; and teacher patrons to sexuality learning-related activities outside the classroom. Data was transcribed and analyzed through thematic coding of opinions, feelings, and practices of teachers. Results indicated that the majority of teachers experience discomfort when teaching this subject. To most teachers, this discomfort was attributed to 1. Lack of proper training. 2. Others had strong cultural values and beliefs that made them uncomfortable teaching about sexuality in open places like the classroom. 3. Another minority, were not consulted before being appointed into counselling positions, therefore did not feel obliged to take on the assignment. 5. Lack of instruction materials. 6. Findings also revealed that students are not comfortable learning from their teachers, whom they consider as “second parents” and hence they join and learn more from peers and other adults. 7. While all students, learn about sexuality, only a few teachers are assigned this duty, this has created a teaching burden due to the low teacher-student ratio especially for duties like guidance and counselling and patronising of sexuality education programs. Thus, we deduced that SE was being jeopardised by teachers' inefficacy, attitude, and low teacher-student ratio, and interaction of informal peer educators. We concluded that sexuality education educators, are most effective when they are equipped with skills, their consent to participate is sought, the education does not interfere with their values and when they do not carry an overload of assignments. From the findings, it was also evident that teachers are not the best choice schools should use to guide and counsel students about sexuality. Peers and medical personnel are preferred to teachers. Hence, when the identified gaps are attended to sexuality education will be more efficient to protect and keep skills with adolescents undergoing this education. To improve teacher performance, we recommend that schools assist their teachers in pursuing SE training, seek teachers consent before appointing them into SE educating or counselling positions, support them and offer teaching materials. The low teacher-to-student ratio be resolved by assigning more teacher educators SE roles. Our findings indicate that students feel more at ease studying with their peers than with teachers; hence, we recommended increasing the amount of supervised peer-to-peer SE learning in schools. We also discovered that students value media education, thus we recommend that schools offer more adult-guided media literacy instruction.

TEACHER EDUCATORS’ EXPERIENCES OF USING THE MURSION® SIMULATION PROGRAMME: A CASE OF A SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

This article explores the experiences of teacher educators at a South African university regarding their use of the Mursion® simulation program during pre-service teacher training. The study aimed to investigate these teacher educators’ experiences and perceptions of using the Mursion® simulation software by means of semi-structured interviews, and subsequent thematic analyses. Three themes were predominantly discussed during the interviews, namely, initial impressions of the Mursion® software, favourable aspects associated with the software, and less-favourable aspects associated with the software. The respondents’ initial impressions revealed a mixture of satisfaction, excitement, and uncertainty. The favourable aspects included the realism of the virtual classroom environment and experience, the opportunity for practice and skill development, and the potential for increased pre-service teacher preparedness. The less-favourable aspects highlighted were some anxiety and intimidation related to the technical nature of the software and the initial learning curve. The findings suggest that the software has the potential to enhance teacher education by providing a realistic and immersive classroom experience for pre-service teachers. The importance of technological support and training for educators to fully utilize such programs is also highlighted.

“It makes you nervous when you start talking about racism”: Shining light on teacher educators’ experiences of anti-racist pedagogy in Australian teacher education

ABSTRACT Teacher educators have a significant responsibility in promoting anti-racist pedagogy and guiding preservice teachers to engage in critical self-examination regarding dominant narratives. However, many teacher education programmes fall short of adequately equipping aspiring teachers for diverse classrooms as they often perpetuate a predominantly white system and curricula. Informed by Critical Pedagogy and underpinned by a lens of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies, this paper discusses the experiences of teacher educators facilitating anti-racist pedagogy within teacher education programmes at Australian universities. Semi-structured interviews were held with 23 experienced teacher educators employed at universities across Australia. Data reveal teacher educators’ efforts to promote anti-racist pedagogy are fraught with challenges when attempting to break the silence surrounding racism, with support for anti-racist pedagogy inconsistent amongst colleagues and within institutional structures. Teacher educators who actively embrace anti-racist pedagogy require resilience and a strong dedication to ongoing critical reflection. The findings have relevance for teacher education efforts not only in Australia, but also in countries where teacher education programmes continue to be predominantly centred on whiteness.

Creating communicative learning spaces in initial teacher education (ITE) with observation-grounded co-mentoring practices

ABSTRACT ITE has been criticised for being disconnected, with different languages being spoken in the two learning arenas of campus and schools. Bringing people together, such as through formal university-school partnerships, is not enough to open up communicative learning spaces – sites of collaborative learning that are democratic, safe and supportive. Practicum is recognised as a capstone experience in teacher education in which the mentor’s role is crucial. However, there are significant variations in the types and quality of mentoring and only some supportive frameworks. This paper investigates what arrangements are needed to enable mentoring practices as communicative learning spaces. An intervention was designed that structured conversations between student teachers, school-based mentor teachers and university-based teacher educators around an observation-grounded mentoring framework (OMF). Data was gathered from completed worksheets, reflection logs, and interviews and analysed through the lens of practice architectures. We explore issues of knowledge and power in the facilitation of learning when university-based teacher educators visit the school, and classroom observations frame the mentoring conversations. Findings show that the OMF offered a shared language for tripartite mentoring conversations as communicative learning spaces. The paper contributes to knowledge about supportive mentoring practices in ITE.

Emotionally (in)hospitable spaces: reflecting on language teacher–teacher educator collaboration as a source of emotion labor and emotional capital

Abstract While various aspects of language teachers’ emotional experiences have been gaining attention, including emotion labor and emotional capital, less attention has been placed on the emotional experiences of teacher educators supporting language teachers in emotionally challenging situations. Following calls to examine language teachers’ emotional experiences ecologically and as socially and institutionally shaped, we engaged in collaborative autoethnography to explore how language teacher and teacher educator emotion labor reflects answerability to multiple commitments in the face of external feeling rules. Our findings highlight how language teacher–teacher educator collaboration can mitigate as well as reproduce emotion labor. This study contributes to research on language teacher emotion labor by focusing on the role of the teacher educator in supporting language teacher emotional capital and highlighting the complexity underlying emotion labor and emotional capital as multi-directional. Furthermore, the study illustrates how collaborative autoethnography can generate reflexivity and emotional capital for language teacher educators.

Teacher educators as curriculum developers: a case study of teacher education colleges in Cambodia

Teacher educators have key roles in the educational system through preparing and implementing teacher education programs. Understanding and acquiring the necessary responsibility for these roles is crucial for their professional development. Practical experiences of teacher educators provide insights into the specific abilities required in their work context. This case study explored the actual practices, challenges, and strategies employed by 25 teacher educators as curriculum developers, based on an analysis of documents and interview data. The research framework was grounded in curriculum innovation, drawing from both literature review and practical insights. The results revealed that teacher educators were highly aware of their roles as curriculum developers, offering specific activities for syllabus development and revision, schemes of work and lesson plans, teaching practice, and assessment. However, challenges persist in terms of curriculum developers' knowledge base, timeframes, and professional development, particularly within the Cambodian context. Professionally, teacher educators overcame these challenges in various ways, most notably through autonomy in improving syllabus content and teaching flexibility, as well as through formal training and informal learning from and with their colleagues and student teachers in the workplace. The study contends that practitioners' innovation and flexibility in using and developing syllabi in practice are more robust than following prescribed curriculum frameworks and instructions. This study addresses a gap in the literature regarding the role of teacher educators in curriculum development and has implications for improving educational practice, research, and policymaking in the field.

Knowledge and Participation of Physical Education Teachers in the Official Sports Events

21st century teachers are expected to develop 21st century competencies in students in more diverse classrooms, while increasing the study of teaching and learning. Teachers must update their teaching techniques, adopt creative teaching methods, and mobilize multiple sources of information to achieve this goal. In this paper, 150 teachers from Guangdong University of Science and Technology (GUT), Guangdong Foreign Studies University (GUFS) and Guangdong Institute of Science and Technology (GDPST) were evaluated by using literature, expert interviews, questionnaire and mathematical statistics to evaluate their knowledge in physical education teaching, including their physical education teaching experience, contact with students and their knowledge The ability to integrate teaching technology. This will further determine the level of teachers' participation in official sporting events, including their willingness, athletic skills and the impact of participation. The main conclusions of the study are as follows:1. The sample used in the study was primarily composed of teachers that were aged 25-29 years old and were mostly female. Their teaching experience ranged from 10 years and above, making the sample have a large population of well-experienced educators. Lastly, during sports events, these teachers would mostly have the role of being officials when participating. 2.For teaching knowledge, the respondents showed to have agreeable positive responses in all fields of experience, engagement, and technology. Although, the knowledge on technology scored the highest, indicating that the respondents had more knowledge in using this when participating in sports events. 3.The assessments showed no significant relationship in the teachers’ knowledge in teaching sports when compared to the different demographic factors assessed. 4.For teachers’ participation in sports events, there was a fairly agreeable positive assessment for the overall analysis. Although when looking at the indicators individually, only the impacts from participation scored positively, making this a strong indicator in the teachers’ participation. On the other hand, willingness and skills scored poorly, indicating the need to improve these two areas.5. The assessments showed no significant relationship in the teachers’ participation in sports when compared to the different demographic factors assessed. 6.Lastly, a positive correlation was found only between the teachers’ engagement and the teachers’ impacts from participation, confirming that these two indicators are linked and affect one another in the study.

Teacher recruitment policies: accelerating issues of spatial justice in England

ABSTRACT As well as high levels of teacher attrition, most countries around the world report some form of teacher recruitment crisis, exemplified by failed recruitment targets and high levels of demand for new teachers. These issues have reached crisis point in England. The impact of the controversial ITT Market Review, and subsequent accreditation process has left parts of the country as “cold spots” with no established providers and the formation of new national “super-providers” with no track record or experience of initial teacher education. This policy initiative is an urgent issue of spatial injustice, exacerbating teacher recruitment and supply issues in areas already suffering from educational isolation. Through the application of spatial theory, we conclude that these developments have specific spatial effects: not only on the locus of teacher education (narrowly conceived around individual classrooms and practices), and on the shifting of provision to urban centres but also on the centralisation of power and control. Such spatial effects have the capacity to exacerbate the supply and retention of teachers in hard-to-staff places.

Doing Action Research: Operating a Research Approach or Feeling Change in a Researcher’s Way of Life?

This reflection traces the author's journey into action research, sparked by a seminar led by Hilbert Meyer in 1993. Drawing from personal experiences in teacher education and chemistry research, the author advocates for bridging the gap between educational research and teaching practice. Highlighting the influence of critical theory, the author emphasizes the transformative potential of action research in educational contexts. Action research, as perceived by the author, seeks to enhance teaching practice, foster continuous professional development, and engage learners as partners in educational reform. Through collaborative efforts with practitioners, the author demonstrates the practical implications and scholarly contributions of action research. The narrative underscores the significance of publishing action research findings and challenges prevailing paradigms in educational research. Ultimately, the author posits action research as a means to navigate the complexities of educational practices while advocating for critical reflection and paradigmatic shifts in educational research.

Integration of ICT for Research and Administrative Work by Teacher Educators in Secondary Stage Teacher Education Institutes

The study explored the best practices by Teacher Educators in integrating ICT into Research and Administrative work. Understanding teacher educators’ use of ICT and its influence is central to determining technology’s role and effectiveness during their career. Thus, teacher educators should be assisted and encouraged to develop positive attitudes in learning and to apply ICT in their Profession. The findings showed that both young and experienced teacher educators showed readiness to use ICT in their career.

예비특수교사교육자의 체육교수경험에 대한 셀프연구

Objectives The purpose of this study was to explore the concrete reality of the agony, reflective deliberation, and growth of the educational phenomena manifested in the physical education teaching experience of pre-service special education teachers.
 Methods For this purpose, self-research method was used to collect data through self-reflection paper, curricu-lum organization, curriculum reconstruction, lecture plan, and CQI, which recorded the contents of all the educa-tional experiences and phenomena in the physical education class, the process and results of the physical educa-tion class, the relationship with the fellow professors, the process and results of forming the learning community, the interaction with the students in the class, .,The collected data were analyzed using the area analysis and clas-sification analysis proposed by Spradley (1979).
 Results It was categorized into ‘the difference between reality and educational belief’ and ‘cognitive bias’ as the story of worries in the course management process, and ‘the formation of learning community’ and ‘experience network’ as the story of reflective deliberation process. In addition, it was categorized into ‘reconceptualization of physical education class’ and ‘variation of physical education class’ as a growth story through the worries of course management.
 Conclusions The researcher's agony in the dilemma situation could be reborn as an educational expert through the field of reflective deliberation, consilience, and practical experience as a producer of knowledge.,The process of communication in reflective deliberation and practical experience was an essential process in the teacher educa-tion curriculum, and its meaning and value were great in that it could form an integrated learning culture.

Teachers’ Lived Experiences on Collaboration in Online Teacher Education: A Phenomenological Study

This research aimed to explore the English language teachers’ lived experiences of collaboration in teacher education via online mode. This study embraced a phenomenological qualitative research design and involved four English teachers purposively to gather their lived experiences on the phenomena. Informal discussions and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Using the Hermeneutic phenomenological method, the data were analyzed. This study used Vygotsky's Social Constructivism as its theoretical foundation (1978). The findings demonstrate that English language teachers have positive perspectives and collaboration experiences in online teacher education. The collaboration develops their confidence, critical analysis, technological skills, and rapport building. The participants expressed that collaboration in teacher education reduces the workload and stress if all the members are equally responsible for the completion of their tasks. However, the division of work constrains the members into their parts only resulting the less exploration and knowledge construction in others’ portions.

CSPAP Implementation During Student Teaching: Lessons Learned From the Field

In the United States, less than half of adolescents meet national recommendations for daily physical activity (PA). Schools are an integral intervention point for achievement of national PA youth guidelines. To help schools achieve PA guidelines, multicomponent Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP) were developed. Each CSPAP component works synergistically to help students achieve 60 min of PA per school day. Physical educators are expected to implement CSPAP components in their schools, but little is known about the preservice physical education teacher (PPET) perception of CSPAP training experiences in teacher education. The purpose of this research study was to understand PPET perceptions of implementing a component of CSPAP at the elementary and secondary level during a student teaching course. Undergraduate (n = 5) and graduate (n = 4) physical education majors enrolled in a semester of student teaching were recruited. Data collection encompassed individual semistructured interviews at three distinct phases (N = 25): (a) pre–student teaching, (b) between student teaching school placements, and (c) post–student teaching. Data coding first revealed codes, then categories, and eventually four themes emerged, each with its own subthemes: (a) preparedness, (b) perceived challenges, (c) implementation, and (d) moving forward. Findings indicate PPETs developed confidence, achieved personal growth and self-actualization, perceived career benefit, and gained a desire for implementing CSPAP in the future. Additionally, implementing CSPAP components during student teaching can increase confidence and desire to implement CSPAP in the future. Further research needs to explore if CSPAP experiences during preservice training influence in-service teachers’ CSPAP involvement.

On training at the undergraduate level in pedagogy in Kyrgyz Republic and China

Relevance. This study considered the main stages of development of higher pedagogical education in Kyrgyz Republic and China, as well as the problems of teacher training in Chinese and Kyrgyz universities at the present stage. The relevance of the issues of researching the demand for Chinese and Kyrgyz higher pedagogical educational institutions, the problems of reforming and adapting educational programmes to new socio-cultural conditions was noted. The reasons and main stages of development of the system of higher pedagogical education in Kyrgyz Republic and the People�s Republic of China were analysed, the active involvement of the state leadership in reforming the system of higher education, building new university campuses, creating the necessary conditions for training specialists was noted.Purpose. The purpose of this article was to investigate the causes, preconditions, conditions, and main stages of the development of the system of training of pedagogical specialists in the Kyrgyz Republic and China, as well as to analyse the current state and features of educational programmes of Chinese and Kyrgyz pedagogical universities.Methodology. Critical-analytical method, comparative method, analysis of open data sources were used as research methods.Results. The study showed that the state reforms towards liberalisation and openness of economic and social life, which have been carried out in China since 1978 and in Kyrgyz Republic after independence in 1990, have had a positive impact on the development of the education system in the country. At the same time, the popularity of the teaching profession under liberalisation has declined markedly, which has had a negative impact on the quality of training of entrants and graduates of teacher training institutions.Conclusions. The practical significance of the study is to systematise the specific features of theoretical training and practical experience of higher teacher education because of reforms of the educational system in such dynamically developing countries as Kyrgyz Republic and China.

THE PERCEPTION OF ENGLISH TEACHERS TOWARD MERDEKA BELAJAR CURRICULUM IN SMPN 4 MUARA BUNGO

This research was about current topics with the implementation of the new curriculum implemented in Indonesia, especially in Muara Bungo. Namely Merdeka belajar curriculum that was implemented. The purpose of this study is to know the teacher’s perception toward Merdeka Belajar Curriculum. The Merdeka belajar curriculum is a new curriculum that was implemented at SMPN 4 Muara Bungo especially in grade 7. This type of research is a research design that applies Descriptive qualitative with Qualitative Methods. The participants in this study were English teachers in SMPN 4 Muara Bungo. The sampling technique was purposive sampling. The instrument used in this study was open-ended-questions and semi structured for interviews. The result show of the study reveals that teachers have positive and negative perception on the implementation of Merdeka belajar curriculum. There are several factors that influence the teacher's positive perception of the implementation of Merdeka belajar Curriculum, namely teacher teaching experience, educational background, and teacher training. But the negative perceptions that teachers have was in the form of a lack of teaching media, lack of support from schools in fulfilling teaching media that can help the learning process, and also teachers' difficulties in grouping students based on their hobbies and characteristics.
 

Cross-Cultural Experiences in Teacher Education: Indonesian Pre-Service English Teachers' Perspectives on International Teaching Practicum

This study addresses a significant gap in current literature concerning the international teaching practicum experiences of Asian pre-service teachers specializing in English education. Focusing on three Indonesian pre-service teachers, the research explores their experiences during international practicum in the Czech Republic, Thailand, and Malaysia. Methodologically, the study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews, along with the analysis of narrative journals and artifacts from the International Teaching Practicum (ITP) program, following the thematic analysis approach by Braun and Clarke (2006). This involved meticulous examination of data, coding, and thematic classification to derive meaningful interpretations. Key findings highlight the challenges faced by participants, including language barriers and cultural adaptation. Despite these challenges, participants reported substantial growth in confidence and self-assurance, fostered by active participation in teaching and learning activities. Significantly, the practicum provided valuable insights into multicultural education, deepening the participants' understanding of different teaching methodologies, the role of teachers, and the nuances of local educational systems. The implications of this study are far-reaching, particularly in enhancing multicultural competence in teacher education. By shedding light on the under-researched area of international teaching practicum involving Asian contexts, the study contributes essential insights into the evolving landscape of global teacher education.

Resilience, resistance and ‘giving back’: teachers from working class backgrounds and their journeys to teaching

Precipitated by a recent policy focus on diversifying Ireland’s homogeneous teaching profession, there is an emerging research base focused on the experiences of teachers from under-represented groups. However, the life stories of teachers from lower socio-economic groups remain underexplored. Responsive to the mostly atheoretical nature of research on initial teacher motivation and employing a narrative life history methodology grounded in phenomenology, interviews were conducted with six teachers from working class backgrounds. Consistent with the generative capacity of habitus, the participants’ stories of becoming a teacher are ones of resilience, resistance, and aspiration to make a difference in their local communities. Their experiences of schooling and initial teacher education and the various challenges they encountered, highlights the systemic and cultural change required to ensure not only a more diverse and representative teaching profession, but one that is also critically conscious and culturally responsive.

Internationale Tagung: Global Citizenship Education – Concepts and Experiences in Teacher Education and School

Internationale Tagung: Global Citizenship Education – Concepts and Experiences in Teacher Education and School

Getting comfortable with discomfort: supporting primary science teacher educators’ capacity for socially just pedagogy

ABSTRACT Despite longstanding calls for social justice-oriented teaching, there remains limited understanding of how to achieve it. This paper reports findings from a research-development project that explored the experiences of UK-based primary science teacher educators participating in a nine-month equity-oriented professional development programme and offers insights for supporting teacher learning for social justice. Analysis of written reflections and open-ended interviews with 15 teacher educators identified three types of reflection that supported justice-oriented practice: personal privilege in relation to race, class, gender and science; the norms and values of educational professional development; and practical implementation of justice-orientated professional development with teachers and schools. We discuss the importance of creating safe and brave spaces for critical reflection for primary science teacher educators and highlight the productive potential of experiences of discomfort that generated humility, empathy and insights that resulted in more equitable practice. The paper underlines the value of supporting educators to embrace discomfort as part of social justice-orientated professional development and calls for a greater valuing of and support for expanded models of professional development that foreground critical reflection and go beyond ‘top tips’, ‘quick fixes’, and dominant norms around professional ‘politeness’.

Evoking Challenges Associated with the Newness of Teaching: A Collaborative Self-Study of Teacher Educators Forced Online During the Pandemic

ABSTRACT This article reports on how four faculty self-study learning group members reexperienced the newness of teaching when forced to move online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a collaborative self-study of experienced teacher educators, we explored our abrupt transitions in teaching over one year through journal entries and individual interviews about our experiences. To better inform and contextualize our analysis, data on our teaching was considered in relation to the PDE 430, an evaluative tool used in our state for assessing both professional employees in PK-12 and the quality of teacher preparation programs. Based on the categories of professional practice reflected in the PDE 430, the findings of our study reveal the various ways in which we struggled to plan for instruction, manage the classroom, deliver instruction, and embody professionalism in our new teaching context. By analyzing these experiences as beginners in the specific context of teaching online, we highlight the importance of developing empathy with teacher candidates, staying current in our fields, and being willing to share our vulnerabilities and uncertainties.