Teacher Education Practices Research Articles

A safe space and leadership matter for innovation: Exploring the role of psychological safety in the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation radicalness in Kyrgyz classrooms

The present research examines the relationship between school transformational leadership and innovation radicalness in classrooms with the moderating and mediating role of psychological safety, to provide an understanding of whether and to what extent the influence of leadership on innovation radicalness in teaching might be strengthened or weakened across various levels of psychological safety. Utilizing a dataset that included 5052 teachers working in 147 schools across Kyrgyzstan, we conducted multilevel analyses to test the proposed hypotheses. We found a positive association of transformational leadership with psychological safety and innovation radicalness in classrooms at the teacher level. Moreover, transformational leadership was more strongly related to radical innovation in schools with greater psychological safety among teachers both at the teacher and school levels. We conclude that school principals should prioritize the emotional state of teachers characterized by psychological safety by acting as transformational leaders, thereby enhancing the impact of their practices on the realization of higher innovation radicalness in the pedagogical practices of teachers.

Discussion on the Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Characteristic Curriculum into Primary Education Teaching Practice

Discussion on the Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Characteristic Curriculum into Primary Education Teaching Practice

Editorial: Teacher Education Practices in a Flexible, Higher Education Environment

Editorial: Teacher Education Practices in a Flexible, Higher Education Environment

Teacher education practices in a flexible higher education environment The case of the Distance Education Unit of North-West University, South Africa

Teacher education practices in a flexible higher education environment The case of the Distance Education Unit of North-West University, South Africa

Motives for and predictors of teachers’ adoption of pro-environmental behaviours

Teachers frequently happen to be the most influential role models and social change agents in the eyes and minds of young people as well as the whole society in many cultures. Since they are closely involved in promoting the ideas for the goodness of communities and the whole world either as individuals or educators, teachers’ behaviours across all aspects of their life are correspondingly valuable. Therefore, what teachers do in and out of school for the benefit of nature, society or humanity is a crucial phenomenon worth studying. With this study, we aimed to identify the motives for and the predictors of PEBs (pro-environmental behaviours) that teachers follow in their personal, professional, or social spheres and specify whether those behaviours are the characteristics of a particular teacher group or not. Designed as a survey, the research was mainly a correlational study exploring the existing relationships between teachers’ tendency to adopt PEBs and certain socio-demographics along with internal factors. In this inquiry, we surveyed 330 Turkish in-service teachers representing different educational settings across the country through a cross-sectional online questionnaire and performed descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses with the help of the software STATA. Based on the findings of the study, we presented suggestions for policy and practice in teacher education as well as implications for future research on pro-environmental practices and environmental education.

Research on the Construction of Teacher Professional Learning. Community in the Web 3.0 Era

China’s teacher education reform has always advocated the establishment of a teacher-professional learning community to promote teacher professional development and school progress. In the Web 3.0 era, the increasingly open, secure, and fair network has created conditions for the teacher professional learning community to conduct data confirmation. However, in China, the phenomenon of a “silent spiral” has emerged in the professional learning community of teachers, that is, the inferior opinions of teachers in the professional learning community turn to “silent”, and the superior opinions shout, which to a certain extent hinders the creation, protection, and sharing of teacher metadata, affects the development of data right confirmation in the field of education, and slows down the pace of teacher education practice. This study mainly focuses on the value of building a Chinese teacher professional learning community in the Web 3.0 era, the specific difficulties and reasons, and how to develop a Chinese teacher professional learning community in the future. This study mainly adopts the method of documentary review and draws on the “spiral of silence” theory, which regards the expression of opinions and the spread of “silence” as a spiral process of social communication, and influences and restricts public opinion by creating an “opinion environment”. It is found that under the background of the Web 3.0 era, there is an information cocoon in the professional learning community of teachers, and teachers are affected by the diversity of information. Teachers fear independence and generally produce a herd mentality. It is easy to ignore the disadvantageous climate in the professional learning community of teachers, resulting in the continuous silence of teachers. In addition, teacher groups tend to be too stressed and unable to resist the opinion environment. Therefore, the research draws the following conclusions, the construction of teacher professional learning community should adhere to positive guidance, cultivate the correct learning concept, and build the core value concept; Strengthen teachers’ group consciousness, establish a common vision, and make teachers have a sense of belonging to the community; Coordinate the “online + offline”, build a learning mechanism, and salvage the silent voice of the group in the professional learning community of teachers; Provide supporting conditions around the key development issues of the community to promote the growth of opinion climate.

Understanding and Enhancing Special Education Teachers' Competencies for Inclusive Practice: A Comprehensive Analysis

This study examined the knowledge, skills, and comprehension of the teachers in special education that enable them to address the needs of students with disabilities. Through this, the paper delivered a comprehensive analysis incorporating demographic profiling, assessment of the availability of knowledge and skills, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The sample of this study comprised 80 special education teachers with various backgrounds and experiences. The results suggest a diversified teacher community: 80% of respondents strongly agree that they are aware of the diversified abilities of the students, and 85% strongly agree that they are good communicators. However, only 40% of the teachers admitted to being able to use technology seamlessly in their teaching. It is indicative of a particular focus area. Correlation analysis has also established significant interrelationships between the various competencies, such as correlation r = 0.632 (p < 0.01) in the aspect of handling workshop equipment and teaching technical skills in the theoretical sessions. This study confirms that the competencies for good teaching are interdependent and stresses the need for adaptable teaching knowledge of the various abilities as well as psychosocial support. These findings could influence policy and practice in teacher education and the improvement of support systems in special education.

A collaborative approach to help future teachers plan their teaching: the Prep.AR tool

ABSTRACT The planning of lessons holds a significant place in the training of future teachers, but it also presents various challenges, such as the integration of innovative pedagogical practices advocated in the training programme and the resulting cognitive overload. Differences among trainers regarding preferred practices create uncertainties for prospective teachers. To address these issues, we conducted a collaborative three-year research project. The group, dubbed GCEO, consisted of trainers, teachers, students, and researchers. The research led to a consensus on the practices to be incorporated into teacher training, while recognising the diversity of perspectives and contexts. This consensus, following the research-development principle, materialised through the co-construction of a tool to guide future teachers through the planning stages. We’ve called the tool, Prep.AR. Prep.AR is an acronym that stands for Prepare Action Reflection. It contains various parts. These parts are part of a whole that considers all planning to be based on three types of knowledge: the context, the classroom environment and the learners themselves. Although the tool represents a significant advancement, challenges remain, including its adaptation to different educational contexts and the assessment of its actual impact. Nevertheless, the collaborative approach adopted establishes a crucial link between theory and practice in teacher education.

AN ANALYSIS BASED ON CONTENT ANALYSIS ON FEEDBACK-ORIENTED POSTGRADUATE THESES

Feedback has always been an important element of learning-teaching processes and has always been at the centre of research on this subject. In this context, a significant number of studies in the literature have examined the feedback element with different dimensions and revealed important clues on the subject. The main purpose of this study is to conduct a content analysis of the postgraduate theses on the theme of feedback from past to present in terms of subject and methodology. For this purpose, 68 theses made between 2000 and 2023 within the scope of Institute of Educational Sciences and Institute of Social Sciences programmes in state universities in Turkey were analysed. According to the results of the content analysis technique, it was determined that the theses were mostly conducted at the Master's level (n=51), the theses mostly focused on teachers' in-class feedback practices and their views on feedback, the theses were mostly in the fields of English language teaching and Computer and Instructional Technologies; limited studies were conducted on this subject within the scope of teacher education and teaching practice. The results of the research showed that new researches are needed to examine the element of feedback, which has an important place in the field of education, with different dimensions.

EXPLORING THE TEACHER EDUCATORS PRACTICES FOR INTEGRATING EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPTIONS

In the contemporary era, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has become a pivotal paradigm in global education, aiming to equip learners with essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes for a sustainable future. In Pakistan, embedding ESD within the education system is a national response to global sustainability challenges and the country's unique socio-economic and environmental issues. This study investigates the practices of teacher educators in integrating ESD into teacher education programs in Pakistan. Using the mixed-methods approach, research examines the practices about ESD and how these practices align with global ESD standards. Quantitative data were collected through a survey of 316 teacher educators from public universities in Punjab, while qualitative data was collected via interviews with 17 teacher educators. The findings reveal that many educators employ innovative methods such as project-based learning, collaborative tasks, and field trips, to ensure reliance on the traditional lecture-based approaches. It concludes with recommendations for enhancing ESD practices amid teacher educators, emphasizing the importance of training and awareness to foster SDE in Pakistan.

Professional practice in teacher education: an approach to the conceptions constructed by teacher educators

Las prácticas profesionales en los trayectos formativos de los docentes normalistas han cobrado gran importancia debido a que son espacios de encuentro entre las experiencias generadas en escenarios reales de trabajo. Dada su relevancia, el presente estudio se dirige a dar cuenta de las concepciones que han elaborado los formadores normalistas en torno a las prácticas profesionales, a fin de comprender los constructos que comunican a los estudiantes en proceso de formación docente. Su orientación metodológica es de corte cualitativo, empleando un enfoque interpretativo-construccionista. La recogida de información se realizó a través de la observación participante y la entrevista en profundidad. Se seleccionó una muestra intencionada de dos formadores normalista ubicados en dos escuelas normales del estado de Oaxaca. De acuerdo con los hallazgos obtenidos, se constituyeron dos constructos sobre prácticas profesionales desarrolladas por los formadores: como espacio de generación de habilidades de enseñanza y como espacio de vinculación docente comunitaria. Ambos constructos les otorgaron un sentido fundamental a las experiencias integradas por los estudiantes. El primer constructo dirigía las experiencias en torno a la promoción de habilidades de enseñanza, mientras que el segundo lo enfocaba al fomento de un pensamiento y actuación docente vinculada con las condiciones y necesidades del pueblo o comunidad donde se intervenía. Sin embargo, los dos constructos subrayan el carácter formativo que poseen en la configuración del perfil profesional docente.

Five methodological dilemmas when implementing an activity theory transformative intervention in higher education

ABSTRACT Activity theory is a relatively young methodology for researching higher education teaching practices. Beyond systemic analyse of workplace activities and their development, activity theory used in its full interventionist capacity can foster practitioners’ transformative agency to initiate practice change. Nevertheless, this is not an easy process. This paper shares activity theory research into the digital teaching activity of anatomy teachers within an Australian university. Using the lens of this project, the paper exposes several methodological dilemmas experienced by the researcher. Beyond the issue of the methodological level of activity theory used, these dilemmas relate to the authentic determination of both the unit of analysis and the object of the activity, the type of intervention (i.e. full Change Laboratory or modified), and the complexity in analysis using a concept-rich theory. Sharing these dilemmas invites further research to examine inherent contradictions in the human activity of conducting activity theory research focussed on university teaching.

Intelligent learning methods for improving student performance through virtual reality technology

With the rapid development of information technology, the field of education is undergoing a profound change, in which intelligent hybrid learning and virtual reality technology are increasingly valued. This study proposes an intelligent hybrid learning method based on virtual reality for student performance improvement. This paper reveals the limitations of traditional learning methods in meeting the needs of modern education, and expounds the theoretical basis of intelligent hybrid learning and virtual reality technology. This paper collects and processes a large amount of learning data, based on which a new model of student learning performance prediction is established. The verification results of the model show that the model in this study has excellent performance in predicting students’ learning performance. This paper gives some suggestions for future educational practice and research. In general, this study provides a new learning method for the field of education and has important reference value for education reform and teaching practice.

Recentering and claiming joy and radical love in education

ABSTRACT Too often joy and radical love are brushed off to the side while addressing intersectional forms of supremacies within teacher education does not get addressed. While it is important to name systematic and intergenerational trauma and violence, building interdependence joy and radical love must be done alongside. We cannot dismantle and build if we do not know how to value ourselves. Using insights from auto-ethnographic approaches, we 1) define what a disability justice radical love approach, which centers joy, radical love, and the humanization of personal, professional, and programmatic identities, 2) illustrate how we started and continue to build such networks, and 3) offer strategic suggestions for centering joy and radical love within everyday educational practice — both on a micro and macro level — in building resistance, push back, and disruption of dehumanizing practices within teacher development and educational policy and practices.

Planning for Equitable Student Sensemaking: An Examination of Preservice Teachers’ Noticing of Elementary Science Lesson Plans

ABSTRACT Designing and analyzing lesson plans is a ubiquitous practice in teacher education, and yet we know little about how preservice teachers (PSTs) notice elements of their lesson plans that afford opportunities for supporting equitable student sensemaking. We investigate how the use of a tool, a framework for supporting equitable sensemaking, guided 36 PSTs to notice four features of equitable sensemaking in their plans. Qualitative analysis of PSTs’ comments about their plans generated a coding rubric and three associated levels for noticing. These levels included (1) paying little to no attention to explicit strategies and making assumptions about the ways that traditional classroom practices might facilitate equitable sensemaking; (2) attending to some strategies but providing few details; and (3) attending to and making connections between specific moves and broader principles and practices of supporting equitable student sensemaking. Guided by the tool, PSTs were able to provide elaborate details about their plans to design instruction to engage students in authentic scientific work focused on investigating and explaining phenomenon (feature 4) and to position students as knowers (feature 2), but they struggled to discuss explicit ways to leverage students’ lived experiences in their science lessons (feature 3) and facilitate equitable engagement and participation (feature 1). This suggests that even with the use of a tool, it may be challenging for PSTs to attend to and describe in detail strategies for leveraging students’ out-of-school lives and interests for science learning and explicit classroom strategies for making learning accessible and engaging for all.

At The Pivot Point of Cultural Education Management, Teaching, and Artistic Practice

At The Pivot Point of Cultural Education Management, Teaching, and Artistic Practice

Research on the Strategic Path of Veterinary Medicine Serving Rural Revitalization in Agriculture-Related Universities

Local agriculture-related universities must have certain regional advantages, advantages of agricultural characteristics, human resources, and science and technology in the process of implementing the rural revitalization strategy. Using literature research and investigation methods, combined with the experience of colleges and universities, the veterinary discipline of rural science and technology correspondent and technology yard, this study discusses our veterinary discipline in education teaching practice and talent training mode innovation, improving the quality of talent training and study on the strategic path of united front service for rural revitalization.

The gradual Islamisation of teacher education: Current trends and future implications in global inclusive education policy

This research analyzes the current trends and future implications of the gradual Islamisation of teacher education within the context of global inclusive education policy. The review examines the integration of Islamic principles and values into teacher education curricula and practices, aiming to identify opportunities and challenges associated with this process and its impact on inclusive education goals. By synthesizing findings from various studies, the review informs policymakers, educators, and stakeholders about the complex dynamics of Islamisation in teacher education and its implications for promoting inclusive and equitable educational systems globally. A rigorous and comprehensive methodology was employed, including a systematic search strategy across databases such as PubMed, ERIC, and Google Scholar, alongside hand-searching relevant journals and reference lists. Inclusion criteria focused on studies addressing the integration of Islamic principles into teacher education and their implications for inclusive education policies, while non-English studies were excluded. Data extraction and thematic analysis identified key patterns and trends across the selected studies. The review highlights a growing trend towards the Islamisation of teacher education in regions such as Malaysia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, resulting in significant curricular and pedagogical changes. It identifies both opportunities, such as promoting cultural sensitivity and ethical development, and challenges, including concerns about inclusivity, academic freedom, and the marginalization of non-Muslim students. The need for further research is emphasized, particularly longitudinal studies on the long-term effects of Islamisation, comparative research across different regions, and interdisciplinary studies on identity intersectionality in Islamised educational settings. The findings underscore the importance of nuanced, contextually sensitive policies that align Islamisation efforts with inclusive education goals, ensuring respect for all students' rights and beliefs. For educators, professional development is crucial for integrating Islamic values effectively while fostering inclusive learning environments. Researchers are encouraged to address existing gaps to develop evidence-based policies promoting inclusive and equitable education for diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.. Research Highlights: Global Trends in Islamisation: The Research reveals a notable global trend towards the integration of Islamic principles and values into teacher education curricula and practices across diverse regions. Opportunities and Challenges: The review identifies both opportunities and challenges associated with the Islamisation of teacher education. Implications for Inclusive Education: The findings carry significant implications for policymakers, educators, and researchers involved in inclusive education.

Teachers’ conceptualizations of multilingual learners’ so-called ‘academic’ language in oral-language assessments

We used a Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP) methodology to consider how 16 teachers in an English as a Second Language (ESL) assessment course discussed ‘academic’ versus ‘social’ language while assessing a multilingual student’s oral language. Using a ­figured-worlds framework to explore teachers’ underlying beliefs about the ‘academic’/‘social’ language dichotomy, we aimed to explore: What figured worlds were present in teachers’ dichotomous descriptions of multilingual students’ ‘academic’ and ‘social’ language? Our findings reveal four inter-related figured worlds that teachers’ descriptions revealed about students’ oral language. First, teachers used words like formal, complex, and difficult to characterize so-called ‘academic’ language, while they described ‘social’ language as informal, simple, non-specific, etc. Second, teachers depicted multilingual students as struggling with or overwhelmed by ‘academic’ language but as having strong conversational skills and a relaxed and even jovial manner when using so-called ‘social’ language. Third, teachers depicted themselves as owners and controllers of ‘academic’ language and as charged with imparting ‘academic’ language on students. Finally, teachers associated English with ‘academic’ language and students’ home languages with ‘social’ language. These findings suggest that teachers’ figured worlds relate both to their views of language and to their identities and roles as teachers.

Design and Psychometric Properties of the Student Perception of Teacher Care Scale in University Students

Teacher care in the university setting is crucial for the academic, emotional, and social development of students, encompassing moral virtues such as compassion and professional competence. The students’ perception of teacher care directly relates to their well-being and active participation in learning. Despite the recognized importance of teacher care, there is a lack of adequate instruments to measure it, especially in specific cultural and educational contexts like Peru. The aim of this research is to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a scale measuring student perception of teacher care in the Peruvian university context, to provide a valid and reliable tool for future research and educational practices. An instrumental study was conducted with 910 university students aged between 18 and 50 years (M = 20.2, SD = 3.45). The Student Perception of Teacher Care Scale (SPTCS) was used, divided into five dimensions (Compassion, Competence, Confidentiality, Trust, and Awareness). Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the scale’s internal structure, along with reliability analyses and measurement invariance across genders. The EFA identified a four-factor structure reflecting the dimensions of Confidentiality and Trust, Competence, Awareness, and Compassion. The CFA confirmed this structure with good fit indices for four-factor models, which was then adjusted to a five-factor model, one of which is a second-order factor (χ2 = 720.727, df = 369, CFI = 0.951, TLI = 0.946, RMSEA = 0.046, and SRMR = 0.032). Internal reliability was high (α and ω > 0.9 for all factors). Measurement invariance was established across genders, allowing for valid comparisons between men and women. It is concluded that the Student Perception of Teacher Care Scale proves to be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring teacher care in the Peruvian university context. The results emphasize the multidimensionality of teacher care and its significance for the educational environment and student experience. This study contributes to educational research and teaching practice, offering a means to assess and improve caring relationships in higher education.