Pre-service Preparation Research Articles

In plain sight: Oppressive dynamics and learning challenges in adult ESOL programs in the United States

A previous convergent mixed methods study conducted by the author revealed that, based on their preservice preparation and access to in-service professional development, instructors of adult emergent bi/multilingual learners in the United States often felt ill-equipped to address the oppressive dynamics and learning challenges that might manifest in their adult ESOL classrooms. This follow-up interview study explored the prevalence of these oppressive dynamics, such as racism, sexism, and linguicism, and learning challenges, such as neurodiversity, and investigated how preservice preparation, continuous professional development, program administration, and the field of TESOL might address these issues more consistently and equitably. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom or over the telephone with 10 randomly selected volunteers. The findings revealed that oppressive dynamics and learning challenges are commonplace in adult ESOL programs in the United States. Recommendations included either routinely incorporating discussions and content related to these issues throughout preservice coursework and continuous professional development or creating postgraduate certificate programs to do so. Participants also felt that the field of TESOL should address these issues on a regular versus ad hoc basis through its conferences, publications, and research literature. Limitations of the study and areas for future research were also identified.

Does Pre-Service Teacher Preparation Affect Students’ Academic Performance? Evidence from China

Pre-service teacher preparation (PSTP) is generally considered a significant predictor of student achievements. This paper adopted a multi-tier linear model to estimate the PSTP effects on student performance by taking teachers and students in the high schools of Haidian District, Beijing, China, as the research population. It used exploratory factor analysis to classify PSTP into two categories: content knowledge preparation and pedagogical content knowledge preparation; and described the status of PSTP in three subjects: Chinese, mathematics, and chemistry. The study found differences in PSTP by subject. In Chinese, teachers’ content knowledge preparation significantly negatively affected student performance, and their pedagogical content knowledge preparation significantly positively influenced student performance. In mathematics, PSTP had no significant effect on student performance. In chemistry, teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge preparation had a significantly negative effect on student performance. Based on the findings of the empirical study, the study proposes further identifying PSTP’s role in student performance by subject, strengthening the focus on pre-service preparation skills in recruiting Chinese and chemistry teachers, and developing a more suitable system for teacher selection and training.

Novice Teachers’ Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Autism Education: Examining the Roles of Preparation and Perception

Despite the contemporary emphasis on evidence-based practices (EBPs) in autism education, the research-to-practice gap persists. Understanding how newly trained teachers’ experiences, knowledge, and beliefs about EBPs influence their instructional decisions is vital to increasing EBP implementation among the next generation of special educators. In this study using a mixed-methods approach, 137 novice special educators in two southeastern U.S. states reported their knowledge, perceptions of social validity, and frequency of use of 12 EBPs for students on the autism spectrum. Follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive subsample. Positive behavior supports and visual schedules emerged as the most socially valid and implemented practices. The use of EBPs was primarily driven by teachers’ knowledge of the practice and perceptions of its social validity, with teacher preparation experiences shaping both. The results have implications for improving preservice preparation and future implementation of EBPs by attending to teachers’ procedural understanding and subjective buy-in.

The role of Pre-service teacher’s preparation programs in improving the teaching performance of early career mathematics teachers

This study aimed to investigate the necessary teaching competencies for early career mathematics teachers and identify the degree to which these competencies are represented in pre-service teachers' preparation programs. The study also aimed to identify the most effective teaching strategies that should be included in preparation programs. The study was applied to (142) early career mathematics teachers in Jordanian public schools with no more than three years of experience. The study relied on a mixed methodology based on quantitative and qualitative approaches. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The study concluded that teaching competencies fall within four areas: namely, knowledge competencies, implementation competencies, assessment competencies, and personal competencies. The pre-service preparation programs succeeded in preparing mathematics teachers well by acquiring these competencies and providing them with personal skills that provide them with effective and continuous communication with their students. Mathematics teachers find that the most effective teaching strategies are those that focus on students' interests and that the infrastructure and capacity of the classrooms have a major role in limiting the ability of mathematics teachers to apply what they have learned in the preparation programs. Mathematics teachers recommend that graduates who enter the teaching profession should pay attention to continuous improvement by enrolling in courses that enable them to keep pace with cognitive, professional, and technical developments in mathematics. Keywords: pre-service preparation programs, early career mathematics teachers, teaching competencies, teaching performance.

Identifying the continuing education needs of personal care workers in two residential aged care facilities by an appreciative inquiry study

BackgroundPersonal care workers make up most of the workforce in residential aged care facilities, but they are under-served by continuing education providers. AimThis study aimed to explore the Continuing Education needs of personal care workers from the perspectives of care staff at two residential aged care facilities in regional Queensland, Australia. MethodsThis appreciative inquiry study used a visioning activity to inspire thoughts of the ideal PCW during the interviews and focus groups about the continuing education needs of personal care workers. FindingsGaps exist in the preservice preparation and continuing education of personal care workers, despite a reliance on the personal care worker role to be the 'eyes and ears' of other health professionals. The personal care workers identified their aspirational education needs for ‘best’ practice. DiscussionPersonal care workers must be adequately prepared through evidence-based continuing education to respond to residents' emerging needs. However, there was an educational mismatch for them because the PCW curriculum does not adequately prepare the participants for their role. Identifying personal care workers continuing education needs will enhance practice and improve the quality of care. Improving personal care worker education will address several public concerns about the quality of care in residential aged care facilities. ConclusionThe personal care worker preservice education curriculum is inadequate. Improved personal care worker knowledge and skills are possible when the participants inform the curriculum. Furthermore, if aspirational curricula are designed by potential participants, then continuing education can build ideal practices.

The oral language and emergent literacy skills of preschoolers: Early childhood teachers' self-reported role, knowledge and confidence.

Early childhood teachers (ECTs) play a significant role in equipping children with oral language and emergent literacy skills ahead of school entry. They are well positioned to play a vital role in ensuring preschool children receive a high-quality preschool curriculum to prepare them for later literacy learning. The purpose of this study was to explore early career ECTs' views and confidence regarding their role in providing preschoolers with oral language and emergent literacy support and to examine their perceptions of their preservice preparation. Nine Australian early career ECTs were recruited via purposive sampling for an in-depth, semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Participants attached strong significance to their role in facilitating children's oral language growth and emergent literacy skills and reported a range of practices to support children's learning. However, they rarely referred to using established language facilitation strategies or using dialogic book reading prompts. Further, emergent literacy concepts such as phonological awareness and print awareness were not routinely described as features of participants' classroom activities. Participants did not consistently make a clear conceptual distinction between the constructs of oral language and emergent literacy and often used these terms interchangeably. Notably, participants indicated that they did not feel confident in their ability to identify preschool children who were not meeting developmental language milestones and reported that they felt poorly equipped to do so by their preservice training. ECTs' strong willingness to support preschool children's oral language and emergent literacy skills may be hindered by gaps in their knowledge; these may contribute to important and missed opportunities for identifying and supporting preschoolers' oral language and emergent literacy growth. What is already known on this subject? High-quality learning experiences in preschool are important for maximising preschoolers' oral language and emergent literacy growth. Early childhood teachers can play an important role in facilitating this development and preparing children for later literacy learning. What this paper adds to existing knowledge? The study findings provide insight into ECTs' perceptions of their role and support in developing children's oral language and emergent literacy skills. The results indicated ECTs did not feel confident with their knowledge of children's language milestones or identifying children with language difficulties. Participants reported that their preservice training left them underprepared in the area of oral language. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? ECTs demonstrated a strong willingness to support preschoolers' oral language and emergent literacy skills. However, their self-reported knowledge gaps and low confidence may have implications for the early detection of children who are not reaching language developmental milestones in a timely way.

Black Children With Developmental Disabilities Receive Less Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention Than Their White Peers: Preliminary Evidence of Racial Disparities From a Secondary Data Analysis.

Ensuring equitable access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention services for children with complex communication needs (CCN) is crucial. Evidence suggests that racial disparities exist in access to communication interventions, disadvantaging Black children. However, no research has investigated specifically the evidence for racial disparities in AAC services for children with developmental disabilities and CCN. The current study applied post hoc data analysis methods within a preexisting, open-access data set to explore preliminary evidence of racial disparities in AAC intervention. Amount of AAC intervention was compared for Black versus white 1 preschool students at study initiation (M age = 3;8 [years;months]) and 2 years later at study completion (M age = 5;10). Black preschool students were reported to receive significantly less AAC intervention per week as compared to their white peers, both at study initiation and 2 years later. By study end, 75% of the Black children were receiving less than 60 min of AAC intervention per week, an inadequate amount to achieve meaningful gains given their significant disabilities. It is unclear what mechanisms may contribute to the observed disparities; however, it is critical that concrete steps are taken by individual speech-language pathologists, school districts, preservice preparation programs, and researchers to identify inequities in AAC services and take actions to rectify them. Future research is essential to investigate the potential factors contributing to inequalities and determine effective interventions to address them.

The Intersection of Preparation and Practice: School Leadership Learning Through Simulation

Recent reports indicate the national principal attrition rate is at an all-time high. Scholars suggest a lack of responsive professional development as a leading factor in why principals leave the field. Further, the pandemic has exposed daily uncertainties for school leaders as they navigate new territory, bringing forth new considerations in how to best support their immediate needs and continued growth. While research shows that other fields, like healthcare and law enforcement, have utilized live and digital simulations for practitioners in technical skill development and responsive training, educational leadership has predominantly utilized passive simulation practice, like in-basket activities or role-playing during preparation programs. This article explores the current research regarding leadership development, providing context for the potential impact of simulation practice as a targeted professional development method that may extend beyond pre-service preparation and continue as learning pathways for in-service school leaders.

Exploring the sign language proficiency of university undergraduate students in a preservices preparation program for teachers of deaf students

ABSTRACT Communication through sign language is essential for teachers of deaf students. This study sought to assess and evaluate the sign language proficiency of preservice teachers of deaf students to help preservice teacher preparation program designers identify what aspects of sign language need to be focused on and provide recommendations to improve preservice teachers’ sign language levels. An exploratory research design was used through questionnaires distributed to a convenience sample. The research subjects were undergraduate female students (N = 36) enrolled in a Saudi Arabian university’s preservice preparation program for teachers of deaf students. This study’s results indicate that preservice teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students scored highly for lexical signs, on an average level for iconic lexical signs, but on a low level for the domain of arbitrary lexical signs. There was a significant effect of participants’ grade point averages (GPAs) on their overall sign language proficiency score. No significant effect of age, academic level, and the number of completed sign language training on overall sign language proficiency score was reported. This study’s outcomes show that preservice teachers’ sign language level needs to be improved and developed. Recommendations are presented for future research and preservice teacher preparation program designers to develop learners’ sign language skills.

An Exploratory Study of Instructors Who Became Administrators of Post-Secondary ESOL Programs in the United States

Since the voices of program administrators in adult English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs in post-secondary and higher education settings were underrepresented in the research literature, this exploratory study of instructors of adult emergent bi/multilingual learners (EBLs) who became program administrators was an initial attempt at addressing this gap. The professional reflections of three program administrators, specifically regarding their transition into administration, were explored through semi-structured interviews. Analysis of their interview transcripts through a priori coding yielded three overarching themes: (1) leveraging preservice preparation and teaching experience as program administrators; (2) fostering professional development and growth of program staff and instructors; and (3) receiving guidance and support from superiors. The accuracy of the portrayal of the participants and the study’s findings were affirmed through extensive member checking. Characteristics of effective administrators of adult ESOL programs and preliminary suggestions for adjusting preservice preparation and ongoing professional development to support instructors to transition into administrative roles were identified. Areas for future research were also suggested.

Instructors reflect on how their preservice preparation and ongoing professional development prepared them to address oppressive dynamics in adult ESOL programs in the United States

For decades, researchers have asserted that the preservice preparation for instructors of adult emergent bi/multilingual learners (EBLs) in the United States can be inconsistent, and access to ongoing professional development (PD) can be insufficient to address the demands of the 21st century classroom. A previous study conducted by the author revealed that instructors of adult EBLs felt adequately prepared to teach English, but they often felt ill-equipped to address the learning challenges and oppressive dynamics that might manifest in their adult English to Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) classrooms. This convergent mixed methods study was a preliminary attempt to address these issues. Eighty-five participants recruited throughout the United States were asked to reflect on the degree to which challenges, like learning dis/abilities, and oppressive dynamics, like racism and sexism, were addressed in their preservice preparation and ongoing PD through a 20-item survey instrument administered via Qualtrics. The findings revealed that issues closely related to language teaching were more commonly addressed, but learning challenges and oppressive dynamics were inadequately addressed, if at all. Suggestions included interweaving discussions of these issues and dynamics throughout preservice coursework but exploring them more extensively in ongoing PD. Limitations of the study and areas for future research were also identified.

Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Students in Agricultural Education: An Exploratory Study

Agriculture teachers are responsible for the education of a mixed ability classroom, in which there may be students identified as gifted. It is unclear how much preservice preparation agriculture teachers receive in order to challenge this population of students or what inservice teacher professional development needs exist. This study aimed to measure agriculture teacher attitudes toward working with gifted students as well as their preservice teacher preparation and current professional development needs. Just over half of participants that completed a traditional teacher preparation program felt adequately prepared to meet the needs of gifted students in their classrooms. Agriculture teachers mostly agreed that students should be challenged, gifted students are a valuable part of their classroom, and that differentiating for gifted students is important. Responding teachers mostly disagreed that their content knowledge is challenged, gifted students are bored in their classrooms, and that they feel threatened by the intelligence of gifted students in their class. Professional development is needed in creating challenging classroom content, differentiating instruction and teaching problem-solving skills to gifted agriculture students.

Equipping all teachers to teach disciplinary language: Toward a developmental continuum in teacher education

AbstractEquipping all teachers to teach multilingual learners disciplinary language— content‐specific ways of knowing through language— is an unresolved teacher education challenge. This challenge is particularly acute for teacher educators who serve general education teachers, because these teachers typically lack the specialized language preparation or multilingual skills of TESOL or bilingual educators. Accordingly, this brief article presents an emerging framework that conceptualizes how teachers can learn to teach disciplinary language, drawing from scholarship on teacher learning, pedagogical language knowledge, and language of history. Then, it illustrates how one history teacher learned to teach disciplinary language over a 9‐year period from preservice preparation and novice years to a later role as a mentor teacher. This illustrative example supports prior research suggesting three teacher learning prerequisites are essential to improve instruction for MLs: consistent focus on disciplinary literacy, inquiry into practice, and school‐university collaboration. The article concludes by proposing a developmental continuum in equipping teachers to teach disciplinary language through preservice, novice, and mastery phases with differentiated supports and opportunities. This article seeks to contribute a descriptive framework that teacher educators and researchers can pilot, study, and adapt to advance efforts to equip all teachers to teach multilingual learners disciplinary language.

A Trauma-Informed Inquiry of COVID-19’s Initial Impact on Adult Education Program Administrators and Instructors in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on adult education programs globally, transforming in-person operations to distance, online enterprises often overnight. Many administrators, instructors, and program staff have been inordinately burdened physically, economically, and socially by the pandemic in ways that could be considered traumatic. The pandemic has also revealed how the insufficient access to educational technology and limited digital literacy has affected program administrators, instructors, and adult students alike. Can the pandemic create the opportunity to elevate adult learning and restructure existing policies and practices moving forward? To grapple with the answers to this question, this exploratory qualitative study sought the perspectives and insights of program administrators and instructors in adult education programs in the northeastern United States. Through an online, mostly open-ended questionnaire, self-reflections of lessons learned were analyzed through a trauma-informed lens (Gross, 2020). Through multiple rounds of coding, the following themes emerged: (1) balancing multiple stressors; (2) coping with pandemic uncertainty; and (3) addressing virtual classroom engagement, remote work, and the digital divide. Recommendations for modifying preservice preparation and ongoing professional development and making programmatic policies and instructional practices that promote distance teaching/learning and digital literacy in more trauma-responsive and inclusive ways were proposed as were areas for future research.

Pathways to the school principalship: An international scoping review

This scoping review of the international literature published over the last 50 years in educational leadership and management journals provides a thematic exploration of factors influencing pathways at the pre-entry stage of a principal’s career. Findings from a thematic analysis of 68 publications show that attention to prospective principals increased after the year 2000 and this was driven by four main concerns: underrepresentation of women and ethnic minorities, principal supply and demand, the principalship as a school improvement lever, and the expansion of leadership posts in schools. Selected articles addressed three dimensions of the pathways before a person is first appointed to this post: (a) micro (individual’s agency), (b) meso (preparation of prospective principals), and (c) macro (policies shaping access to the post). Across time and countries, pathways to the principalship are resourced by individuals’ professional orientations and by contextual factors, formal pre-service preparation may be desirable but not always available or required, and policies frame a conceptualisation of the principalship that shapes the two previous dimensions. The internationalization of research on pathways to the principalship has brought to the forefront normative assumptions that should be critically challenged when considering how to recruit, develop, and support prospective school principals.

The importance of starting well: the influence of early career support on job satisfaction and career intentions in teaching

ABSTRACT Across the UK and internationally high rates of attrition among recently qualified teachers has focused attention on strengthening early career support. Policy attention has shifted from recruitment to the issue of sustainability. While the importance of induction is widely recognised, few studies investigate the components of early career support that new teachers deem most effective and the contextual conditions that support professional growth. This article explores the complex relationship between perceptions of pre-service preparation, school context and induction experience on the continuing learning needs, job satisfaction and career intentions of teachers at the end of their first year post-qualification. The analysis draws on 382 survey responses from teachers undertaking statutory induction in primary and secondary schools in the North West of England and Scotland in 2019. The findings suggest that the quality of initial teacher education is the strongest predictor of continuing development needs at the end of induction. High quality preparation has the potential to sustain new teachers across diverse employment contexts and the many challenges of the early career phase.

A Trauma-Informed Inquiry of COVID-19’s Initial Impact on Students in Adult Education Programs in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on adult education programs throughout the world, abruptly transforming in-person instruction to distance teaching/learning. Can the lessons learned from adult students, especially related to the “digital divide,” be leveraged to enhance adult education and create more inclusive policies and practices moving forward? To grapple with this question, this exploratory qualitative study sought the insights of adult learners in the northeastern United States through an online survey of primarily open-ended questions. Through multiple rounds of coding using a trauma-informed lens, the following themes emerged: (a) anxiety and loss; (b) distractions, adjustments, and balance; and (c) distance learning and its advantages and disadvantages. Recommendations for modifying preservice preparation and ongoing professional development for educators of adults were asserted. These recommendations focused globally on addressing adult students’ needs for ongoing academic and psycho-social-emotional support to enhance their digital literacy and educational outcomes. Limitations of the study and areas for future research were also identified.

A Suggested Proposal of a Vocational Program in the Light of the National Professional Standards for Developing Art Education Primary Teachers' Teaching Skills: تصور مقترح لبرنامج مهني في ضوء المعايير المهنية الوطنية لتنمية المهارات التدريسية لمعلمات التربية الفنية بالمرحلة الابتدائية

The current study aimed at defining the teaching skills required to be developed by art education female teachers in primary schools in light of the national professional standards for art education teachers, then defining the level of teaching performance of art education female teachers in primary schools in light of the targeted skills, And providing a suggested proposal for a professional program in light of the national professional standards to develop the teaching skills targeted for art education female teachers. To achieve the objectives of the study, the descriptive approach was used, and the researcher prepared a questionnaire to determine the teaching skills needed to be developed among art education female teachers, and the study used the observation card as a tool for data collection. It also prepared a suggested vision for a professional program in light of the national professional standards to develop the teaching skills targeted for art education female teachers. After ensuring the validity and reliability of the study tools, they were applied to a random sample of art education female teachers in primary schools in Buraidah, of (18) female teachers. The main results of the study: - The level of teaching performance of art education female teachers in light of the performance indicators related to the national professional standards is weak; as the arithmetic mean of the total scores in the observation card was (1.60) with a standard deviation of (0.198), and the performance level was (53.3%). - One of the standards came with a (high) degree; as the arithmetic mean was from (2.34 to 3.00). - Four of the standards came with a medium degree, as the arithmetic mean was from (1.67 to less than 2.34). - Seven of the standards came with (weak) degree; as the arithmetic mean was from (1.00 to less than 1.67). In light of the previous results, the study recommended to take advantage of the suggested proposal for the professional program prepared by the study in the training of female and male art education teachers during service to develop their specialized teaching skills in light of the national professional standards, and to take advantage of the observation card by the educational supervisors, when doing class visits for art education female teachers; in order to track the teaching performance, and by the female teachers to evaluate their level of performance. And to reconsider the pre-service preparation programs for art education female teachers and developing them to be built in light of the national professional standards for art education teachers.

Motivation for science learning as an antecedent of emotions and engagement in preservice elementary teachers

AbstractSeveral variables associated with motivation toward science learning in preservice elementary teachers, such as relevance to personal goals and self‐efficacy, are important factors in preservice preparation. The main objective is to analyze the relationships of these motivational variables with the emotions of boredom and enjoyment, and with engagement in science learning. Data were obtained with a self‐report questionnaire completed by 871 preservice elementary teachers and analyzed using the structural equation model (SEM) methodology. The first step determined the adequacy of the measurement model and, in the second step, SEM showed that the variables associated with motivation for science learning significantly predicted the variance of boredom and enjoyment as 27% and 52%, respectively. The variables associated with motivation for science learning and emotions explained 67% of the variance in science learning engagement. Relevance to personal goals and self‐efficacy in science learning predicted the emotional variables. Emotional variables mediated the impact of motivational variables in science‐learning engagement. The fundamental role of emotions in motivation and science‐learning engagement in preservice elementary teachers is observed.

Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Assessment of Supported Teaching in School

Ghana is currently running a new teacher education program for the training of teachers at the pre-tertiary level. At the heart of the new national teacher education program is Supported Teaching in School (STS), the practical school-based component of the teacher education program embedded throughout the whole 4-years. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of STS in pre-service teacher preparation and identify any possible challenges associated with the program. The study adopted qualitative a case study design, with the main instruments for data collection being interviews and documentary analysis. Data collection was done through individual and focus group interviews, and documentary analysis of Student Reflective Journals. Individual interviews were conducted for six pre-service science teachers and the focus group interview was made up of four pre-service teachers using the Ishikawa or fishbone tool. From the analysis of data done using “topological analysis,” it was revealed that supported teaching in school is impacting on the pre-service preparation in; real classroom exposure giving them firsthand experience of the classroom situation; lesson planning and delivery; teacher professionalism as the pre-service teachers now exposed to traits of the teaching profession and qualities of a good teacher; and classroom management for effective lesson delivery. Particular challenges such as mentor-mentee relationship, lack of proper planning, and insufficient time for observation were identified to militate against the program. It is recommended that, appropriate training and incentives should be given to the mentors to prepare them adequately for the program.