Pre-service Teachers In Singapore Research Articles

Examining pre-service teachers’ design capacities for web-based 21st century new culture of learning

Although there is an established body of work arguing that teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is necessary for designing ICT-integrated lessons, little is known about the relationships among teachers’ beliefs about learning, their design dispositions, learning design practices and TPACK. Critical inquiry in this aspect is timely as a new culture of learning is emerging from the informal contexts of learning and challenging how school-based learning should be designed to foster 21st century competencies. In this study, a survey instrument was developed to assess and investigate the relationships among pre-service teachers’ beliefs about the new culture of learning and school-based learning, their design dispositions, learning design practices and relevant factors of TPACK. Based on the sample size of 223 pre-service teachers in Singapore, the validation shows that the relevant factors pertaining to TPACK, teachers’ beliefs and design were distinctive. The study shows that teachers’ beliefs about learning and their design capacities changed along with their TPACK efficacy. It also identified factors that might affect teachers’ competencies needed to design lessons that could cultivate a new 21st century culture of learning. Implications of the relationships among teachers’ beliefs about learning, their design capacities and TPACK to foster 21st century competencies are discussed.

Reconciling discourse about geography and teaching geography: the case of Singapore pre-service teachers

ABSTRACTThis study draws upon a Foucauldian notion of discourse to explore how four pre-service geography teachers in Singapore made decisions about what geography is and how to enact their understandings of geography in their classrooms. This analysis of discursive power is particularly relevant to Singapore because of the high level of state control over geography and teacher education. The particular ways in which teacher education is organised in this context also exert a number of conflicting discursive pressures that pre-service teachers have to reconcile in their subject conceptions and practice. Drawing upon data gathered from concept maps, photo-elicitation exercises, interviews and analyses of teachers' lesson plans and school curricular documents, the study highlights the dominance of discourses at the state and school levels in the Singapore geography education context. However, it also notes the ways through which participants “resisted” discourse, underscoring the importance of pre-service teachers' professional identities and beliefs about geography education in sustaining their practice through difficult times.

Predicting pre-service teachers’ intention of implementing peer assessment for low-achieving students

Despite the benefits of peer assessment, many teachers are not willing to implement it, particularly for low-achieving students. This study used the theory of planned behaviour to predict pre-service teachers’ intention to use peer assessment for low-achieving students. A total of 229 pre-service teachers in Singapore participated in the survey which consists of eight factors about peer assessment in writing: belief of knowledge source, belief of ability, belief of constructivist assessment, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control, behavioural intention, and intention for low-achieving students. Structural equation modelling was used to test hypothesized relationships of the eight factors. This study found that pre-service teachers’ beliefs about knowledge source and constructivist assessment significantly influenced their attitude towards peer assessment of writing. In addition, the attitude and perceived behaviour control were significant factors in shaping the intention of peer assessment. Lastly, pre-service teachers’ intention of implementing peer assessment for low-achieving students was influenced by both the intention of peer assessment and the belief of ability.

Revisiting individualism and collectivism: a multinational examination of pre-service teachers’ perceptions on student academic performances

This study explores how pre-service teachers in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States perceive educational diversity in relation to students’ academic achievement by means of qualitative content analysis. It takes cultural psychological perspectives to revisit the attribute reasoning embedded in individualist and collectivist orientations. Pre-service teachers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore are found to attribute academic failure of low social economic status (SES) students to personal factors, such as individual effort, intelligence, and motivation. Pre-service teachers from the United States tend to attribute academic failure of low SES students to situational factors, such as family, school, and community.

Teacher variables as predictors of Singaporean pre-service teachers attitudes toward inclusive education

This study investigated whether the attitudes of pre-service teachers in Singapore towards inclusive education were influenced by their background variables (i.e., gender, age, educational qualifications, programme of study, prior training in special needs and contact with people with disabilities) through the use of the Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (Wilczenski, 1992). Analyses of the responses of 1538 mainstream pre-service teachers indicated that the best predictor variables of the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education were their prior training in special needs and contact with people with disabilities. Pre-service teachers who had training in special needs and those with the most contact with people with disabilities displayed significantly more positive attitudes towards inclusive education. The variables of gender, educational qualifications and programme of study exerted no significant influence on their attitudes. While the variable of age had a statistically significant effect on the pre-service teachers’ attitude toward inclusive education, this was judged to be of little practical significance because of the small difference in the mean scores between groups. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to promoting more inclusive attitudes in Singaporean teachers.

Teachers' English communication skills: Using IELTS to measure competence of graduates from a Singaporean teacher education program

Possessing strong communication skills is essential in contributing to effective teaching. English language proficiency has become an important issue in teacher education in Singapore. This paper investigates graduating student teachers’ English language proficiency, as measured by IELTS tests scores, of graduating EL student teachers. The paper considers what teachers need to know about the English language given that English has been the medium of instruction (MoI) for Singapore schools since 1987. Given such a context, English language proficiency is an important consideration in the preparation of pre-service teachers in Singapore. Implications for additional training and preparation in language skills are also proposed.

Understanding the relationship between Singapore preservice teachers’ ICT course experiences and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) through ICT course evaluation

Teacher education institutions conduct information and communications technology (ICT) courses to prepare preservice teachers (or initial teacher education candidates) to support their teaching practice with appropriate ICT tools. ICT course evaluations based on preservice teachers’ perception of course experiences are limited in indicating the kinds of ICT integration knowledge or technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) preservice teachers have gained throughout the course. Preservice teachers’ ICT course experiences was found to influence their intentions to integrate ICT but its influence on their TPACK perceptions, if better understood, can inform teacher education institutions about the design of ICT courses. This study describes the design and validation of an ICT course evaluation instrument that examines preservice teachers’ perceptions of ICT course experiences and TPACK. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed on survey results collected from a graduating cohort of 869 Singapore preservice teachers who had undergone a compulsory ICT course during their teacher training program. These preservice teachers were being prepared to teach the different subject areas at primary, secondary, and junior colleges (or postsecondary institutions for 17–19 year olds) in Singapore. The regression model showed that preservice teachers’ perceived TPACK was first influenced by their perceptions of course experiences that supported the development of intermediary TPACK knowledge components such as technological knowledge and technological pedagogical knowledge. The methodological implications for the design of ICT course evaluation surveys and the practical applications of survey results to the refinement of ICT course curriculum are discussed.

Relating use of digital technology by pre-service teachers to confidence: A Singapore survey

Teachers today are expected to be able to apply a wide range of digital technologies in the classroom. Initial teacher education programs should prepare teachers to apply them with confidence. Pre-service teachers in Singapore responded to a survey on use of technologies in their personal lives and in their teaching, and how confident they were in using them. Among 17 applications, the most frequently used were those related to computer technology such as checking an online dictionary, web browsing and searching, emailing, and using computer software. Participants’ use of computer software was frequent; however it was more so in their personal lives than in their teaching. The least used items included audio recording, video recording and global positioning system (GPS). Usage was found to be positively correlated with confidence, and while participants often had confidence in using the applications, their confidence was relatively low for items such as video and audio recording which the yused the least. While teachers’ use of computers is important, their ability and confidence to use other modern technologies for effective teaching should not be neglected.

WebQuests and collaborative learning in teacher preparation: a Singapore study

This research project aimed to introduce WebQuests to train special education preservice teachers in Singapore. The following research questions were posed: (1) Does the use of WebQuests in teacher preparation promote special education teacher understanding on Universal Design for Learning in accommodating students with diverse learning needs? (2) Are WebQuests useful tools that can enhance teacher’s higher-order thinking, engagement, creativity, and collaborative learning skills? (3) Does the use of WebQuests in teacher preparation foster stronger desires for teachers to integrate Information and Communication Technology in teaching and learning? Seventy-five preservice special education teachers responded to a survey questionnaire after experiencing WebQuest developed by the course instructor in teacher preparation program in Singapore. The majority of teachers indicated strong preference for WebQuest activities over traditional teacher-directed learning methods.

Modelling the Relationships among Beliefs about Learning, Knowledge, and Teaching of Pre-Service Teachers in Singapore

This paper aims to investigate the beliefs about knowledge, learning and teaching of 718 Singaporean pre-service teachers. The results show that three out of eight hypotheses were supported by the data. These hypotheses are 1) Innate ability will significantly influence traditionalist teaching positively, 2) Learning effort/process will significantly influence constructivist teaching positively, and 3) Learning effort/process will significantly influence traditionalist teaching negatively. The results also indicate that the participants may not hold relativistic outlooks and that they may be inclined towards constructivist teaching rather than traditional teaching. In addition, the participants may not be epistemologically ready for constructivist teaching. This paper contributes to the research on teachers' beliefs by applying structural equation modelling to examine the strengths and inter-relationships between different types of beliefs.

Assessing the intention to use technology among pre-service teachers in Singapore and Malaysia: A multigroup invariance analysis of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

This study assesses the pre-service teachers’ self-reported future intentions to use technology in Singapore and Malaysia. A survey was employed to validate items from past research. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a research framework, 495 pre-service teachers from Singapore and Malaysia responded to an 11-item questionnaires containing four constructs: intention to use (ITU), attitude towards computer use (ATCU), perceived usefulness (PU), and perceived ease of use (PEU). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed as the main method of analysis in this study. A multi-group analysis of invariance was performed on the two samples. The results show that configural and metric invariance were fully supported while scalar and factor variance invariance were partially supported, suggesting that the 11-item measure of the TAM may be robust across cultures and that the factor loading pattern and factor loadings appeared to be equivalent across the cultures examined. While all the paths in the structural model were significant, the variance accounted for in the dependent variable (ITU) was much larger in the Malaysian sample relative to the Singaporean sample.

Scaffolding online collaborative critiquing for educational video production

In art, design and media education, learning from examples has been an established way to coach students. To derive greater benefits, teachers should get students to go beyond mere studying of examples. This paper focuses on engaging novice learners in collaborative critiquing of real examples of professional work and past student work in the context of producing an educational video project. While critiquing of such works is not new in art education, there is however scant literature on how to involve students in collaborative critiquing in an online environment involving video projects. A four-step critique model was therefore designed as procedural scaffolding and implemented in an online system, Knowledge Community. A group of Singapore pre-service teachers were engaged in online collaborative critiquing of videos before they embarked on their video projects to illustrate what constitutes good and bad video production. This research points to the value of online collaborative critiquing as a way to facilitate novice designers’ progress towards expertise. In this environment learners are able to look at problems through multiple perspectives, generate their own solutions and build knowledge that uses the overlapping expertise of the online community.

Toward an Understanding of Why Students Contribute in Asynchronous Online Discussions

The use of online learning is growing very fast in universities. Consequently, understanding how to promote student contribution in asynchronous online discussions, which is considered an integral part of online learning, has become increasingly crucial. Previous research has examined how factors, such as instructor facilitation techniques may influence student contribution. However, issues such as when the online discussion is student facilitated, and students are given a freedom of choice to choose, why students choose to contribute in some forums but not in others are not fully understood. In this article, we report a case study involving pre-service teachers in Singapore that examined this issue. Data were collected from the pre-service teachers' online postings, reflection logs, questionnaires, and interview data. Results suggested six themes that influenced students' decision to contribute or not to contribute: a) relational capital; b) knowledge about the subject or topic; c) discussion activity or topic; d) availability of time; e) reward; and f) random choice. Practical recommendations to motivate students to contribute and future research directions pertaining to asynchronous online discussions are suggested.

Evaluating the Extent of Ill-Structured Problem Solving Process among Pre-Service Teachers in an Asynchronous Online Discussion and Reflection Log Learning Environment

Most educators increasingly regard ill-structured problem solving as an important objective of learning and have sought various means to achieve it. In this article, we describe a learning environment to help pre-service teachers in Singapore solve ill-structured problems. There are four key dimensions in our learning environment: tutor-led face-to-face tutorial, face-to-face discussion among participants, asynchronous online discussion, and a reflection log. The goal of this study was to investigate the roles of asynchronous online discussion and reflection logs in supporting ill-structured problem solving. Findings indicated that the use of asynchronous online discussion in an Asian context appears to mainly support two types of ill-structured problem solving processes, “Articulate the problem space” and “Generate possible problem solutions,” while the reflection log seems to facilitate the processes of “Assessing the viability of alternative solutions” and “Monitor the problem space and solution options.” The pre-service teachers' perceptions on using the asynchronous online discussion and reflection log were also reported.

Concept Maps To Trace Conceptual Change in Pre Service English Teachers

Teacher educators usually set the curriculum of the methods courses. However, it is now understood in general Education that preservice teachers come to the teacher education course with prior beliefs and values. Therefore, it is not clear what concepts/ideas the preservice teachers believe are useful as a result of taking the teacher education course. Hence, differences may exist between what teacher educators may think is important for their students to learn and what the students actually learn. How can teacher educators gauge what students have learned after taking a course? One method at the disposal of teacher educators to trace conceptual change in preservice teachers is the use of concept mapping. This paper examined the conceptual change(s) of twenty-four preservice teachers in Singapore as a result of taking a Reading Methods Module. Pre-module and post-module concept maps were elicited and participants were also asked to write short descriptions of changes they saw and to consider reasons for these changes in their thinking. Results show that the course had some impact on the trainees and that the concept map may be a useful research tool for gathering qualitative data to trace preservice English teachers' conceptual change.

Development and Evaluation of a Computer Literacy Course for Preservice Teachers in Singapore

The problem was to identify topics and concepts for a computer literacy course for preservice teachers in Singapore, to develop curriculum materials, and to evaluate the course in terms of achievement, attitudes towards computers, and reactions to the course by the participants. The syllabus was designed and curriculum materials were developed for the course. The results of the study showed that the course had been effective in raising the computer literacy achievement of the preservice teachers but not attitudes towards computers. Reactions to the course were favourable and hands-on experience on the computer was considered the most effective aspect of the course.