Preparation Programs Research Articles

Becoming an EFL teacher abroad: the identity work of international pre-service teachers in Korea

ABSTRACT Research on international education has surged with the internationalization of higher education. While much of this focuses on teaching, learning, student services, and educational leadership, intersections with teacher preparation remain underexplored, particularly regarding the identities of international students aspiring to become English teachers in a foreign country. This study addresses this gap by examining the experiences of four international pre-service teachers in a graduate TESOL program in Korea. By analyzing their motivations, choices, and experiences, I highlight the complex nature of identity construction within international education. My findings reveal that personal histories and aspirations significantly influence participants’ commitment to becoming English teachers; however, their aspirations are hindered by structural barriers and systemic discrimination against them. I argue that international education policies must go beyond academic support to include measures that combat systemic inequities and discrimination. Practical recommendations are offered for policymakers and teacher preparation programs recruiting international students.

Transformative Reflections on Perspective Consciousness

Qualitative methods were used to analyze reflection statements from candidates in a children’s literature course, which was refocused to include intentionality and reflective practice around diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and perspective consciousness. This research demonstrates leveraging perspective consciousness in preparation programs improves acceptance and compassion, potentially impacting their future students.

Unpacking the science kits

PurposeIn this article, the authors explore one way that teacher preparation programs and elementary schools can collaborate to enhance science instruction for elementary school learners. This paper provides an overview of a project where a teacher candidate worked with six classroom teachers to organize science materials and prepare for science lessons.Design/methodology/approachThis project included targeted assistance from a teacher candidate in “unpacking” a kit of science materials and a feedback survey given to classroom teachers after the project.FindingsAfter the teacher candidate helped “unpack” the science kits, teachers reported that they were more confident in teaching lessons from the curriculum. The teacher candidate reported that she learned more about how materials can be used in science teaching and learning.Originality/valueThis project showed how PDS can involve teacher candidates in spanning boundaries to elementary science teaching to enhance outcomes for all stakeholders.

School counsellor perspectives: Training to lead and implement trauma-informed practices

Research has identified the significance of trauma-informed practices in schools to support students, families and communities impacted by trauma. And it is school counsellors who are widely recognised as having the expertise to lead and implement these trauma-informed practices. It is imperative, then, for school counsellors to undergo comprehensive preparation programmes to fulfil this vital role, and that these preparation programmes be evaluated in terms of effectiveness. The small body of research into school counsellor preparation for trauma-informed practice comes largely from the US and indicates US school counsellors did not feel their preparation programmes prepared them to implement trauma-informed practices. The Australian study of 36 school counsellors in an online survey, also established an inadequacy for these school counsellors to either support students impacted by trauma or lead and implement trauma-informed practices in schools, notably schools that take a behaviourist approach to behaviour management. Clearly, a new holistic approach to school counsellor education, the School-Based Family Counselling meta-model must be available for all school counsellors to skilfully and confidently use trauma-informed practices with the people in the schools, families and communities they serve.

Write to teach: reducing entrance barriers for special education teacher applicants through SRSD writing

ABSTRACT To help diversify the special education teacher workforce, support needs to be provided to help racially and ethnically diverse students pass required entrance exams to get into special education teacher preparation programs. Many universities and states require special education teacher candidates to pass the Praxis Core: Writing exam. Special education teachers need to be competent writers. This pretest posttest design study included special education teacher applicants from diverse backgrounds across the Hawaiian Islands. Participants were taught planning and composing strategies using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development model. The writing intervention statistically enhanced applicants’ writing knowledge, argumentative writing abilities, and informative source-based writing abilities. Furthermore, the majority of participants who took the official Praxis Core: Writing exam earned passing scores. Findings support the use of systematic writing instruction as an effective strategy in reducing entrance exam barriers, thereby providing more equitable recruitment and preparation of racially and ethnically diverse special education teachers.

Teaching to whom and with whom: the role of context in developing preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching engineering and coding via robotics

Abstract Due to mandates for the inclusion of engineering and computer science standards for K-6 schools nationwide, there is a need to understand how teacher educators can help develop preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) teaching self-efficacy in these areas. To provide experience teaching and learning engineering and coding, PSTs in an instructional technology course were partnered with undergraduate engineering students in an electromechanical systems course to teach robotics lessons to fifth graders (10–11 year olds) over Zoom. A multi-case study approach explored teaching self-efficacy development for three preservice teachers during their robotics project experiences using multiple data sources, including surveys, reflections, interviews, and Zoom recordings, which were examined to identify how the project's social and intrapersonal context influenced the development of each PST’s teaching self-efficacy for engineering and coding. The PSTs gained teaching self-efficacy through all four sources of teaching self-efficacy, although not all PSTs benefited from all four types, nor did they benefit equally. These sources also influenced the PSTs’ intention to integrate engineering and coding into their future classrooms. This study demonstrates the potential of providing PSTs with the opportunity to teach robotics to children during their teacher preparation programs to support the development of their teaching self-efficacy for engineering and coding. When conducted in the context of a college course, such opportunities can be thoughtfully structured to leverage positive interactions with peers and elementary students and to take advantage of low-stakes environments, like afterschool clubs, offering PSTs settings rich in sources of self-efficacy information.

Special Education Teachers’ Perspectives on Preparing Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for College

As more opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to attend college emerge, it is important for secondary special education teachers to be knowledgeable about how to prepare students with IDD for college. We conducted a survey of 1,048 secondary special education teachers from Illinois, Missouri, and Texas to understand their prior experiences with receiving education and training addressing college options for students with IDD, the instruction and activities their students with IDD participate in to prepare for college, and teachers’ perceptions of their own mastery of college preparation domains. We also investigated the extent to which teachers’ demographics, education and training, caseload, and school demographics were associated with their perceptions of their own mastery of college preparation domains. Our results suggest teachers’ perceived levels of mastery and the types of activities in which students with IDD participate in vary significantly by college preparation domain. We discuss implications our results have for teacher preparation programs, middle and high schools, special education teachers, and researchers.

Mobile learning in German as a foreign language teaching using learning apps in university preparatory programs

Digital learning has undergone a major transformation in recent years, so that various digital application content (apps) can now be used on mobile devices for learning foreign languages. As a result, the use of digitalized applications has gained a location- and time-independent dimension in foreign language learning. After a reflection on the historical development of e-learning is presented, the importance of learning apps for education in Turkey will be discussed. A lesson plan will be designed and shown using digitalized apps such as Mentimeter, Blogger and Kahoot. Finally, the relevance of further research in the field of mobile learning will be pointed out with the assumption that future empirical findings from practical teaching (could) contribute to various innovations on smartphones.

Understanding Pre-Service Teachers’ Identity Formation During Practicum: A Survey Study in Ghana

Practicum is seen as an avenue in teacher education where pre-service teachers have the opportunity to turn theory into practice. Teachers begin to form their identities during practicum. This article examines how pre-service teachers’ identities are formed through the lens of sociocultural theory. Data for the study were gathered through a survey of 522 pre-service teachers from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana after their teaching practicum. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The article highlights the role of orientation/experience in the sociocultural theory on pre-service teachers’ identity formation. The findings suggest that the assistance provided during the practicum has a direct impact on the development of teacher identity. This impact is partially mediated by professional orientation. In addition, whereas personality characteristics influence teacher identity through orientation, they do not have a direct and meaningful impact, suggesting that orientation fully mediates their effect. Moreover, both the direct and indirect paths from preparation to teacher identity are significant, indicating that orientation plays a role in somewhat mediating this relationship. The study concludes that orientation partially mediates the relationship between practicum support and teacher identity. However, orientation fully mediates the relationship between personality factors and teacher identity. It is recommended that teacher training institutions should improve practicum support, prioritise professional orientation, emphasise personality development, strengthen preparation programmes, implement continuous assessment and feedback, and promote collaboration and mentorship. These measures will effectively develop and reinforce teacher identity through comprehensive and supportive training experiences.

농어촌 소도시 고등학생들의 방과후학교 참여 경험에 대한 질적 사례 연구: 횡성군의 사례를 중심으로

Objectives This study aimed to explores the participation experiences of high school students involved in the af ter-school program operated commissioned in collaboration with the community in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do. Methods A qualitative case study was conducted with six first-year high school students participating in the af ter-school program commissioned in Hoengseong-gun. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, each lasting 60 minutes and conducted three times per participant, as well as observations, notes, and documents. The collected date were analyzed using the constant comparison method, including open coding, categorization, and category verification. Results The findings revealed that students improved their subject-specific learning strategies and academic performance. Through the career and college preparation program, they gained specific information and methods for selecting majors and preparing for college entrance. Participants initially faced adaptation challenges but even tually overcame them. Their confidence was influenced by comparisons with peers, and conversations with friends were found to be beneficial for learning. Feedback regarding local government support was positives, par ticularly about opinion gathering through forums and the free operation of the program. The experience with in structors from Seoul also helped bridge educational gaps with students in larger cities. Conclusions Participants benefited from both subject and non-subject support through the after-school program, and their social relationships with peers contributed positively to their learning. However, there is a need for psy chological support programs to help students adapt quickly and manage stress related to competition within the group. The study suggests expanding future research to include all middle and high school students and their pa rents involved in the program.

In-Service Educators’ Changes in Reasoning About Technology Integration

We aimed to capture reflections of in-service educators’ understanding of the use of technology in teaching, after receiving instruction on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Triple-E technology integration frameworks. Our objectives were to investigate in-service educators’ reflections for the presence of any changes in their reasoning process when thinking about technology use and teaching. We provided a writing prompt to online graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in special education and asked participants to describe any changes in their “knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about technology/technology use.” Qualitative summative content analysis was performed to identify themes in the participants’ reflections. An understanding of the relationship between how instruction on technology integration frameworks, like Triple E, and UDL impacts in-service educators’ reasoning process in using technology can better inform special education preparation programs in designing impactful and effective instruction to support the development of educators’ digital literacy, and effective instruction for students with disabilities.

Don’t Set Goals, Set Systems: Using Decoding the Disciplines and Students as Partners to Strengthen a History Department and its Teacher Candidates

This case study presents the development of a system that integrated two strands of SoTL research—Decoding the Disciplines and Students as Partners—into a secondary history teacher preparation program. This system simultaneously refined teaching in undergraduate history courses and provided authentic learning experiences for secondary education teacher candidates. The system involved partnering a teacher preparation course with an undergraduate history course. Teacher candidates interviewed students from that history course to decode bottlenecks in their historical thinking. Teacher candidates then suggested instructional changes faculty could implement to respond to surfaced bottlenecks. This study explores how the connection between Decoding the Disciplines and Students as Partners can address the gap between university instruction and secondary teaching. It further describes how teacher candidates applied the decoding paradigm to analyze learning in undergraduate history courses and proposed curricular improvements. The study reflects on the benefits of this system for stakeholders, including teacher candidates, student researchers, history faculty, and undergraduate students taking history courses. Teacher candidates benefited from the practical experiences of decoding research, including eliciting learning cognition, assessing learner needs, and responding instructionally. Student research partners gained experience in data management and mixed-methods research while providing a valuable perspective as co-analysts. History faculty gained opportunities to have the cognition of their students systematically examined and receive recommendations for improving instruction. Finally, undergraduate students collectively benefited from improved instruction in history courses. This adaptable system could extend beyond history departments into other disciplines, especially in contexts that train secondary teachers.

Fostering college access literacy for students and educators in school-university partnerships: a culturally responsive approach

PurposeThis practitioner-based manuscript describes the development and implementation of Focus on College Understanding and Success (FOCUS), a school-university programmatic model to develop College Access Literacy (CAL) among both students and educators in a Professional Development School (PDS) network. With an emphasis on teacher training, supplemental learning opportunities for students, and faculty-student-parent mentor/partnerships, this model was designed to apply a culturally responsive approach to achieving equity in college readiness programming.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptual in that it presents an innovative idea to stimulate discussion, generate new ideas, and advance thinking about a collective impact school-university partnership initiative focused on supporting underrepresented students in pursuing higher education goals through participation in the FOCUS program. A thematic analysis was completed on focus group data collected for both educators and students who participated in the project. Data focused on the identification of both strengths and challenges of program development and implementation.FindingsThe paper provides insights and ideas related to how to structure a college access and success program that focuses on the assets that underrepresented students bring to college readiness opportunities designed for them by centering their struggles while uplifting their personal, unique abilities. Our results validate a college readiness program design and implementation process that relies on asset-based theoretical frameworks including Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) model and Moll et al.’s (1992) Funds of Knowledge (FoK) framework.Originality/valueThis study shows how school-university partnerships are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the strengths of students and their families in designing college readiness programming. By considering the local context and culturally responsive approaches to program development and implementation, programs like FOCUS can build on community resources and the teacher-student relationship to increase College Access Literacy (CAL) in both students and their teachers.

Pragmatic Awareness and the Need for Greater Emphasis on Pragmatic Preparation in TESOL Programs

ABSTRACTPragmatics, the social language skills human beings use through everyday social interaction, is a critical and complicated segment of learning a new language. Thus, it is essential to teach pragmatics in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms and ESL teachers have pragmatic knowledge. This qualitative case study was designed to investigate community college ESL teachers' awareness and application of the field of pragmatics and explore if community college ESL teachers receive sufficient training in their TESOL preparation programs regarding teaching pragmatics. The purposefully selected sample was composed of 15 ESL instructors from a community college in the Mid‐Atlantic Region. Semistructured interviews were used as the primary instrument, and observations and document review were utilized as a supportive data collection method. Inductive analysis was used, and the data were coded and organized according to the research questions, and analysis and interpretation of the findings were organized into five themes that were based on the study's conceptual framework, the Interaction Hypothesis. This research revealed that ESL instructors are not fully aware of the field of pragmatics, and the understanding of its application to their teaching practice is limited. The study elevates a number of opportunities for future research, highlights a strong need in the area of practice, and emphasizes the importance of integrating pragmatic learning and teaching in both ESL teachers' preparation programs and ESL programs.

ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ПРОГРАМИ ТЕОРЕТИЧНОЇ ПІДГОТОВЛЕНОСТІ ПЛАВЦІВ НА ЕТАПІ ПОЧАТКОВОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ

The theoretical training of a swimmer is an integral part of improving his sports form and is the basis for other aspects of training. Despite the importance of theoretical training, in the scientific and methodological literature on swimming there are contradictions between the obvious request for its implementation and the proper justification of its structure and content, the unevenness of the subject matter (and sometimes its absence) of informational material at all stages of preparation, as well as the inconsistency of the distribution of topics direction and tasks of stages of multi-year improvement. The purpose of the study: to determine the effectiveness of the developed program of theoretical training of swimmers at the stage of initial training. Research methods. Theoretical research methods were used in the work: analysis, comparison, induction, deduction, systematization and generalization of scientific and methodical literature, pedagogical experiment, pedagogical testing, methods of mathematical statistics. The pedagogical experiment was used to check the effectiveness of the developed program with the use of interactive means of theoretical training regarding the impact on the level of theoretical training of swimmers at the stage of initial training. Work results. At the end of the pedagogical study, the indicator of theoretical preparedness in the section "History of the development of swimming" in the studied swimmers of the main group improved by 163% compared to the initial data compared to 23.50% in the comparison group, in the section "Life safety and rules of behavior on the water" - by 161% and 32.74%, according to the section "Humanitarian knowledge in the training of swimmers" - by 105% and 28.24%, according to the section "Swimmer's diet and hygiene" - by 100% and 26.00%, according to the section "Content of sports training in swimming" - by 60.18% and 15.65%, according to the section "Competitive activities in swimming" - by 181.54% and 24.15%, according to the section "Material and technical support of swimmers' training" - by 54.78 and 14.01%, respectively. Conclusions. Statistically significant differences in indicators between groups confirm the advantages of the developed program of theoretical preparation with the use of games.

When equity leadership keeps white leaders in control: A whiteness as property analysis of district equity work

Globally, schools continue to espouse commitments to equity and racial justice, yet racialized opportunity gaps continue to exist in schools, especially schools located in urban communities. In this research, we offer an empirically based explanation for this phenomenon by demonstrating how white district leaders resist enacting meaningful district improvement when it could require them to relinquish white peoples’ control of leadership. Specifically, we draw on critical race theory’s tenet of whiteness as property to reveal the ways white leaders work to maintain their propertied interest in leadership and the related benefits as opposed to engaging in the types of deep practice-changing equity work required to shift organizational practices in ways to generate equitable learning opportunities for youth of color. Implications of this research call for researchers and leadership preparation programs to invest in preparing leaders who are able to center shifting professional practices over maintaining access to the benefits of leadership.

English language teachers’ self-assessment of competencies and preparation level in English as a foreign language teaching contexts

The current study aimed to investigate EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers’ competence levels in different competency areas and the level of preparation of such competencies by their initial preparation programs. EFL teachers from all school levels (cycle one, cycle two and post-basic) participated in this pilot study as part of a PhD project in the academic school year 2022/2023. The participants were in-service teachers (n= 59) who graduated from local and non-local teacher preparation programs and were assigned to different schools in the Muscat Governorate. The pilot study implemented a descriptive research method in which a quantitative research approach was used to investigate the level of EFL teachers’ competencies and preparation. The study employed a questionnaire divided into two parts. The first part explored EFL teachers’ perceptions of their current level of competencies and the second part investigated teachers’ perceptions of the extent to which their initial preparation programs have prepared them for these competencies. The study’s findings revealed that teachers perceived themselves as possessing a high competency level in helping learners understand learning objectives and using teaching aids to motivate and engage learners. Teachers perceived their lowest competency to be reading the latest research in ELT. The study makes some significant recommendations including the demand to further update teachers’ professional competencies with the assistance of the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) in-service training sector and revise the outcomes and content of Teacher Preparation Programs (TPPs) for a stronger enhancement of teachers’ required competencies.

Assessing the structural relationships between the CIPP model components in teacher education program

PurposeThe objective of this study is to explore the structural relationships among context (C), input (I) and process (P) and product (P) (CIPP) components of teacher preparation programs based on students' perceptions.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, data were collected using a 17-item scale. The study sample consisted of 213 pre-service teachers enrolled in the Postgraduate Professional Diploma in Teaching (PPDT). Quantitative research methodology with multivariate structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to examine the two suggested models.FindingsThe results of this study show that the CIPP model can be projected into preservice teachers' perceptions of the CIPP components. These preservice teachers' perceptions of preparation programs from the three components (CIP) can predict preservice teachers' perceptions of teachers’ preparation program products or outcomes (i.e. the fourth CIPP component). This result indicates that the relationships between the CIPP components and the pre-service teachers' perceptions of the Diploma in Teaching program are direct.Originality/valueTwo suggested models were tested to explore the structural relationships between CIPP components. The first model represents the original CIPP model with indirect relationships between the four components: CIPP. The second model suggests direct relationships between the first three components (CIP) and the objectives or products (P).

Exploring the integration of artificial intelligence in math education: Preservice Teachers’ experiences and reflections on problem‐posing activities with ChatGPT

AbstractThis study addresses the need for research that incorporates educational perspectives and theories to understand the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on learning and teaching. Utilizing AI‐integrated mathematical problem‐posing (AIM) activities and the AI‐powered scaffolding (AIS) strategy, the research investigated preservice teachers’ (PTs’) experiences with AI and their capacity for error recognition and correction in problems posed by ChatGPT. The findings reveal that while the PTs excelled at verifying error‐free problems, they struggled significantly with identifying and correcting errors, indicating a gap in their instructional preparedness. The study demonstrates that AIM activities are effective tools for assessing and developing PTs’ error recognition and correction skills. Additionally, AIM activities support the transfer of mathematical knowledge to pedagogical and instructional practices, contributing to PTs’ growth as adaptable educators. The research highlights the need to integrate AI‐based activities into PT training to build robust mathematical knowledge and teaching skills. Focusing on learning, pedagogy, and the human aspects of technology use, AIM activities and the AIS strategy enable PTs to engage critically with AI outputs and enhance their metacognitive skills. These insights emphasize the importance of incorporating AI‐integrated methods into teacher preparation programs to better equip future educators for an AI‐driven educational landscape.

Examining Student Perceived Knowledge, Skills, and Confidence Applying the NCHEC Eight Areas of Responsibility

ABSTRACT Background The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) has established and updated the specific knowledge and skills necessary to become a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). To prepare students, it is important that coursework addresses the Areas of Responsibility (AoR); however, research examining student preparation has been limited. Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess perceived knowledge, skills, and confidence to apply selected sub-competencies from AoR I, II, IV, and VII through a community health assessment (CHA) among undergraduate health majors in Community Health courses in spring of 2021. Methods A 20 question pre and post-survey was administered to measure and compare student confidence and perceived knowledge/skills of the Eight AoR. Results There was a statistically significant difference (p < .05) between the pre and post-test measuring confidence for 38 AoR and for 31 AoR assessing perception of knowledge and skills. Discussion The findings from this study help instructors identify gaps in the course and in the preparation program. Translation to Health Education Practice This assessment of the CHA project is a useful pedagogical tool to determine if students are gaining fundamental skills in competencies needed in health education and promotion.