Quality Of Teacher Preparation Research Articles

TEACHER EDUCATION IN INDIA

At the time of independence, India inherited a system of education, which had a limited reach. It was inaccessible to a vast majority of children of the school-going age groups. After independence, the expansion of educational facilities and enrolment and higher degree of retention of children in schools became the top priority items for educational planners and administrators. The unplanned expansion also projected questions relating to quality and standards of education. The need for specialized resource institutions and organizations for bringing about qualitative improvement in education was increasingly felt. For example, qualitative improvement of education necessitated the formulating of new national policies for educational expansion. Research-based development of curriculum and textbooks, effective teaching learning strategies and preparation of quality teachers were all new problems which came up for consideration.

Early career teachers and the always becoming horizon of quality teaching

ABSTRACT Teacher quality is not often defined but can be understood through the way that policies and expectations for teaching quality are talked about and talked into being. How do early career teachers (ECTs) navigate high expectations of becoming quality teachers, especially when there are several discourses of quality, some prominent and others less so? Data from interviews with 13 Australian ECTs five years after their graduation from selective quality teacher preparation degrees were analysed to identify how ECTs discerned, deliberated and dedicated themselves to quality teaching in their diverse contexts. ECTs drew from concepts of effectiveness and responsibility when they focused on their students, yet their emphasis on relational priorities and the importance of reflexive dialogue points to a practice-based approach. While dominant discourses of teacher quality do not highlight relational or collective approaches, these ECTs showed how professional standards, effectiveness and responsibilisation approaches were recontextualised. Importantly, the systemic conditions of time to talk, and opportunities for attending to relationships, as well as the skills of reflexivity underpin this alternative approach.

Supporting High Quality Teacher Preparation: Results from a Mentoring Program for Special Education Faculty - Two Years Later

Two years ago, we presented a newly formalized process for systematically inculcating new faculty into our department, which up to that point had relied solely on the generosity of the department chair, seasoned faculty, and other new faculty for advice, support, and the sharing of ideas, resources, and knowledge about the specifics of the university, college, department, and academe in general. The mission of our mentoring program was envisaged as providing visible and consistent support for new and early career faculty development. The program that was established was conceived as a reciprocal learning relationship characterized by trust, respect, and commitment in which a mentor would support the professional and personal development of another by sharing his or her life experiences, influence, and expertise. How we would move forward, what future mentee and mentor meetings would look like, and how much information could or should be shared and when, were among the many questions we asked as we embarked on this journey together. This paper presents the results of that mentor-mentee partnership.

Nontraditional Prospective Teachers: Motivations, Goals and Mathematical Knowledge Differences among Identified Typologies

This mixed-methods study employed a typological approach and an Expectancy-Value framework to understand nontraditional prospective teachers’ motivational beliefs, teaching motivations, and goals for choosing a teaching career. All participants (N=88) were nontraditional prospective teachers, graduate students enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program in the United States. Data were collected in three phases, including quantitative (survey, pre-and posttest assessments), and qualitative (interviews). Analyses revealed three distinct typologies of teachers based on their motivational beliefs, and further differences among the identified groups based on other variables. The qualitative data showed general themes across participants about their teaching efficacy, motivation for teaching and quality of teacher preparation. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.

Shifting the Delivery but Keeping the Focus: A Reflection on Ensuring Quality Teacher Preparation during a Pandemic

There is a strong focus to connect theory with practice in initial teacher education (ITE). This discussion paper explores how we shifted teaching modes and assessment tasks in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) when digital technologies were unexpectedly catapulted to the main delivery mode for the preparation of future teachers. During this time, connecting theory to authentic practice became a complicated issue. Globally, teacher educators were faced with the challenge of providing authentic learning opportunities for ITE without the ability to be physically present in school and classroom environments. Tertiary institutions were swiftly and unprecedently required to re-think and re-imagine their pedagogical practices. This change affected the self-efficacy and confidence of many academics who were underprepared for this major shift in teaching as they created, transitioned and implemented online material for their students under strict timelines. Our reflections in this paper present a guide and example for others to follow.

ПРОФЕСІЙНА ПІДГОТОВКА МАЙБУТНІХ ФАХІВЦІВ ДОШКІЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ

The article reveals the features of professional training future specialists in preschool education in university education. Different approaches to professional training of future teachers of preschool education, aspects of their development of professional and personal qualities are highlighted. The analysis of state documents is carried out, the purpose, tasks and the maintenance of professional training are defined, the list of competences of the graduate of higher educational institution is given. The purpose of professional training is defined as the acquisition of systematized knowledge, skills, abilities, personal professional qualities necessary for future professional activity. The key concepts of "professional training", "professional competence" are described, the components of professional training are highlighted. Vocational training is a system of organizational and pedagogical measures that ensure the formation of a person’s professional orientation, system of knowledge, skills, abilities and professional readiness. Professional competence is the teacher’s ability to solveprofessional problems on the basis of professional knowledge and skills that integrate with the development of personal professionally significant qualities.The basic principles of organization of the process of professional preparation of future specialists of preschool education are theoretically substantiated. The principle of integrativeness, which provides quality teacher preparation and is the basis for improving the content of education, is revealed in detail. The stages of professional pre parathion future specialists are singled out: formation of basic general competencies; professionally specialized competencies; specializedprofessional and pedagogical competencies; practice-oriented and research competencies. The essence of the competency approach is revealed, which guarantees a high level of preparation of a competitive specialist. Educational technologies in training of the future specialist in preschool education are allocated.

Contesting Science That Silences: Amplifying Equity, Agency, and Design Research in Literacy Teacher Preparation

ABSTRACTIn this article, we argue that the “science of reading” (SOR) construct is being used to shape the future of literacy teacher preparation and silence the voices and work of literacy teacher education researchers to the detriment of quality science, quality teaching, and quality teacher preparation. First, we briefly inspect the SOR movement in terms of its historical roots in experimental psychology. Next, we examine the claims being made by SOR advocates regarding the absence of attention to the SOR literature in teacher preparation programs, and the related claims for the negative consequences that occur when these so‐called underprepared teachers enter the workforce. Then, we present literature reviews, drawn from a large and dynamic database of research on literacy teacher preparation (over 600 empirical studies that were published between 1999 and 2018); the studies in the database have been excluded from the SOR. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of equity, agency, and design as a pathway forward in improving literacy teacher preparation.

Evaluasi Pembelajaran IPA Model Discovery Learning Menggunakan Model Countenance Stake

<em>This research aims were: (1) the quality of preparation, (2) the quality of implementation, and (3) the learning outcomes of students in application of learning science in Curriculum 2013. This research was model evaluation research based on Countenance Stake model. The population in this study was teachers and students in seventh grade of Junior High School. This research was conducted in Junior High School that was applying Curriculum 2013 in Bantul region. The teacher sample was determined by purposive sampling technique. The student sample was determined by proportional random sampling technique. The data were collected using document preparation review sheets, classroom observations, student and teacher questionnaires, and document of student learning outcomes. The data were analyzed by descriptive quantitative technique. The results indicated a strong concerned between the quality of teacher preparation, implementation and student learning outcomes. The result of this research show that: (1) the quality of preparation of learning science in Curriculum 2013 was categorized good (t-score = 50,51), (2) the quality of implementation of learning science in Curriculum 2013 was categorized good (t-score = 51,32), (3) the result of student learning outcomes was categorized good (t-score = 50,59).</em>

Research and theory into practice: Australian preservice teachers’ knowledge of evidence-based early literacy instruction

ABSTRACT Much has been written about the decline in Australian literacy standards, as measured by international tests, and concerns have been expressed about the quality of teacher preparation for teaching early literacy to young children in their first years of school. Preservice teacher knowledge of research evidence supporting the essential components of early literacy instruction and the strategies used to teach these foundation skills are explored in this study. Responses to survey questions provided both quantitative and qualitative data. Results suggest that although preservice teachers have some knowledge of the components of early literacy identified in research, they are less knowledgeable about the subject-specific pedagogical strategies identified as necessary for implementing evidence-based practices. These results are not surprising given the findings of recent research into the quality of literacy units in teacher education courses.

What Do Surveys of Program Completers Tell Us About Teacher Preparation Quality?

Surveys of teacher preparation program (TPP) completers have become one widely used measure for program accountability and improvement, yet there is little evidence as to whether perceptions of preparation experiences predict the workforce outcomes of teachers. In the present study, we use statewide completer survey data from North Carolina to assess whether perceptions of preparation quality and opportunities to learn during teacher preparation predict completers’ value-added estimates, evaluation ratings, and retention. We perform multiple analyses to address validity concerns—that is, selection into TPPs, sorting into K-12 schools, simultaneity in survey and outcome measures, and differential survey response rates across TPPs. Results are not always consistent across these analyses; however, evidence suggests that completer perceptions are modestly associated with teacher effectiveness and retention. Continued research can further address validity concerns and build a body of evidence on completer perceptions and teacher outcomes.

Need Assessment for the Professional Development of Teachers in Content Knowledge of Instructional Planning and Strategies

In 2009 the National professional standards were introduced for teachersin Pakistan to determine a nationwide quality of teaching. Thesestandards focus on the quality of teacher preparation from this timeonwards; the present study was initiated to determine the needs of theworkforce who are already in the practical field and how they mayachieve the established standard. Therefore, in the light of the prescribedstandard “Instructional Planning and Strategies (IPS)”this articleinvestigated the levels of content knowledge of IPS possessed by theteachers in secondary schools; it further determined the difference in thecontent knowledge levels of urban & rural, male& female teachersregarding IPS. It was a survey type quantitative study with a populationspread of secondary school teachers (SSTs) working in the fourprovinces and Federal Capital. A multistage sampling procedure wasadopted to collect data from 400 SSTs belonging to the population area.The need of the in-service teachers for acquiring content knowledge ofIPS was gauged through a questionnaire based on seven indicators ofcontent knowledge given in the professional standards; the teachersfurther prioritized their training needs in these defined areas. Moreover,data triangulation was done to ensure the validity of the study. The indepthanalysis revealed that SSTs possessed different levels on eachindicator of content knowledge of IPS but a meager number wascompetent in it. Independent sample “t-test” was applied to calculate thedifference between content knowledge of IPS possessed by the male&female, urban& rural SSTs.

Supporting High Quality Teacher Preparation: Developing a Mentoring Program for New and Early Career Special Education Faculty

Supporting High Quality Teacher Preparation: Developing a Mentoring Program for New and Early Career Special Education Faculty

Beliefs: Quality Teaching Practicum Vs Quality Teachers

<p>Teaching practicum is one of the important aspects in teacher education programme as it concerns preparation of quality teachers and it embraces all the learning experiences of pre-service teachers in schools. Teaching practicum is a real challenge for the pre-service teachers because their performance during teaching practicum will foreshadow the future success of the pre-service teachers. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching practicum and identify what components of teacher education programme that contribute pre-service teachers’ views about teaching practicum. Data was collected via a questionnaire survey of third year TESL undergraduates from University of Malaya. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings will be presented and elaborated upon in this paper. For further understanding, this paper also discusses the pre-service teachers’ beliefs according to the two main aspects namely, (i) importance of teaching practicum and (ii) confidence and uncertainty about teaching practicum.</p>

Preparing quality teachers.

There are many factors that impact student learning, with quality educators being one of the most important elements for student success. Accordingly, the promotion of quality teacher preparation programs has become a priority for tertiary institutions, researchers, policymakers and practitioners. There is a known disparity between tertiary experiences and the classroom reality that leaves graduate teachers feeling unprepared for the teaching profession. Employing a contextualized learning approach such as situated learning theory in teacher preparation programs can reduce this gap and successfully prepare graduate teachers for the teaching arena. This research project surveyed one cohort (n=154) at the conclusion of a four-year initial teacher education program, and again six months after graduation, as well as analyzed the subject outlines of the core final year subjects. The study found that the final year of the program incorporated the key tenets of situated learning theory, integrated theory and practice, and prepared the graduates for the realities of the teaching profession by effectively contextualizing their tertiary learning.

Research on Teaching and Teacher Education and Its Influences on Policy and Practice

Using five AERA presidential addresses over the past half century as landmarks, this essay traces the evolution of research on teaching and teacher education as well as some critical impacts the research has had on policy and practice related to teacher education and teacher evaluation in the United States. The discussion shows how these addresses both reflected the progress and challenges of research on teaching and teacher education at the times they were delivered and identified paths that the education research community could take to address the challenges. It traces key influences of these lines of work on the quality of teacher preparation, assessment of teaching effectiveness, and competing conceptions of teacher accountability. It ends with a discussion of the role of politics in setting educational policy, a call for education researchers to become more knowledgeable about and more capable of engaging in political and policy arenas productively, and a reminder that public scholarship is the goal of the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting and the topic of the next presidential address.

Scrutinizing Practicum for a More Powerful Teacher Education: A Longitudinal Study with Pre-service Teachers

While the undisputed goal of student achievement pursuant to the field of education In a world where education matters more than it ever has before, ... (Darling- Hammond, 2006, p. 4) exists, there is also growing empirical evidence that the quality of teacher preparation and certification plays a determining role in attaining this goal (Darling-Hammond, 2000a, 2000b, 2006; Yildirim, 2013). As a result, the field of teacher education faces the problem of explaining how teachers learn to teach, which the related literature has argued to be possible through reflection (Richards, 2008). Reflection as a practice is a highly valued component of pre-service teacher training (Akcan, 2010; Betil-Eroz, 2013; Hamiloglu, 2014; Seferoglu, 2006) as it stimulates the growth and development of teachers as professionals (Loughran, 2002).School-based practicum, another important aspect acknowledged to be highly influential in the initial education of teachers (Hascher, Cocard, & Moser, 2004), lies at the heart of pre-service teachers' knowledge construction and professional development (Tang, 2004), and growing consensus exists on the necessity of a reflective practice for pre-service teachers in practicum settings. With the help of observing real teaching/learning contexts and carrying out tasks under the supervision of university lecturers and cooperating teachers, pre-service teachers can develop their own teaching knowledge and skills and reflect on their beliefs (Tarman, 2012); this supports their cognitive learning and development (Cheng, Cheng, & Tang, 2010). Practicum is recognized as a learning arena where pre-service teachers maximize their opportunity to bridge theory with practice.Regarding the importance of reflection incorporated into practicum during preservice teachers' professional development, Hamiloglu (2013) aimed to investigate whether pre-service teachers' professional identities during their practicum were influenced more effectively when they could reflect. Data was collected through reflective journals, interviews, and stimulated recall sessions. The results showed that participants had become more aware of the transformation of their emerging identities from being imagined to practice. She interpreted this finding to suggest that practicum plays a prominent role as long as it has a critical reflective nature.Prior to practicum, pre-service teachers also have a chance to gain some practical experience through microteaching simulations during their university courses. Microteaching, which dates back to the 60s, has been criticized for concealing the characteristics of the technicist view of teaching in its nature since learning to teach is conceptualized as acquiring, practicing, and reinforcing a discrete set of behaviors. However, it is important to note that it is particularly valued by pre-service teachers (Farrell, 2008; Seferoglu, 2006) in terms of the positive impact it is argued to have on growth in the teaching profession. After rejecting the technicist view of teaching, microteaching simulations retained a position in teacher education by undergoing some modifications that provided room for systematic reflection to be incorporated into microteaching (Johnson & Arshavskaya, 2011). The practices that accompany self-examination have made it especially feasible in larger contexts which include social and institutional agents (Farrell, 2008).One powerful tool that has been used to facilitate reflection in pre-teacher education is video recording (LeFevre, 2004). This enables pre-service teachers to capture the complex nature of the teaching practice that occurs in a classroom. Furthermore, it allows a number of different possibilities, such as performing detailed analyses of one's own teaching practices for professional development, catching things that might not have been noticed from the first viewing, and having increased self-awareness. The use of video within pre-service teacher education has been incorporated into the practicum lessons delivered at cooperative schools (Akcan, 2010; Kuter, Altinay Gazi, & Altinay Aksal, 2012; Rosaen, Lundeberg, Cooper, Fritzen, & Terpstra, 2008; Siry & Martin, 2014) and some micro-lessons delivered at university-based methodology courses (Savas, 2012). …

IMPROVING STUDENT TEACHING FOR QUALITY TEACHER PREPARATION: A KENYAN UNIVERSITY CASE

This study on teaching practice experience was conducted at a Kenyan University by researchers from both the USA and Kenya through a partnership project to build capacity through quality teacher preparation. The portion of this study presented here used survey techniques and specifically addressed the student teachers’ perspectives on the preparation processes, and ability to plan, instruct and use feedback to improve instruction in teaching practice. Stratified sampling of student teachers (n=360) and supervisor (n=240) was used. The student teacher questionnaire covered several educational components such, as professionalism, lesson material preparation, content knowledge, teaching performance skills, and reflection based on classroom observation feedback. The major findings were student teachers inability to integrate Information Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching, a gap in the teacher education curriculum on the role of ICT in teacher education, and lack of supportive supervisory feedback to the teacher candidates during teaching practice. The study recommends mapping of teacher education courses to ensure that ICT and expert feedback are covered before teaching practice by offering coursework on modern accessible ICT and facilitating rigorous microteaching experiences. Also, programs should train enough teaching practice supervisors, strategically plan school placements, and ensure timely posting of student teachers.

Indigenous Rights in Aotearoa/New Zealand—Inakitia rawatia hei kakano mō āpōpō: Students' Encounters With Bicultural Commitment

Teacher quality and the preparation of quality teachers have been at the center of debates and discussions related to improving educational outcomes among diverse student populations across the world. In New Zealand, the education system emphasizes high-quality, bicultural practice among teachers through regulations and curriculum that call for adequate teacher preparation on bicultural pedagogical practice. This article sheds light on the gap between the policy goals and the reality of primarily monolingual and monocultural paradigms within the school system; it also brings forth the need to promote culturally inclusive understanding, knowledge, and skills among preservice teachers. The issues discussed in this article address concerns about education structures and processes that deny equity of educational opportunities to linguistically and culturally marginal student populations.

CONTRIBUTION OF PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM TO QUALITY PRIMARY EDUCATION IN UGANDA

With the frequent changes in education environment caused by dynamic economy, politics, and global trends among others, primary teacher education should keep abreast with these trends. However, in Uganda this has not been the case. While government designs new curriculum for primary schools, the changes in teacher education curriculum seem to be slower. Teacher educators are not familiar with the new trends in education such as ICT in teaching and learning, gender, learner centered education etc. The teaching materials are not easily available in the teacher training colleges because of shortages of funds. The study sought to: analyse the curriculum of Primary Teacher Education (PTE) since 1990, assess the challenges Primary Teacher Colleges (PTC) experience in the preparation of quality teachers and analyse the extent to which PTE curriculum is responding to the new trends in primary education. Using mainly interviews and focus group discussion, this paper explored the relationship between teacher preparation and quality of teachers produced. Findings showed that the curriculum of the teacher training colleges is not tailored to the requirements of the primary curriculum. In addition PTE faces many challenges that affect the preparation of teachers. Key words: primary teacher education, primary school curriculum, quality education.

Understanding field assessment of pre-service teachers on school practicum

Every nation or society prides itself of the quality of its citizenry. Education enlightens citizens to think rationally and to be responsible people. The notion of enlightened citizens through education as an agent for revealing and perpetuating the characteristic of a successful society, is the impetus for most countries to adopt the education for all upon attaining democratic rule. It is against this backdrop that governments have to develop or improve their education systems to enhance their citizens’ social and economic development through quality education. However, there are important questions that need to be answered in order to achieve quality education. One of the questions in many people's minds is that of how quality education could be enhanced? Our answer is that quality education could be enhanced by focusing on improving teacher education. One of the contentious areas of teacher education is what knowledge teachers should acquire and how this knowledge is assessed to ensure that teachers have indeed been sufficiently empowered to teach in their respective fields of specialisation. This paper focuses on interrogating different approaches that institutions and specifically higher education institutions are applying to assess the competencies of pre-service teachers to offer quality education. The paper zooms in on various methods used in the field assessment of teacher practice; the assessors whom are used for the said purpose, as well as the effects the outcomes of such assessment could have on the eventual quality of teacher preparation.