Beliefs Of Student Teachers Research Articles

Usage and beliefs of student teachers towards artificial intelligence in writing

Abstract Generative AI applications are believed to have disruptive potential, not only for academic writing. However, little is known about which AI tools are used to what extent for writing. This is especially true for student teachers who are expected both to learn writing and teach it in the future. Therefore, 505 student teachers were surveyed about their usage of and beliefs regarding writing with AI. The results show that ChatGPT is the most frequently used application, although knowledge of AI does not automatically translate into regular use. Nevertheless, most participants believe that AI applications play a crucial role for writing in school. Considering the extent of AI usage and beliefs about AI in a regression model, AI literacy, the subject studied, self-assessed digital skills, and writing-related self-concept can explain a medium amount of the variance. Based on these findings, the article draws conclusions for further research and teacher training.

EFL Student Teachers’ Beliefs about Language Teaching Approaches and Instructional Practices

The crucial role of beliefs in shaping language teachers’ performance has been well-documented. By contrast, research focusing on EFL student teachers’ beliefs about language teaching approaches is still sparse, especially their manifestation in instructional practices. This study aimed to investigate the beliefs of English student teachers in Ukraine regarding language teaching approaches and document any similarities and differences with their actual performance. The data were collected through a researcher-designed questionnaire, reflective journals, and lesson observations, which allowed for a comparison between the student teachers' stated beliefs and their observed practices. The findings revealed that the participants identified with recent methodological thinking, endorsing the principles of communicative language teaching. The questionnaire data indicated a statistically significant difference in the beliefs of student teachers, suggesting a preference for contemporary language teaching approaches over traditional, with a medium effect size. Nevertheless, while the respondents expressed a preference for meaning-focused over form-focused instruction, they experienced difficulties in interpreting how these are implemented in practice. Specifically, they professed advocacy for classroom procedures and techniques associated with both contemporary and traditional language teaching and used them non-discriminately during lesson observation. In this respect, their beliefs and teaching practices align. Additionally, the participants demonstrated conversance with and reported implementing a repertoire of contemporary approaches and methods. However, the observation of their instructional practices did not consistently demonstrate strict adherence to communicative language teaching, as features of traditional teaching methods were visible. Therefore, the results suggest a partial alignment between the student teachers’ beliefs and their actual performance. Overall, by opening a window into student teachers’ mental lives, these findings highlight the likely trajectory of their professional development and the support required by them to bridge the gap between their beliefs and classroom practices.

Professional digital competence beliefs of student teachers, pre-service teachers and teachers: Validating an instrument based on the DigCompEdu framework

ABSTRACT This study aims to develop and validate an instrument to assess and compare professional digital competence beliefs of student teachers, pre-service teachers and teachers based on the DigCompEdu framework. We used data from N = 1386 German (prospective) teachers (73% female). First, we conducted exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analysis to examine the factorial structure across groups. We identified seven dimensions of professional digital competence beliefs among groups. Second, we investigated mean level differences. Our findings show that pre-service teachers tended to have the highest professional digital competence beliefs, followed by teachers. The results provide a reference for the utility of the instrument to evaluate (prospective) teachers’ professional digital competence beliefs and alter teacher education and training to investigated needs. We discuss future steps for teacher education.

EXPLORING ELT STUDENT TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT ICC: INSIGHTS FROM TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN TURKEY

Teacher beliefs about how cultural variables should be taught in English courses are of great importance specifically in countries where English is not spoken beyond educational contexts. To find out whether English teachers are prepared effectively in teacher education programs, this study aims at evaluating the beliefs of student teachers about intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in Turkey. To this end, Beliefs about ICC Inventory was developed as the main data collection tool. The quantitative data obtained from the inventory were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A total of 430 ELT student teachers across Turkish state universities participated in this study. The quantitative analyses revealed that most of the participants perceived themselves as the most competent in “ICC attitudes” and “ICC awareness” dimensions. Results also indicated that male student teachers held stronger beliefs about ICC skills and awareness than female participants; however, such differences were not observed in the other dimensions of ICC.

The effect of microteaching lesson study on the beliefs of EFL student teachers

Microteaching lesson study, that is a variation of lesson study applied by student teachers in microteaching course, provides the environment for EFL student teachers to collaborate, engage, and reflect on their ideas, beliefs, and teaching experiences. Such condition is a fertile ground that enables the student teachers' beliefs of language learning to change. Recent studies show that some education programs have changed the beliefs of student teachers. However, no studies have discussed the changes of beliefs of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers experienced in microteaching lesson study. This present study aims to investigate the effect of microteaching lesson study on EFL student teachers� beliefs. The data were collected using a questionnaire on Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) adapted from Horwitz administered before and after microteaching lesson study. The participants were the EFL student teachers enrolling in a microteaching lesson study class at Universitas Muria Kudus. The study reveals that the beliefs of EFL student teachers did not change significantly after they experienced microteaching lesson study. Time seems to be one of the most influential factors in hindering the changes of beliefs of the EFL student teachers. Therefore, this study suggests that EFL student teachers be given more time to practise teaching in the microteaching course.

The Development and Validation of a Teacher Belief Survey for the Constructivist Classroom

The research reported in this article was part of a larger study which took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The large-scale education reform, being carried out at the time of the study, required paradigm shifts in practice; from a traditional to a constructivist approach. The education reform posed on-going challenges and posed questions regarding the future impact for teachers, particularly with respect to their beliefs with respect to classroom practice. This article describes the development and validation of a survey to assess teachers’ beliefs in this new context. The survey assesses teachers’ beliefs about their role in the classroom and philosophy of teaching and learning and their classroom practice. The translation validity of the survey was supported by examining the content and face validity. Further, analysis of the data collected 182 Arab teachers was used to provide support for the reliability and validity of the newly developed Teacher Belief Survey in terms of factor structure, internal consistency reliability, discriminant and concurrent validity. This instrument has the potential to be useful for ascertaining teachers’ professional development needs and for understanding the beliefs of student teachers. In regions of cross-cultural diversity the findings may assist in creating understanding and sensitivity of the cultural differences between people, their knowledge, perspectives and practices.

Beliefs of student teachers in Serbia and Slovenia about supporting vulnerable pupils in learning and social participation

ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is a comparative analysis of student teachers’ beliefs about inclusive practices, i.e. how teachers should support vulnerable pupils. The study explores the differences between the beliefs of Serbian and Slovenian student teachers in the first and fourth years of their studies and the differences between first-year and fourth-year student teachers’ beliefs in each country. The results suggest that Serbian and Slovenian student teachers differ in their beliefs according to their study year and the country in which they live. Regarding the country, Slovenian student teachers tend to be more demanding of vulnerable pupils, while Serbian student teachers tend to be more permissive. Possible explanations for the differences between the two groups of student teachers may be found in the educational systems, educational legislation and teaching practices of the two countries. Implications for initial teacher education in both countries are discussed.

What does it mean to be an English teacher in Brazil? Student teachers’ beliefs through narratives in a distance education programme

Abstract This paper aims to investigate the beliefs of student teachers on a distance teacher education course about being an English teacher in Brazil. The theoretical framework of this paper is based on studies about beliefs in language teaching and learning (Barcelos and Kalaja 2011. Introduction to beliefs about SLA revisited. System 39(3). 281–289), and distant teacher education (Borg et al. 2014. The impact of teacher education on pre-service primary English language teachers. London: British Council). Data were collected in a supervised teaching practicum course in an English Language and Literature Distance Programme provided by a federal public university in Brazil. The data stem from visual narratives and meta-narratives posted on two online discussion forums. It is expected that the results of this study will contribute to advancing research on the use of visual materials in the investigation of beliefs, and that they will foster the debate on the contributions of visual narratives to teachers’ reflections, particularly in distance teacher education settings.

Student teacher beliefs on grammar instruction

The role of grammar teaching in foreign language education is a controversial one both in second language acquisition (SLA) research and language pedagogy and, as a result, a potential source of confusion to student teachers. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the beliefs on grammar teaching of student teachers of English as a foreign language enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes at Dutch universities of applied sciences. To this end a questionnaire was developed and validated based on four construct pairs from SLA literature: meaning- versus form-focused instruction, focus on form (FonF) versus focus on forms (FonFs), implicit versus explicit instruction, and inductive versus deductive instruction. Overall, respondents ( n = 832) were found to prefer form-focused, explicit, inductive instruction, and FonFs. However, higher-year undergraduates’ and postgraduates’ results showed a trend towards a preference for more meaning-focused and implicit instruction, and FonF. When learner level was factored in, however, these forms of language instruction were considered subordinate to more traditional form-focused approaches for teaching higher-level language learners.

Pre-service Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs in the Context of Teacher Education Program

This research’s objective is to investigate self-efficacy beliefs of student teachers within the context of the teacher education program and in terms of certain variables anthropologically. The population of the research constitutes 965 student teachers studying in the Faculty of Education under Celal Bayar University in the academic year of 2014-2015. A descriptive survey model was used in this research. In order to collect necessary data for the research, the Self-efficacy Belief Scale was developed by researchers and used in this research. Results demonstrated that significant differences were found between the answers of pre-service teachers to the Selfefficacy Belief Scale according to demographic variables of gender, type of program and average academic achievement, but a significant difference was not found between the answers of pre-service teachers with respect to the demographic variable of class level in terms of self-efficacy belief.

STUDENT-TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL BELIEFS: LEARNER-CENTRED OR TEACHER-CENTRED WHEN USING ICT IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM?

This exploratory qualitative case study explored the pedagogical beliefs and classroom practice of four Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students when they implement Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for teaching and learning, including what influences their beliefs. Data were gathered by means of a teacher belief system (TBS) tool, drawing prompts that led to individual interviews, an open-ended questionnaire, lesson plans and assessment feedback forms, short summaries of how they used the ICT resources and feedback from the method lecturer and an appointed mentor teacher. The findings suggest that there appears to be a mismatch between the participants’ espoused beliefs and enacted beliefs when using ICT at this point in time. The participating student-teachers used ICT tools predominately in teacher-centred ways, yet they indicated that they held learner-centred beliefs. At the same time, this does not imply that there were no learner-centred activities during their lessons. The data seems to suggest that their exposure to teacher-centred pedagogy while being learners at school, as well as their tertiary experience could have played a role in how they taught Science. It is therefore important that lecturers model constructivist learner-centred pedagogy to students and provide opportunities for students to plan and model such practice. Key words: habitus, ICT beliefs, learner-centred pedagogy, student-teacher beliefs, teacher-centred pedagogy.

What are Their Beliefs? What is Their Approach in Practice? What is the Profile of Their Science Teachers and Professors?

This qualitative study was conducted with six senior student teachers in the field of science to examine the beliefs of student science teachers, their classroom practices, and the profile of their junior high science teachers and the professors in the education department. The data from this study were collected through individual interviews and observations as well as DASST-C. According to the findings of the study, five of the student teachers held to a conceptual model, one held to an exploratory mental model. When the junior high science teachers of these student science teachers were examined, it was found that four employed an explicit approach, one used a conceptual approach and one had an exploratory approach. When the views of the student teachers’ professors in the department of education were examined, most of the faculty members had a teacher-centered approach, but the most popular faculty members employed a student-centered approach. Therefore, we see that the beliefs of the student teachers about the learning-teaching process were passed on from their junior high science teachers and the professors in the education department.

A Critical Role of the Student Teaching on Instructional Beliefs: An Example of Early Childhood Student and Cooperating Teachers

This study investigated student teachers’ instructional beliefs over the course of student teaching. This study also examined the relationship between the beliefs of student teachers and their cooperating teachers. Participants of the study were 75 student teachers and 35 cooperating teachers. Data were gathered through Teacher Beliefs Survey, which were administered at the beginning and at the end of the student teaching period. Findings showed that the constructivist beliefs of the participant student teachers increased during the student teaching period. Cooperating teachers hold more traditional beliefs than student teachers. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the literature.

Student teachers, socialisation, school placement and schizophrenia: the case of curriculum change

The dissonance between the socialisation experiences of student teachers during their own schooling and practicums and university-based teacher education programmes is indicative of the broader theory/practice dichotomy in education. While this dichotomy is of considerable interest to all teacher educators, studies of students’ pre- and post-placement professional beliefs are rare. The authors availed of the publication of alternative curriculum pathways for Ireland to investigate the curriculum beliefs of student teachers immediately before and after their final school placement. Important contextual aspects of the study including school and teacher culture and the proposed curriculum pathways are introduced. The stark contrast between student teachers’ preferences and their views regarding the feasibility of the various pathways and their commitment to pupil-centred learning are among the main findings of the current study. A positive relationship emerged between respondents’ curriculum preferences and their grades in curriculum studies. These emerging themes are considered from the perspectives of student teachers’ beliefs about pupil learning, the theory/practice dichotomy and the importance of developing school–university partnerships.

Do admission criteria for teacher education institutions matter? A comparative study on beliefs of student teachers from Serbia and Slovenia about inclusive practices

The relationship between admissions criteria, the preparation provided by teacher education programmes and student teachers’ (STs) beliefs about inclusive education (IE) are rarely made explicit. The paucity of data regarding this relationship leads us to question whether teacher candidates’ prior beliefs matter relative to admissions criteria or whether it can be assumed that all of the needed competencies and positive beliefs about teaching well will be acquired during the teacher education programme. To investigate these questions, this study focuses on STs enrolled in three teacher education institutions (TEIs): two in Serbia and one in Slovenia. The study indicates that STs’ beliefs about IE relate more to differences in the educational systems and the influences of societies as a whole than to admissions criteria for TEIs. Implications of the study for teacher education and admissions criteria are discussed.

The cultural responsiveness of teacher candidates towards Roma pupils in Serbia and Slovenia – case studies

In many countries, there is a growing need for teacher awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences, what is often called culturally responsive teaching. This is why teacher education institutions are making significant efforts to require student teachers to enrol in courses that focus on understanding, tolerance and acceptance of differences in others. Determining beliefs of student teachers towards the diversity of pupils at the onset of their studies is critical for providing teacher education that more efficiently challenges implicit beliefs and biases. The main objective in this paper is therefore to determine the initial beliefs of student teachers concerning the Roma population, Europe’s largest ethnic minority. Research was conducted at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia and the Teacher Training Faculty at the University of Belgrade in Serbia. The results of the study suggest that most student teachers are in favour of schooling Roma pupils in regular schools; however, most of them would not like to have them in their classes. Most student teachers are aware of the discrimination against Roma pupils in schools; however, they are not ready to engage in closer interactions with Roma families. The implications of these findings for teacher education programmes are subsequently discussed.

The Effect of Classroom Management Course on Self-efficacy of Student Teachers Regarding Teaching

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of classroom management course on self-efficacy perceptions of student teachers regarding teaching process. This study was prepared according to pre and post-test design, being one of the simple experimental design techniques. To collect the data, self-efficacy beliefs of student teachers towards teaching process instrument was used. In addition to descriptive statistics and paired samples t-test were used to analyze the data. According to the results of the study, self-efficacy perceptions of student teachers towards teaching process was found high and classroom management course have a positive and medium leveled effect on self-efficacy beliefs regarding teaching process. While there is no significant relationship between self-efficacy perceptions of student teachers regarding teaching process and their gender, overall academic achievement of student teachers has a significant effect on their self-efficacy perceptions.

Pedagogical content beliefs about reading instruction and their relation to gains in student achievement

Teachers’ pedagogical content beliefs about reading instruction are likely to predict progress in student achievement. Thus, in this study, 15 pre-service teachers gave reading promotion to low-performing sixth- and seventh-graders over a time period of 6 months. The pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content beliefs were then related to their students’ reading achievement gains. In contradiction to previous findings, the results demonstrate direct-transmissive beliefs to be positively related with student achievement. Finally, whether there is an influence of practical teaching experiences on the development of pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content beliefs was examined. For that reason, the belief development during the 6-month period was compared between pre-service teachers with and without teaching experience. Results show teaching pre-service teachers’ beliefs to have developed away from constructivistic positions and toward a direct-transmissive direction. The beliefs of student teachers without teaching experience, on the contrary, tended to slightly develop in diametrically opposed directions. Implications of the results are discussed.

The attitudes, beliefs and anticipated actions of student teachers towards

Recognizing that teacher commitments are consequential for classroom practice, this research seeks to understand the beliefs, perceptions and attitudes among student teachers towards diversity in their classroom. Using evocative case studies drawn from everyday classroom practice, this study draws out the existing understandings and commitments of this group of white South African student teachers on a subject (diversity in education) that continues to occupy center stage in policy reforms twelve years after the legal termination of apartheid. There are three major research findings emanating from this study: first, that students do not enter pre-service training as ‘blank slates' with respect to diversity questions; second, that white student teachers are diverse in their attitudes, beliefs and strategies for dealing with diversity; and third, that teacher education program designs, correctly implemented, can challenge and change preexisting attitudes and beliefs of student teachers towards difference in South African classrooms. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 22 (3) 2008: pp. 692-707

RESEARCH SECTION: The impact of a special school placement on student teacher beliefs about inclusive education in Northern Ireland

This article, by Jackie Lambe, lecturer in education, and Robert Bones, lecturer in psychology, both from the University of Ulster, provides a useful review of the current state of policy, practice and teacher education relating to pupils with special educational needs in Northern Ireland. The authors use this review to launch their account of their own investigation into the attitudes towards inclusion of student teachers who had experience of working in special schools. Jackie Lambe and Robert Bones drew data from the transcripts of online discussions involving the student teachers. Using direct quotations from these discussions, the authors here reveal the positive attitudes that the student teachers developed towards practice in the special school settings; the confused or negative responses of the special school staff towards policy on inclusion; and mixed views on the promotion of enhanced collaboration between mainstream and special schools. Interestingly the student teachers, while continuing to value inclusion policy from a human rights perspective, also seemed to become more convinced, during their placements, of the contribution that specialist settings can make – and less confident that inclusion can be made to work effectively, given the current systems of teacher education and school organisation. The research in this article draws on the views of a small sample of student teachers – but the reported shifts in their perspectives illustrate some of the key issues to be confronted in the ongoing development of a more inclusive educational system.