Teacher Candidates Research Articles

Rating writing: Comparison of holistic and analytic grading approaches in pre-service teachers

BackgroundIn a typical instructional setting, teachers are responsible for making ongoing decisions that involve judgments of students’ capabilities, knowledge, learning needs, and progress toward a certain pre-specified goal. However, there is a significant within-teacher as well as a great between-teacher variability in the actual determination of grades. Grades appear to be an amalgam of characteristics of a student, filtered through a range of teacher personality variables. AimsThe purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which pre-service teachers agreed on students’ grades in writing task between holistic and analytic grading approaches and how their individual characteristics and beliefs about features of assessment explained the variability in grading practices. SampleTeacher candidates (N = 231, 65% female) enrolled in a training program in 2020 and 2021 cohorts at the University of València, Spain, were asked to read two essays, identified by experts as being of low and high quality, and assign holistic and analytic grades. Resultsalthough teacher candidates provided grades consistently across the two approaches (intra-individual differences), there was a high variability in the distribution among participants (inter-individual differences). We found that, gender, area of specialization, attitudes toward feedback, and extraversion were significant predictors of grading variability. ConclusionThis study highlights the considerable variation in grading practices among pre-service teachers, indicating the influence of individual factors such as gender, specialization, feedback receptivity, and extraversion. Despite consistent grading within specific approaches, the inter-individual differences in scores were substantial. Due to the consequential nature of teacher grades, our findings offer important insights and have critical implications for teacher preparation and professional development programs.

Creating School–University Partnerships in Urban Schools to Address Teacher Shortages

Partnerships among professionals within collegiate teacher preparation programs and school districts are needed to address current teacher shortages, especially critical in urban, high-needs schools. This research study showcases a collaborative model of teacher recruitment, preparation, and support that envisions and co-constructs reconceptualized roles, opportunities, and responsibilities for university faculties, supervising teachers, and teacher candidates. The concept is supported through a continuum of professional learning and reflection. The enhanced partnership model (EPM) for internship requires a partnership between faculties in teacher preparation programs and school districts to develop, engage, and evaluate an EPM for urban-school teacher preparation in multiple urban school sites in the southeastern United States. The goals of this innovative EPM revolve around recruiting diverse teacher candidates, collaboratively preparing them to focus on rigorous academic coursework as well as practical, classroom-based experiences, and retaining the new teachers. Employment data were accessed via administrative sources. A chi-square test of association was used to examine the relationship between participation in the EPM and employment (n = 158). The findings highlight that pre-service teachers participating in the EPM are 4.5 times as likely to be employed in a high-needs school, and 75% of those employed are still employed three years later. The implications of these results are shared.

If You Choose Not to Decide: A Survey of Online Field Experiences for Canadian Teacher Preparation Programs

Despite the rapid growth in online and distance learning in Canada, there does not appear to be much interest on the part of teacher education programs to evolve to meet the needs of future generations of teacher candidates. While understanding the notion that systemic change in tertiary education takes time, the steady growth of online and blended learning in Canada–and globally–combined with raised awareness of distance learning stoked by the COVID-19 pandemic should make educators and policymakers worry about failing to respond to a rapidly changing educational landscape. This paper highlights the status of distance and online field experiences provided by Canadian teacher education programs. In addition, we review program offerings to support in-service teachers, such as graduate certificate, degree, and diploma programs, as well as MOOCs offering free professional development. This study, a replication of a mixed-method study originally conducted in the United States and published as a technical report by Archibald et al. (2020)[1], found that a minority of teacher education programs offered online or blended field experiences. Further, we found that programs were slow to change these deficiencies due to institutional lack of resources, limited knowledge base, perceived lack of usefulness for their teachers’ future careers, and regulatory bodies discouraging online field experiences. This study highlights the dramatic need for programming in distance and online education. [1] This article is original, with some exceptions in the “Results” section.

Interest in science and mathematics teaching among non-science/mathematics initial teacher education candidates

ABSTRACT Many countries are experiencing teacher shortages, with particularly long-standing issues in attraction and retention in secondary science and mathematics. Policy initiatives often focus on science and mathematics undergraduates, with the aim of encouraging them to consider teaching by offering scholarships into teacher education or fast-tracking into employment permanency. However, those who have already chosen to teach in non-science and mathematics teaching specialisations have already shown their interest in teaching and form a pool of candidates that may potentially be recruited into science and mathematics teaching pathways. While these non-science and mathematics teacher candidates could have the capacity to address in part longstanding science and mathematics teacher shortages, there is a lack of research examining their motivations from the perspective of initiatives that may attract them into science and mathematics teaching, and little that examines their science and mathematics backgrounds. We sought to address these gaps by surveying 349 initial teacher education (ITE) students from four Australian universities, examining their career motivations, interest in science and mathematics teaching, and science and mathematics backgrounds. We explored perceived barriers to secondary science and mathematics teaching, and responses to potential policy initiatives. We found that 61% of non-science/mathematics ITE candidates indicated high interest in secondary science or mathematics pathways. Policy options such as support for science and mathematics retraining after several years of teaching in their current subject area or level, were selected as likely to support this choice. Our results suggest considerable capacity for policymakers and tertiary institutions to design initiatives that may attract non-science/mathematics ITE candidates into science and mathematics teaching.

Learning to teach in the 2020s: Four teacher candidates’ experiences amid challenging times

While much research in the Covid-19 era has focused on student learning loss, little empirical work has yet been published that examines U.S. teacher candidates' experiences with learning to teach during the current pandemic era, and all of the social and political upheaval of the day. This autoethnographic case study centers four teacher candidates’ practicum and student teaching experiences, during which they collected observational and reflective data throughout the 2021–2022 school year. Together with their teacher educator, and employing a feminist labor theoretical lens, the candidates analyzed data and derived three overarching themes: Learning to teach as emotion work, labor structures as barriers to learning to teach, and an overall uncertainty about teaching as a profession.

Where’s the Peanut Butter? Journaling about Science Practices in Everyday Life

ABSTRACT Teacher candidates kept journals for one semester, documenting the science content and practices they encountered in their daily lives, while their professor provided detailed written feedback. The objective of this study was to determine gaps in everyday science practices, and to eventually design interventions which might help teacher candidates relate all the NGSS science practices to their students’ lives. The most common NGSS science practices documented were asking questions and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. The least documented practices were analyzing and interpreting data and using mathematics and computational thinking. This assignment helped teacher candidates develop their identity as scientists, notice more science in their daily lives, and helped them bridge the gap from everyday applications of science to their classroom lessons. They found the exercise to be empowering, challenging, interesting, and enjoyable. Professor feedback on the journal entries was the most motivating aspect of the assignment. This study revealed gaps in the science and engineering practices that preservice science teachers experience in their lives.

STEAMER Hybrid Learning Project for Creative and Computational Thinking: Perspectives from Elementary School Teacher Candidates

<p style="text-align:justify">The computing and creative skills of students in Indonesia are still low since the government has not focused on student creativity and computational empowerment programs. This research aims to develop a science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, and reflection (STEAMER) hybrid learning project model for teachers' creative and computational thinking abilities, as well as analyze elementary school teacher candidates' perceptions of the use of STEAMER hybrid learning model to improve teachers' creative and computational thinking abilities. This research is development research with an analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model. The instruments used in this study were questionnaires and interviews with experts, lecturers, and elementary school teacher candidates. The research was conducted at eight universities in Indonesia with a total sample of 100 elementary school teacher candidates. Through quantitative and qualitative data analysis, the research results have developed the STEAMER hybrid learning project model based on learning theory, syntax, social systems, support systems, and the instructional impact of learning models. The results of the validation show that the developed learning model is feasible in terms of model, material, media, and language experts. The model is suitable for elementary school teacher education. Furthermore, based on the perceptions of the teacher candidates, it is stated that the STEAMER hybrid learning project can develop the ability of the teacher candidates to think creatively and computationally.</p>

What does a history teacher do? Knowing, understanding, and enacting the work of teaching history

This study considers the questions, “How do teacher candidates conceptualize the relationship among historians, history teachers, and history students?” and “How is this understanding revealed in candidates’ representation of the work they do in classrooms as history teachers?” Using a case study approach, researchers gathered data from fifteen teacher candidates in a teacher preparation program in the Midwestern United States. The data consisted of participants’ responses to three questions (What do historians do? What do history teachers do? What do history students do?) and their selections of and rationale for including artifacts in a portfolio designed to showcase “who they are” as history teachers as represented by their developing pedagogical content knowledge in history. The researchers’ findings reveal a discrepancy exists between teacher candidates’ emerging beliefs about their responsibilities as teachers and the work that they chose to highlight after having completed clinical experiences. Specifically, the findings suggest a critical disconnect exists between what teacher candidates are taught about teaching history, what they believe about teaching history, and the opportunities that they have in clinical experiences to enact these ideas. This research highlights the central yet often unexamined role of emerging teachers’ epistemic understandings in shaping opportunities for pedagogical reform in history.

Preparing Inclusive Early Childhood Educators (PIECE): A conceptualization of multilingualism, English learning, and inclusivity

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to share the examination of inclusivity as a paradigm for fostering authenticity and agency (Moore, 2017) among teacher candidates. This framing challenges the notion of inclusion as a tool of meritocracy used to manage learners through expectations that uphold monolingualism, decenter racial histories, and rely on rigid behavior plans. In this work, the authors interrogate the impact inclusion as assimilation has on English learners' authentic ways of knowing and being. Thus, they present a conceptualization of spaces of difference (Agbenyaga & Klibthong, 2012) within the context of an Inclusive Early Childhood Teacher Education (IECTE) program and the objectives of the Preparing Inclusive Early Childhood Educators (PIECE) project. With its rigorous coursework, clinical experiences, multi‐tiered mentorship, and practice‐based professional development, the PIECE project aims to develop inclusive early childhood educators at the preservice and in‐service levels. Infused throughout the PIECE project is an emphasis on cultivating the knowledge and skills needed to provide high‐quality instruction that improves educational outcomes for English learners (ELs). Frameworks of transformative theory and intersectionality perspectives provided the authors with a grounding for the work within the PIECE project community of learners (i.e., teacher candidates, teacher educators, and school district partners). This article summarizes critical concepts of inclusivity centered in the PIECE project work. These concepts include (1) understanding oneself to look beyond; (2) disrupting notions of normalcy and naturalized language; and (3) reconceptualizing inclusivity as a social justice act.

Elementary school teachers candidates’ perceptions of tpack ownership: Teaching assistance program

The TPACK mastery parameter signals qualified elementary school teacher candidates. The aim of the present study is to investigate a) how elementary school teacher candidates in the Teaching Assistance program perceived TPACK ownership and b) what factors influenced TPACK ownership. This is a case study for Ganesha University of Education's Elementary School Teacher Education study program in Indonesia. Mix methods were employed, with an explanatory sequential mixed method design. This study included elementary school teacher education students in semester VI who participated in the teaching assistance program. There were 174 people in total, with an 87% response rate to the questionnaire. We collected data through a questionnaire, interview, and document study. We analyzed the data to determine the percentage of quantitative data and used thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings revealed that primary school teacher candidates' perceptions of TPACK ownership were not optimal, particularly in certain aspects that were critical for becoming teachers. This paper describes TPACK ownership in each domain, as well as factors that influenced TPACK, and gives some recommendations.

EduQuestioning mobile learning application: a catalyst for developing HOTS-based assessment questions referring to Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Mobile learning application for assisting teachers or preservice teachers to develop questions based on higher-order thinking skills had not been widely invented. Thus, this study aimed to develop EduQuestioning mobile learning application that could help teachers or teacher candidates create assessment questions based on higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). The present study used research and development design by involving developmental stages of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE). This study involved qualitative and quantitative data. There were eight lecturers and sixty-one preservice teachers majoring in mathematics, natural science, social science, and Indonesian language education involved as the participants. They were chosen using inclusion criteria such as being involved in assessment course. Data were collected using forum group discussion, student-needs analysis questionnaire, Aiken and Expanded Gregorian Index content validity sheet, face validity sheet, and structured response questionnaire. The obtained qualitative data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s theory and the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Swanson’s quartile categorization. Results showed that EduQuestioning mobile learning application could be developed through ADDIE stages with a very high content and face validity. In addition, the participants gave positive response on the use of EduQuestioning with M% > 75% and Q = 4. This study suggested that EduQuestioning mobile learning application could be accessed freely and used to train developing HOTS-based learning assessment questions.

The Evaluation of Metaphoric Perceptions of the Concept of “Geography” by Geography Teacher Candidates

This study was carried out to reveal the metaphors by geography teacher candidates about the concept of “Geography.” The data of the study were collected with qualitative research method and the study was carried out on the pattern of phenomenology. The data were subjected to content analysis. In order to determine the students’ perceptions about the concept of geography, a semistructured form was prepared, and this form included the sentence of “Geography is like a/an ..........., because ........” Students were asked to complete this sentence in the form. When the findings of the study were evaluated, it was seen that 86 valid metaphors had been produced by the students. These metaphors were coded in terms of their common features and 8 different conceptual categories were created. The prominent ones of these categories were “Geography as the source of discovery and learning,” “Geography as the source of diversity,” “Geography as similar to humanity,” “Geography as the source of peace and acceptance,” and metaphor numbers and frequencies of these categories were high.

Opinions of Education Faculty Students About Refugees in Turkey

Migration has been a constant in human history, presenting various economic, social, and cultural challenges. The integration of immigrants into society, particularly in terms of language and education, plays a crucial role in fostering social harmony. While Turkey has made progress in its integration policies, challenges persist, including socio-cultural and economic disparities among refugees. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of education faculty students on the refugee situation in Turkey, revealing insights into foreign policy, sustainability, territorial integrity, and safety concerns. The study was conducted using the qualitative research design of a case study method. 55 teacher candidates participated voluntarily, and their views on refugees living in Turkey were obtained through focus group interviews. Participants emphasized the need for stable foreign policies and highlighted language education as essential for successful integration. They expressed apprehensions about the potential security risks associated with refugees and advocated for greater societal awareness and proactive measures. Ultimately, addressing the refugee issue requires both policy adjustments and heightened societal sensitivity.

Grappling with wicked problems: teacher professionalism and pedagogical mappings for reparative futures

ABSTRACT Wicked problems confront educators to consider whether K-12 education is fulfilling its promise for more equitable futures. This challenge demands teachers understand how past and present are implicated in the formation of injustice and its repair as central to their professional practice. In this context, we ask: How can the professional educator grapple with a history of systemic violence without being paralyzed or overwhelmed? To answer this question, we draw on our experience as teacher educators in a course on teacher professionalism. More specifically, we use pedagogical mappings to trace the difficult work of teacher candidates and teacher educators in self-examination when dealing with wicked problems in education. We suggest that teachers’ ability to identify the thinking and affective patterns that prevent them from engaging with difficult histories is key in committing to reparative futures. We close by offering three provocations to think about how these patterns can help teacher candidates and teacher educators alike forge a professional identity committed to the repair of educational injustices.

Remote teaching and learning for teacher candidates: mentor teacher perspectives

PurposeThis study offers implications for remote mentoring within school university partnerships based on a qualitative study focused on how three experienced mentor teachers within a long-standing Professional Development School (PDS) partnership adapted to remote mentoring during emergency remote teaching in the 2020–2021 school year.Design/methodology/approachData was collected through interviews with three teachers and analyzed following qualitative methods to identify themes. Data is presented in case studies describing their remote mentoring practices.FindingsFindings indicate that in the context of strong school–university partnerships, these mentor teachers were successful in adapting their mentoring of teacher candidates to a remote modality and that the benefits to collaborators within the partnership were like those documented in traditional, in-person mentorship. The challenges these teachers overcame include establishing relationships and providing adequate supervision.Research limitations/implicationsThe results offer rich insights into the experiences of mentor teachers when conditions necessitate a change in instructional modality and create implications for innovation in mentorship of teacher candidates, particularly in remote mentorship settings.Practical implicationsSchool–university partnerships should be maintained during emergencies because of the benefits to all partners, most notably to prek-5 students. We recommend that articulated agreements be revisited and modified to address potential future emergencies. The value of establishing and maintaining strong PDS partnerships should not be undervalued during times of emergency.Social implicationsTeacher preparation programs can sustain the important work of educating teachers through challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic most effectively when they work in partnership with prek-12 schools. Use of technology in innovative ways, such as remote mentoring, can support teacher preparation when in-person clinical experiences are limited.Originality/valueThis study offers initial data on remote mentoring, an innovative mentoring approach which has, to this point, been the subject of limited empirical investigation. Additionally, as remote educational opportunities for prek-5 learners increase, teacher preparation programs may choose to utilize remote mentoring in PDS programming, making this data of particular value.

Investigation of the Competencies of Teacher Candidates in Using Web 2.0 Tools

This study aimed to examine the web 2.0 tool usage competencies of Turkish and Turkish language and literature teacher candidates. The participants' proficiency with Web 2.0 tools was assessed in this context based on several characteristics. 279 teacher candidates (219 female and 59 males) were the subjects of the study, which was carried out at an eastern Turkish university. The data was gathered using Google Docs (Google Forms) and the “Web 2.0 Tools Usage Competency Scale (WAKYÖ)” created by Çelik (2021) as the data gathering method. The results of the study indicate that the digital competency of teacher applicants is frequently in the medium range. The results show that while most teacher applicants use social media, they don't use it frequently. In the gender-based examination, male teacher candidates performed much better than female teacher candidates when using Web 2.0 tools. However, an analysis of age groups shows that there are no discernible differences in Web 2.0 tool proficiency. The examination conducted based on the department or main science that each student pursued at the university revealed that teacher candidates with varying degrees of education possessed comparable levels of digital proficiency. However, there was no discernible difference in the analyses conducted based on the individuals' devices, their use of social media, the amount of time they spent on it each day, and whether or not they had taken computer or information technology courses during their undergraduate studies. The results showed no appreciable variation based on family income level. The results suggest that the focus of educational activities should be on more effective ways to improve digital skills. This makes it obvious that specialized training and support programs should be developed to fulfill the requirements of teacher candidates while taking into consideration factors like academic specialization and gender.

Artificial intelligence applications in education: Natural language processing in detecting misconceptions

AbstractThis study aims to determine the misconceptions of teacher candidates about the greenhouse effect concept by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm instead of human experts. The Knowledge Discovery from Data (KDD) process model was preferred in the study where the Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate (ADDIE) instructional design cycle was used. The dataset obtained from 402 teacher candidates was analysed by Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods. Data was classified using Machine Learning (ML), one of the AI tools, and supervised learning algorithms. It was concluded that 175 teacher candidates did not have sufficient knowledge about the concept of greenhouse effect. It was found that the AI algorithm with the highest accuracy rate and used to predict teacher candidates’ misconceptions was Multilayer Perceptron (MLP). Furthermore, through the Enhanced Ensemble Model Architecture developed by researchers, the combination of ML algorithms has achieved the highest accuracy rate. The kappa (κ) value was examined in determining the significant difference between the AI algorithm and the human expert evaluation, and it was found that there was a significant difference, and the strength of agreement was significant according to the research findings. The findings of the current study represent a significant alternative to the prevailing pedagogical approach, which has increasingly come to rely on information technologies in the process of improving conceptual understanding through the detection of conceptual misconceptions. In addition, recommendations were made for future studies.

Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Views of Children’s Literature on Climate Change

In today’s elementary classrooms, students face an uncertain future, standing to inherit a world characterized by environmental unsustainability. Therefore, elementary teachers must educate their students on anthropogenic climate change to increase the likelihood that future generations will mitigate its risks. This article documents the perspectives on children’s literature depicting climate change held by 27 Teacher Candidates in a conservative, oil-producing region of a U.S. state. The results show a low likelihood of participants self-censoring the topic of climate change compared with other frequently censored topics (i.e., gender, sexuality, and race). However, they report accepting others’ views on climate change even when those views contradict settled climate science. This implies a need for more directed preparation for elementary teachers to actively negotiate with their students to ensure they develop research-aligned perspectives on climate change.

Becoming and being a critical language teacher educator: A duoethnography

AbstractLanguage teacher educator (LTE) identity development is an emerging field exploring how LTEs learn to teach and negotiate their identities and how their identity construction processes help teacher candidates learn. The complexity of the issue has prompted researchers to explore their professional journeys and experiences in various contexts from differing perspectives. Still, the field is constantly evolving as LTEs strive to understand the multifaceted nature of the profession and its implications for teacher education. Within this perspective, through a duoethnographic study, in this research the authors aim to explore how they construct, negotiate, and enact their critical LTE identities and agency as two Turkish‐speaking, mid‐career English language teacher educators situated currently in two different higher education institutions in Türkiye. The researchers collected lengthy personal narratives recounting their experiences and thematically analyzed them through iterative coding. Three major themes concerning their meso and micro contexts emerged: their trajectories in becoming LTEs, issues of belonging and marginalization, negotiating their LTE identities, and exercising agency. Their narratives indicate how they followed different trajectories to become teacher educators, were positioned as others in their institutional settings, legitimized their LTE identities in time, and became empowered to practice their aspired identities. Despite being marginalized in different contexts, their narratives show they have consistently created counter‐hegemonic discursive and experiential spaces in their classrooms and institutional contexts as micro‐level policy‐makers enacting their critical LTE identities.

Building French-as-a-Second-Language Teacher Candidates’ Linguistic Confidence through Drama-Based Activities

French-as-a-second-language (FSL) teacher candidates’ French proficiency and confidence are key indicators of recruitment and retention of FSL teachers. This paper outlines a pilot project, the Conversation Club, that was used to address linguistic insecurity and proficiency in FSL teacher candidates at one university. The Conversation Club was a drop-in 1-hour session conducted over 5 weeks where participants conversed, played games, and participated in dramatic activities entirely in French. The findings from this pilot project demonstrate how linguistic confidence of FSL teacher candidates can be improved with only a few short sessions in French. Further, participants developed their pedagogical knowledge and skills through experiential learning by participating in activities that they could in turn implement in their FSL classrooms. Last, participants developed a social network of support. Findings support the benefit of implementing low-pressure, game-focused drop-in French-language support group within FSL teacher preparation programs to support FSL teachers’ linguistic confidence and, potentially, FSL teacher retention. An outline of the club and suggestions for implementation are included in the appendices of this article.