Third-year Pre-service Teachers Research Articles

Pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK): their readiness for online instruction

ABSTRACT Rapid changes and greater complexities bring new difficulties and place new expectations on our educational system. Teacher education programs must adapt to these changes and train pre-service teachers in various learning modalities. This study determined the readiness of pre-service teachers to teach online based on their technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) when they are grouped based on their profile. Through proportional random sampling, 400 third-year pre-service teachers were surveyed using comparative research. No significant difference in the readiness of pre-service teachers to online instruction based on their TPACK when grouped according to their sex and specialization. However, it was found that the respondents when grouped according to their specialization were different in terms of their Technological Knowledge and Technological Content Knowledge. This study suggests that as the era of technological changes emerged, the abilities of preservice teachers must be highly targeted to cope with dramatic changes in the educational landscape.

The Effect of a SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) Intervention Program Based on Emotional Regulation and Metacognitive Awareness for Special Education Preservice Teachers Experiencing Adapted Teaching in Mathematics.

This study's aim was to examine the influence of a unique intervention program based on emotional self-awareness and the development of emotional regulation as an important component of SEL combined with metacognitive awareness. Seventy-two third-year preservice teachers participated for one year, tutoring a mathematically challenged student. This intervention was applied to an experimental group where each participant learned to assess his/her emotional state using a special ruler prior to teaching a lesson, and according to the ruler's assessment results, the preservice teacher was assisted by a variety of emotional regulations as well as metacognitive strategies. A control group learned only metacognitive strategies. This study's results indicated that experimental group participants showed notable improvement in cognitive reappraisal post-intervention compared to the control group, which showed no change. For metacognitive awareness, in both research groups, an increase was apparent post-intervention. Nevertheless, a comparison of the effect size of differences between the two measurement points indicated that the experimental group exhibited a greater improvement in metacognitive regulation compared to the control group. A significant positive correlation was found in the experimental group between cognitive reappraisal and metacognitive regulation. Assimilation and training of emotional skills among preservice teachers during training are necessary.

Selected demographic variables as predictors of Ghanaian preservice teachers’ perceptions of the teacher licensure test

This study examined Ghanaian preservice teachers’ perceptions of the newly introduced teacher licensure test in 2018. Data were obtained from an online survey of third-year preservice teachers selected from 16 of 46 public colleges of education in Ghana. By adapting an existing instrument, we created an 11-item scale, which was theoretically categorised into five components: utility of the test, college preparation, consequences, emphasis on the test, and other certification tests. The participants’ scores on each component were regressed on four predictor variables: information about the test, the student’s sex, prior teaching experience, and programme of study. The results showed that students’ sex was predictive of the utility of the test, college preparation, and emphasis on the test. Prior teaching experience was also predictive of the emphasis placed on the test and the need for other certification tests. Preservice teachers’ exposure to information about the test was associated with their perceptions of the utility of the test, the need for college preparation, and the use of other certification tests. Implications for teacher preparation and education are discussed, especially in relation to the identification of alternative certifications.

Probing the quality of preservice teachers’ pedagogical reasoning & action (PR&A) in internships

This study's theoretical foundations are pedagogical reasoning and action (PR&A) and the crucial role of internships in developing PR&A in preservice teachers. Relatively few studies analyse the quality of real and recent PR&A during internships. In this study, we probe the quality of third-year pre-service teachers' pedagogical reasoning in relation to their actual recent internship practice (PR&A) based on interviews. Three different PR&A profiles emerged. These profiles connect knowledge and orientations in PR&A and may help teacher education institutes to appraise their students' PR&A quality.

COPING STRATEGIES USED BY PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS TO OVERCOME WRITING CHALLENGES

This study aimed to determine the challenges encountered by pre-service teachers in the writing process and the coping strategies they used to cope with these challenges. For this purpose, being one of the qualitative research methods, the case study was used. Based on existing writing models in the literature, the study group of the research included 69 third-year pre service teachers who studied in the Turkish Language Teaching program of a state university during the 2018-2019 academic year. Prior to the data collection, the participants were asked to write a 1500-2000-word essay in the triangle of “reader-writer-context”. Next, they were asked to answer two open-ended questions were asked and they were asked to answer these questions and descriptive analysis technique was used to analyze the data. When the writing difficulties experienced by the pre-service teachers in the writing process were examined, it was determined that they had the most writing challenges at the process level, followed by the writing difficulties at the control level, and the least at the resource level. Coping strategies used by pre-service teachers in response to their writing challenges in the writing process, it was determined that coping strategies aimed at providing cognitive support were used the most, which was followed by coping strategies towards providing instrumental support, and strategies towards creating affective support. In conclusion, problems encountered in the professional training process and the ability to come up with solutions for these problems will be the predictor of the potential resolutions created by pre-service teachers for the problems they might face while performing their own professions.

Initial Teacher Education students' conceptualisation of inclusive education

Policy and legislative frameworks in South Africa mandate inclusive education that, given the contextual realities of classrooms, requires teachers to be responsive to diversity. There is, however, an identified gap between policy ideals and enactment that is exacerbated by a lack of conceptual clarity regarding the nature of inclusive education and practice that is still viewed by many as being limited to considerations of special needs rather than broader considerations of diversity as well. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has a role to play in challenging and disrupting teacher thinking to support conceptualisations of inclusive education that position teachers' responsiveness to diversity. We used the Inclusive Pedagogical Approach in Action (IPAA) Framework (Florian & Spratt, 2013) since it focuses on inclusive pedagogy as a way of thinking about and practising inclusion to support the learning of all. We conducted the qualitative research at a public urban university in Johannesburg, South Africa with 200 third-year preservice teachers. We analysed the data by considering preservice teachers' reflections on adapting content knowledge, their thinking about learner needs, and their selection of teaching and learning strategies. Findings indicate that preservice teachers were engaging with the theoretical foundations of inclusive education; they demonstrated awareness about issues of diversity but struggled to establish learners' diverse needs and how to address these in practice. This study suggests that preservice teachers' conceptualisations of inclusive education must be given consideration and that they require robust training on how to enact inclusive pedagogy. We recommend continued support for preservice teachers in building their capacity to enhance responsiveness in inclusive practice through ITE programmes and further research.

Ortaokul Matematik Öğretmen Adaylarının Dağılım Kavramına İlişkin Anlamalarının İncelenmesi

Bu çalışmada ortaokul matematik öğretmen adaylarının dağılım ve bununla ilişkili kavramlara ilişkin anlamalarını ortaya çıkarmak amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla nitel araştırma desenlerinden fenomenografik araştırma yöntemi kullanılmış ve 66 üçüncü sınıf öğretmen adayı ile çalışılmıştır. Lee ve Meletiou-Mavrotheris (2003) çalışmasından yararlanılarak hazırlanan etkinlikler yardımıyla öğretmen adaylarıyla görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler ölçülmek istenen bilgi ve beceriler kapsamında analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular öğretmen adaylarının bağlama uygun histogramın eksenlerini isimlendirebilmede, dağılım grafiği oluşturabilmeye göre daha başarılı olduklarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Dağılım grafiğinden yola çıkarak gerçek yaşam durumlarını değerlendirememişlerdir. Verilen dağılımın grafiksel gösterimi ile değişkenlik arasında bağlantı kurmakta zorlanmışlardır. Farklı bağlamlar üzerinde çalışmaları istendiğinde ise öğretmen adaylarının doğru cevaplara bile yanlış akıl yürütmelerle ulaştıkları gözlenmiştir. Burada hareketle öğretmen adaylarının dağılım ve bu kavramla ilişkili kavramlar arasındaki ilişkileri fark etmelerine yönelik etkinliklerle meşgul olmaları ve bu kavramlar üzerine tartışmaları önerisi dile getirilmiştir.

COMPARACIÓN SOBRE LA ACTITUD HACIA LAS MATEMÁTICAS EN ESTUDIANTES DE 5.º DE EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA, 2.º DE ESO Y 3.º DEL GRADO DE MAESTRO

Esta investigación estudió la actitud hacia las matemáticas. La muestra de este estudio fueron 121 estudiantes de quinto grado de educación primaria, 75 estudiantes de segundo de educación secundaria obligatoria y 57 estudiantes de tercer año del grado de Educación Primaria. Para llevar a cabo el estudio se usó la Escala de Actitud hacia las Matemáticas (EAM). La EAM comprende cinco factores: agrado, ansiedad, motivación, utilidad y confianza. Los resultados obtenidos evidenciaron una diferencia estadísticamente significativa entre los tres grupos de estudio. Los estudiantes de quinto grado de primaria obtuvieron mejores puntuaciones en la EAM que los estudiantes de segundo de ESO y tercero del grado de maestros. Por otro lado, los estudiantes de tercero de universidad obtuvieron la puntuación más baja de los tres grupos. Los estudiantes a maestro obtuvieron una puntuación más baja de la media aritmética en todas las preguntas. El estudio presentado en este trabajo puede ser útil para revisar los contenidos de la asignatura de matemáticas.

Dialogic Teaching in a Teacher Education College: An Analysis of Teacher Educator and Pre-service Teacher Talk in Physics Classrooms

The purpose of this case study was to determine the functions of pre-service teachers’ talk and to explore how the teacher educator supports the development of conceptual understanding in a dialogic classroom setting. The participants in the study were a physics teacher educator who employed dialogic teaching to teach mechanics and 52 third-year pre-service teachers at a college of teacher education in Ethiopia. Data for the study were collected through video-recorded classroom observations of three 90-minute lessons. The Kumpulainen and Wray typology of functions of talk were used to determine the functional categories and their relative frequencies in pre-service teachers’ talk. Mortimer and Scott’s forms of teacher intervention were used to explore the nature of the teacher educator’s support in developing understanding. The findings of the study indicated that the pre-service teachers used their classroom talk for a variety of purposes, mainly for providing responses to the teacher’s questions, describing reasons and expressing disagreements in the group discussion. It was also shown that explanation, questioning, providing examples and illustrations, exploring understanding, clarifying group work activities, and encouraging for justification were among the strategies mainly used by the teacher educator to assist knowledge construction.

Developing Pre-Service Teachers’ Mathematics TPACK through an Integrated Pedagogical Course

Lesson planning and presentation are regarded as an effective method that allows pre-service teachers to gain experience in the instructional processes and improve teaching skills. Lesson Portfolio and Presentations, not only is utilized as a method for increasing the quality of a teacher’s education, but also used to research the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The purpose was to investigate changes in pre-service teachers’ TPACK from their lesson portfolio and presentation practices conducted under the TPACK framework. The participants are 22 third-year pre-service teachers. An analysis was performed based on specific concepts from the projects, which had been developed to reveal the changes in pre-service teachers’ TPACK components. Content analysis was used to analyze the observation forms, self-evaluations, videos and interviews. The study’s findings indicate that pre-service teachers use GeoGebra tools to attain what they had specified in their instructional plans. When considered in terms of the TPACK components, pre-service teachers made noticeable progress.

Pre-service teachers’ action research: technology education lesson planning in a South African University

ABSTRACT Effective lesson planning promotes good teaching and the implementation of curriculum policy. Lesson planning enables teachers to determine appropriate lesson objectives, teaching and learning activities, and teaching methods. Effective lesson planning stimulates teachers to evaluate their instructional strategies and to reflect on how to improve their teaching. Action research was conducted in this study to improve the ways in which participating third-year pre-service teachers planned their lessons. Deficiencies were identified and corrected using the Kemmis Action Research model: plan, act, observe, and reflect. The study revealed that pre-service teachers find it difficult to grasp what influences them to select teaching methods and outline teaching and learning activities. It also emphasised that pre-service teachers should first comprehend the content to be taught prior to selecting the teaching and learning activities, as well as the instructional strategies to be used. As a result of the action research described here, the third-year pre-service students were able to prepare appropriate lesson plans.

Mathematics anxiety among pre-service accounting teachers

Pre-service accounting teachers perform a variety of calculations in accounting courses, for example, they calculate and compare company financial ratios, calculate dividends, interests, and variances. Mathematics is thus a crucial tool for performing accounting calculations. This paper reports on a study designed in order to investigate pre-service accounting teachers’ mathematics anxiety with respect to accounting. The Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Anxiety Scale (F-SMAS), with established reliability and validity, was applied. A cross-sectional data set containing demographic details and attitudes towards mathematics anxiety was collected and quantitative responses of 255 first-, second-, and third-year pre-service teachers were analysed. In addition, semi-structured interviews with 18 pre-service accounting teachers, 6 from each level, were conducted. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was employed. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences for quantitative data, and semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed qualitatively. The study revealed that the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Anxiety Scale score is slightly above neutral. Qualitative results reveal that even mathematically competent students are not free from mathematics anxiety. Based on these findings it was concluded that mathematics anxiety affects and influences the way students learn and perform accounting calculations. Keywords: accounting; accounting calculations; mathematics anxiety; pre-service accounting teachers

Examining the business education curricula in South Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the business education curricula in South Africa in relation to social entrepreneurship and to ascertain pre-service teachers’ perspectives of the reasons for social entrepreneurship not being included in these curricula as observed in classroom teaching practices.Design/methodology/approachThrough interpretivist inquiry, third-year pre-service teachers’ (n=92) comments on online group blogs were analysed to clarify a range of meanings and understandings of their responses.FindingsSocial entrepreneurship as a concept and as an ideal as well as certain fundamental concept is not adequately integrated in the business education curricula in secondary schools in South Africa. Furthermore, the schools where the pre-service teachers conducted their teaching practice were failing to integrate activities associated with social entrepreneurship in their business education curricula.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to a single tertiary institution. Similar studies in both developing and developed contexts in schools could be initiated as a means of teaching social entrepreneurship for social justice as a subject efficaciously.Practical implicationsThe study recommends that social entrepreneurship should be implemented earlier in the secondary education system as a means of enhancing the social entrepreneurial capacities of school learners.Originality/valueThis is the first study examining the secondary education curricula in a developing economy, such as South Africa, in relation to the absence of the emerging concept of social entrepreneurship.

Introducing an ePortfolio into Practicum-Based Units: Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Effective Support

ePortfolios are gaining momentum as a preferred way for graduates to demonstrate current and developing capabilities against industry standards. Effective training is essential for new graduates to produce quality and competitive ePortfolios. This research focused on the perspective of pre-service teachers on the effectiveness of learning opportunities provided to increase confidence and skills in developing an ePortfolio in an Australian four-year undergraduate degree. The initial phase of this research employed a survey to examine the perspective of 132 second-year and 105 third-year pre-service teachers. Results indicated that for the second-year cohort there was a minimal increase in the levels of confidence across all areas. In contrast, the third-year pre-service teachers showed some increase in confidence in developing an ePortfolio and understanding its purpose. While the findings from this study emphasised the pre-service teachers’ need for ongoing hands-on support, it also highlighted their reluctance to seek support at an independent level.

Pre-service accounting teachers’ attitudes to mathematics

Mathematics proficiency has an acknowledged impact on students’ accounting grades. Success in this core business subject is dependent on students’ mathematical aptitude, attitude and type of secondary schooling. Our study investigated accounting students’ attitudes to mathematics on domains of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales (F-SMAS) and identified demographic variables in overall attitudes to mathematics, which are pertinent to higher education pedagogy for accountancy. Eight of nine F-SMAS with established reliability and validity were used for the study. A cross-sectional data set containing demographic details and attitudes to mathematics were collected, and quantitative responses of 255 first-, second- and third-year pre-service teachers were analysed. The F-SMAS scores were strongly positive, except for mathematics anxiety, where the score was slightly above neutral. The distribution of scores showed that there are first- and second-year students who experience mathematics anxiety, and have low scores in other domains, while third-year students are less anxious. The results also revealed more positive overall attitude to mathematics from specific categories of students, who also more frequently indicated parents and teachers as sources of support and encouragement for mathematics studies. Keywords: accounting; attitudes; mathematics; pre-service accounting teachers; teaching

Examining Changes in Preservice Mathematics Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge from their Microteaching

Microteaching is regarded as an effective method that allows preservice teachers to gain the experience of instructional processes and is used to improve teaching skills in an environment similar to a real classroom. Microteaching, which is utilized as a method for increasing the quality of a teacher’s education, is also used in research studies conducted within the scope of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to observe changes in preservice teachers’ TPCK from their microteaching practices conducted under a conceptual TPCK framework. The participants are 52 third-year preservice teachers. An analysis was performed based on specific themes from the application, which had been developed to reveal the changes in preservice teachers’ conceptual framework of TPCK components. Content analysis was used to analyze the observation forms, self-evaluations, and transcriptions from the interviews on the self-evaluations for the effects over their procedural changes within the context of the themes. The study’s findings indicate that preservice teachers use the technological tools to attain what they had specified in their instructional plans. Also when considered in terms of the TPCK components, preservice teachers made remarkable progress.

Analysis of Discussion Board Interaction in an Online Peer-Mentoring Site

This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis and Social Network Analysis to examine an online peer mentoring site created to unite first-year and third-year preservice teachers enrolled in an undergraduate teacher education program. The peer mentoring site was developed to provide both first-year preservice teachers and more experienced peers the opportunity to discuss, share, and learn both from and with one another. The study demonstrated that the online peer mentoring site supported valuable interactions and professional communications among first-year and third-year students. In particular, the preservice teachers engaged with one another to share their experiences and learning as they prepared to be teachers. This study has implications for the field of undergraduate education in its demonstration that an online peer mentoring site can allow for the cultivation of learning, ideas and knowledge exchange, and support of students learning in informal environments. This research also has implications for future research to determine how different populations of students use an online peer mentoring site to interact with their peers and the outcomes that emerge. Such data could inform future development of peer mentoring sites and similar learning spaces.

Balancing the pros and cons of GMOs: socio-scientific argumentation in pre-service teacher education

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the role of the discursive process in the act of scientific knowledge building. Specifically, it links scientific knowledge building to risk perception of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). To this end, this study designed and implemented a three-stage argumentation programme giving pre-service teachers (PSTs) the opportunity to consider, discuss and construct shared decisions about GMOs. The study involved 101 third-year PSTs from two different classes, randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The study utilised both quantitative and qualitative methods. During the quantitative phase, researchers administered a pre- and post-intervention scale to measure both groups’ risk perception of GMOs. During the qualitative phase, data were collected from the experimental group alone through individual and group reports and an open-ended questionnaire. T-test results showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups’ risk perception of GMOs. Qualitative analysis also revealed differences, for example, in PSTs’ weighing of the pros and cons of scientific research demonstrating positive results of GMOs. In addition, PSTs’ acceptance of GMOs increased. Consequently, this study suggests that developing familiarity with scientific enterprise may play an effective role in adopting a scientific perspective as well as a more balanced risk perception of GMOs.

‘I felt like I was watching porn’: the reality of preparing pre-service teachers to teach about sexual pleasure

Overwhelmingly, school-based sexuality education programmes focus on the prevention of infection, pregnancy and abuse, with little if any attention given to positive views of sexuality and rarely the inclusion of sex positive issues such as pleasure, intimacy and desire. This paper explores the experience of teaching about pleasure to pre-service health and physical education teachers as part of compulsory studies in a unit on sexuality education designed to prepare them to teach sexuality education in secondary schools. Drawing on the aims, theoretical framework, content and pedagogical structure of the unit, and data collected from 42, third-year pre-service teachers (PST) in Australia via surveys and student assessment, the paper provides some practical examples of what teaching about pleasure might look like in practice. It argues that with adequate preparation, a framework to celebrate sex and sexuality, a gender lens to examine normative discourses, and the opportunity for reflection, PST can develop the confidence, skill and willingness to include pedagogies of pleasure in their school-based work.

To rubric or not to rubric? The effects of self-assessment on self-regulation, performance and self-efficacy

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of situations in which self-assessment was conducted using rubrics and situations in which no specific self-assessment tool was used. Two hundred and eighteen third-year pre-service teachers were assigned to either non-rubric or rubric self-assessment for designing a conceptual map. They then assessed their own maps. The dependent variables were self-regulation measured through a questionnaire and an open question on learning strategies use, performance based on an expert-assigned score, accuracy comparing self-scores with the expert’s scores and task stress using one self-reported item. The results showed that the rubric group reported higher learning strategies use, performance and accuracy. However, the rubric group also reported more problems coping with stress and higher performance/avoidance self-regulation that was detrimental to learning.