Pre-service Teacher Training Research Articles

History teachers’ conceptualization of competency-based curriculum in transforming instructional practices in lower secondary schools in Tanzania

History teachers impart knowledge and foster students' competencies required in the contemporary world using past experiences. Drawing from this perspective, this study explores how history teachers interpret competency-based curriculum and apply it in instructional practices. A hermeneutic phenomenology design was employed and data were collected using semi-structured interviews with History teachers in Tanzania secondary schools. Teaching processes were also observed. Data were analyzed thematically. Varied conceptions of competency-based curriculum and the nature of history knowledge, as a subject were revealed. However, teachers could not comprehensively integrate their understanding of the curriculum and history knowledge to transform their instructional practices to develop students' desired competencies. The study recommends improving teachers’ understanding of curriculum reforms and instructional practices in history by responsible education authorities. • Globally, traditional teacher-centred approaches are being replaced by student-centred and competency-based approaches. • History subject has the potential to promote vast competencies which are applicable in real situations. • Previously, history subject was perceived as mere narrations of the past and was dominated by transmission approaches. • Strengthening pre-service and in-service teacher training, and improving contextual factors is crucial for teachers' effective integration of CBC in history teaching.

History Education during COVID-19: Reflections from Makerere University, Uganda

The COVID-19 pandemic forced most governments in Africa to temporarily close educational institutions in attempt to reduce the spread of the pandemic. In Uganda particularly, Higher Education Institutions, Universities and schools adopted the online and blended approaches to afford continuity of learning during the lockdown. This article provides a reflection of the opportunities, challenges and lessons learnt in teaching and learning of history during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data was obtained from a narrative inquiry of the researcher's own teaching experience and interviews with pre-service history teachers from Makerere University. Findings indicated that, while online and blended approaches facilitate history education through Makerere University e-Learning (MUELE) Learning Management System, WhatsApp exchanges, Zoom, emails, mobile phone text messaging and print media; there were persistent challenges such as limited Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools, digital illiteracy, digital divide, increased workloads as well as social-emotional stress and distractions at home. The article concludes with a key lesson for Teacher Education programmes to shift the way they train pre-service history teachers to embrace online learning with access to offline, downloadable, print learning materials to facilitate blended learning approaches. This is relevant in preparation of different generations of teachers to integrate blended pedagogy in History Education in response to the new normal caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teaching practicum in a pandemic context - challenges and solutions in the opinion of pre-service Romanian teachers

An essential component of the initial training of pre-service teachers, Teaching Practicum took place, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in special conditions, adapted to new realities in the field of interpersonal relationships and in the school world. The present study aims to inventory the positive / negative elements that pre-service Romanian teachers (students of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the “Al. I. Cuza” University of Iasi, Romania) have identified in Teaching Practicum in primary school, in the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 and in the two semesters of the academic year 2020-2021. This analysis allows both the diagnosis of the period and the difficulties encountered and the identification of solutions, opportunities to improve Teaching Practicum in different contexts.

Концепт-карти як засіб методологізації загальнопедагогічної підготовки майбутніх учителів

The article presents a general description of the means of providing methodology orientation of general pedagogical training of pre-service teachers and scientific and pedagogical workers. Theoretical and methodological principles of using concept maps in the process of general pedagogical training of prospective specialists in education, scientific approaches to the essence of the notions «concept», «conceptualization», the main provisions of the cognitive theory have been characterised. The semantic and functional characteristics of concept maps, the common and the different between concept maps and intelligence maps have been revealed. The stages of drawing up concept maps have been characterized. The peculiarities of concept maps as a means of providing methodology orientation of general pedagogical training of pre-service teachers. The factors that influence the effectiveness of the use of concept maps in the educational process of higher education have been identified. Examples of concept maps in the context of providing methodology orientation of general pedagogical training of pre-service teachers and scientific and pedagogical workers have been given.

The Tutor’s Role in the Online Training of Preservice Teachers: Tutor and Tutee Perspectives

Aim / Purpose This study examined the perception of the role of tutors in online training of preservice teachers during the COVID period, from the perspective of pre-service teachers and their tutors. Background Because of the COVID pandemic, learning in schools was conducted online, therefore preservice teachers’ practicum also took place online, as did the tutoring process. Methodology The research question was: How did preservice teachers and their tutors perceive the experience of teaching during the COVID period perceived by them; specifically, what was their sense of self-efficacy and satisfaction, and what difficulties did they encounter? This was a quantitative study. The sample included 221 participants comprising 111 tutors and 110 preservice teachers. Data were collected in Israel in 2021. Contribution This study sheds light on the process of online tutoring of preservice teachers by their tutors. Findings The study found that preservice teachers and their tutors perceived the practicum during the COVID period to be helpful, answering preservice teachers’ needs and providing professional assistance in their training. This was more so in the professional aspects of teaching, in the emotional aspects of the tutoring process, and in the process of shaping the preservice teachers’ professional identity, and less so in the organizational aspects of the school. In both groups (tutors and preservice teachers), it emerged that during a complex period of social isolation, maintaining contact reinforces the sense of self-efficacy. Tutors who encountered fewer technical difficulties and thought the tutoring process was enjoyable expressed more satisfaction with the tutoring process. Tutors felt that they were able to get better acquainted personally with the preservice teachers they taught, and vice versa, and preservice teachers were able to get to know their tutors personally. Tutors thought that their interpersonal communication benefitted the preservice teachers, that they listened to their mentees, and understood them. Preservice teachers felt that tutors allowed them to voice their expectations and concerns about their teaching experiences. Recommendations for practitioners One of the main goals of practicum in studies toward a teaching certificate is to prepare the students for their role as teachers. In the online tutoring process, emphasis should be placed on professional aspects (such as instruction and classroom management, identifying points for improvement and setting them as goals and challenges for the future) and on emotional aspects (such as promoting growth and personal development of preservice teachers in the process of shaping their professional identity). Recommendations for researchers One of the findings of the study is that the tutor-mentee relationship should be preserved in remote tutoring. The findings showed a positive correlation between maintaining such contact and high self-efficacy for both tutors and preservice teachers. It was found that tutors who reported high self-efficacy felt that interpersonal communication benefitted the teachers they were guiding. Impact on society Information collected in this study indicates that the tutors made a great effort to provide preservice teachers with meaningful coaching during the COVID period. In certain aspects, the tutoring was more successful and in other aspects less so, given the characteristics of the period, such as social distancing, no attendance of regular classes at school, and so forth. Future research It is recommended to continue investigating the online tutoring process, both from the perspective of preservice teachers and of tutors, to explore in-depth the correlation between self-efficacy and interpersonal communication, with emphasis on feedback between the tutors and preservice teachers.

Особенности профессиональной подготовки педагогов в университетах Финляндии

An overview of the distinctive features of teacher training in Finland, which has had high international student assessment scores for more than 20 years, is presented. The authors adapted the interdisciplinary method of PEST analysis to identify the political, economic, and social aspects of teacher training that enable students of Finnish schools to get high scores in PISA. Several generalized categories of the national education system in Finland are highlighted for analysis in the research. They are the main stages or levels of education, the features of educational policy and standardization of education, the methods of teaching, the content of education, the goals and values of teacher training and the development of a teacher’s personality. The following features of teacher training at Finnish universities have been identified: orientation towards alternative educational policy in contrast to unifying global education reforms; decentralization of planning, content and focus of the curricula in teacher training as a reflection of university autonomy; the significant prevalence of practical and research components over theoretical training of pre-service teachers. The main goal of teacher training is stated by universities and the professional expert community in general; it is supported by the parliament and is defined as training a reflective responsible teacher-researcher capable of making independent educational decisions within the framework of different models and principles of teaching.

유아특수교사와 유아교사의 놀이지원 역량 차이 탐색과 영향을 미치는 변인 분석

The purpose of this study was to analyze of the differences in play support competency of early childhood special education teachers and early childhood teachers and to determine what variables affect these differences if they are indeed present. The study involved a total of 239 participants including 124 early childhood special education teachers and 115 early childhood education teachers. The results of the study are as follows. First, there was no significant difference in the play support competency of early childhood special education teachers and early childhood teachers in all areas of curriculum operation, learning support, recording and evaluation, professional development, and relationship formation. Second, there was an interaction effect according to the subject of kindergarten establishment and the type of kindergarten establishment when it comes to play support competency of special education teachers and early childhood teachers. There was no difference between national, public, private, and corporate play support competency in the areas of curriculum operation, professional development, and relationship formation. However, national and public early childhood teachers had higher play support competency than private early childhood teachers. Third, there was an interaction effect according to the type of kindergarten on the play support competency of special education teachers and early childhood teachers. In the area of curriculum operation, early childhood special education teachers at public independent kindergarten had higher play support competency than early childhood special education teachers at elementary school annexed kindergartens. However, early childhood education teachers at elementary school annexed kindergartens had higher play support competency than early childhood education teachers at public independent kindergartens. In the future, we propse using this basic data in the pre-service training and in-service training of teachers to strengthen the play support competency of early childhood special education teachers and early childhood teachers.

영어 글쓰기 능력, 편향성, 채점시간이 예비 영어교사들의 채점 신뢰도에 미치는 영향

This study aims to investigate the rating performance of Korean pre-service secondary school English teachers. Twenty-seven secondary student teachers participated in both self and peer rating sessions because they scored 27 essays after they had written a one-page essay with the given topic. They were asked to make comments on essays, and rating time for each essay they spent right after they finished scoring each assessment criterion. The results exhibited that, first, most of the participants did consistently assign their scores, but no statistically significant association was found between their writing ability and their consistency in scoring. Second, some biases on self and peer rating were found. Participants showed that they tended to score the essays at the higher levels of proficiency more severely. On the contrary to this, they were likely to assign more lenient scores to the essays at the lower levels of proficiency. Third, the length of the rating time they spent was not directly related to maintaining intra-rater reliability. The findings of this study have some educational implications for training pre-service teachers.

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATORS ASSESSMENT OF ADEQUACY OF GOOGLE CLASSROOM APPLICATION AS TEACHING TOOLS IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMME, NIGERIA

Despite the increasing number of technologies and levels of educational technology provided by teacher education programmes, valid and high-level integration of technology into learning and teaching processes is not still as expected, like the Google classroom for learning. The study purposively investigated the adequacy of Google classroom application as a teaching tool in the training of pre-service teachers by their educators. Three specific purposes and questions were raised. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Pre-service teacher educators of the Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin constituted the target population. A simple random sampling procedure was adopted in the selection of 107 out of 197 Pre-service educators. A -14 item five-point-Likert scale researchers designed a questionnaire with psychometric properties of content validity of 0.90 and a reliability index of 0.81 was used to elicit the needed data from the respondents. The statistics collected were analysed using percentage, mean ranking and standard deviation. Moreover, the findings among others revealed that Google classroom application is not adequate for training pre-service teachers. Thus, it was recommended that Google classroom application should not be adopted in the teaching of pre-service teachers’ education programme since it was found not adequate

Reflective Practices in Inquiry Learning: Its Effectiveness in Training Pre-Service Teachers' Critical Thinking Viewed from Cognitive Styles

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of reflective practices in inquiry learning to train pre-service teachers' critical thinking skills viewed from cognitive styles. The quasi-experimental design was conducted with two sample groups given the same treatment at the pretest, reflective-inquiry practice learning, and posttest. Before the pretest, each sample was given GEFT (Group Embedded Figures Test) to determine the sample of the FI (field-independent) or FD (field dependent) cognitive style. Two sample groups were pre-service physics teachers (PPT) at two different universities in Mataram, Indonesia. The measurement of critical thinking employed essay tests. Critical thinking skills data were analyzed descriptively (mean difference scores of pretest-posttest and N-gain analysis) and statistically (independent sample t-test) employing SPSS software. The effectiveness of reflective inquiry learning is measured by increasing critical thinking scores where the minimum posttest has the "critical" criteria. The study results indicated that the tendency of cognitive style FI was more dominant than FD. The critical thinking measurement showed that each FD/FI group was categorized as "critical," and the increase of critical thinking scores in the two groups was categorized as a "moderate" category. In line with this, statistical analysis (hypothesis testing at a significance level of 0.05) showed no difference in the increase of critical thinking scores between PPT belonging to FD and FI. This study showed that the reflective practice in inquiry learning effectively improved the pre-service teachers' critical thinking skills with the FD and FI cognitive styles. Reflective practices are a new way of inquiry learning to train critical thinking and can be used as a reference for its structured implementation in regular lectures.

The Impact of the Seven Principles of Good Practice as a Teaching Technique on EFL Student –Teachers' Performance

The interest in pre-service teacher training has become influential in teaching English as a foreign language, and the purpose of this training course is to prepare qualified teachers to teach effectively through the application of this technique by undergraduate students. This research aims to find out the effect of using the seven principles of good practice as a teaching technique on the fourth stage student-teachers’ performance at the College of Education for Women/University of Baghdad, during the academic year 2017-2018. The sample includes (60) students selected according to the stratified sampling method. The observational checklist used by the department to assess the student teachers’ performance during the practicum period is used as a study instrument. This quantitative study used the quasi-experimental design of two independent samples, experimental control groups and the control group trained traditionally. The former group is designed to verify the hypothesis that states, “there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group trained by seven principles of good practice and that of the control group trained traditionally in their teaching performance”. The study has concluded that the hypothesis is rejected according to the result of the T-test of two independent samples. Accordingly, the researcher recommends the university administration to use new techniques in learning and overcoming the difficulties that the student teachers face and the shortcoming encountered during the educational process.

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS TRAINING FOR THE FORMATION OF SUBJECT-SUBJECT EDUCATIONAL RELATIONS WITH STUDENTS

The article, based on the methodological and theoretical analysis of scientific works, deals with the essence and specifics of professional training of pre-service teachers to form subject-subject educational relationships with students.It was found that the main tendency of study the willingness of the pre-service teacher to form subject-subject relations is to define their training as a holistic complex multilevel personal development. It is established that the integrity of the professional training of pre-service teachers in the development of the educational relationships should be considered in the unity of interdependent and interdependent components: scientific-theoretical, methodological and practical-activity.Criteria and indicators of future teacher’s willingness to form subject-subject relations with students are defined and systematized: critical type of thinking (personal flexibility, knowledge of the specifics of humane interaction, educational position in relations with students); creative and professional activity (knowledge of technologies of humane education, demonstration of own pedagogical skill, use of system of methods of pedagogical and psychotherapeutic influence); formation of practical skills and abilities (reflexive-perceptual skills, diagnostic skills, ability to create educational situations, skills of dialogical-humane communication).

Impact of a Training Programme on the e-rubric Evaluation of Gamification Resources with Pre-Service Secondary School Science Teachers

Social constructivism is a learning approach in which students actively construct their own knowledge by way of experiences and interactions with others. As such, it is important to highlight both individual and group-based reflection practices in pre-service teacher training as a key aspect for improving teaching practice. This paper presents the results of the design and implementation of a training programme of 7 sessions (8.5 h of class participation plus 25 h of personal homework) for pre-service secondary school science teachers, who were asked to design a gamification resource and an e-rubric to evaluate it. Subsequent improvement of this e-rubric was enhanced by performing different reflection activities at key moments. The programme was carried out by 50 Spanish pre-service teachers from Málaga (Spain). Data collection centred on the e-rubrics designed, the emotions experienced and the possible transfer to real-life practice performed six months later. The impact of reflections on the evaluation was studied by analysing the evolution of the categories proposed by the participants for the e-rubric at different times, with marked changes being found during design and preparation of the gamification resource, and only very minor changes post-implementation. In addition, a group-based criteria consensus session favoured a more in-depth reflection. Interest was the main emotion experienced by pre-service teachers, especially during preparation and use of the resource. The programme also had a marked impact on transfer of the e-rubric into practice, as did the designed resource, although to a lesser extent.

‘Who Is My Research for?’: Researcher Perceptions of the Research–Practice Relationship

AbstractThis study investigated second language (L2) researchers’ perceptions of the research–practice relationship. While research use (or lack thereof) in the classroom has been debated by researchers for decades, researchers have rarely investigated themselves as stakeholders in the relationship. However, it is vital to know researchers’ approaches to the issue so that collaborative researcher-practitioner relationships may be fostered. Hence, the current survey study explored: (a) L2 researchers’ identities; (b) their perceptions of the research–practice relationship; and (c) predictors of their perceptions. Participants were 217 researchers from 25 countries with 31 different first-language backgrounds. The results showed that L2 researchers’ identities often crossed multiple boundaries, as L2 learners, teachers, as well as researchers. A factor analysis showed that researchers held distinct beliefs for their own research (individual self) and for researchers in general (collective self). The regression models revealed that L2 teaching experience, pre-service teacher training experience, and institutional rewards positively predicted researchers’ perceptions of L2 practice. We argue that it is largely researchers’ responsibility to facilitate the research–practice dialogue.

Teacher trainees' experiences with and beliefs about responding to students' challenging life events

The current study examines teacher trainees' perceptions of their preparation in helping students address specific challenging life events (CLE) of bullying, death, and family separation. 121 pre-service teachers in the United States completed a survey and slightly under half reported having no experience with addressing children's CLEs in their pre-graduation employment or other formal training. Participants felt moderately prepared to address bullying and less prepared to address death of a loved one or family separation. Participants' proposed responses varied based on the type of CLE; some gender and age differences also emerged. Results highlight the need for training pre-service teachers responding to students' CLEs, based on feelings of unpreparedness and the frequency of CLEs children experience yearly.

Challenges in Designing a Short Lesson Plan by Pre-Service English Teachers During an Internship School Program

New regulation about shortening the lesson plan in Indonesia was stated through Circular Letter no. 14 in 2019. The highlighted component of the short lesson part is lesson objective, teaching procedure, and assessment. This study was employed to explore the challenge in designing a short lesson plan by the English Pre-service Teachers. A narrative inquiry design and interview method were used to explore the challenges of designing the component of a short lesson plan. Two English pre-service teachers of the English Education Department who were experienced in the pre-service teacher training program participated in this research. The result stated that they admitted having challenges in designed teaching procedure such as selecting opening and core activities. They also having challenges in designed assessment, specifically in selecting proper indicator for evaluation on the short lesson plan.

Online Literature Circles in Learning Hamlet among Pre-service Teachers

Literature instruction may serve multiple functions. This case study aimed at investigating the perceptions on the use of online literature circles among 62 first year Teaching English as a Second Language pre-service teachers in a literature course at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The participants were assigned to read and participate in online literature circles about the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Based on cooperative learning, the participants rotated in playing the roles of the Discussion Director, Device Detective, Imaginative Illustrator, Creative Connector, and Passage Picker in each group. Data from a survey were analyzed in descriptive statistics, while data from the role sheets based on the five roles and the online video of 3 literature circle discussions were analyzed thematically. The findings are significant for teacher training institutions and in-service teachers. This study was able to show that online literature circles were perceived as interesting, engaging, challenging, and fun. The participants engaged in different learning processes involving cognitive, affective, and language skills. Though this study identified some challenges, online literature circles have many benefits and are recommended for literature instruction for pre-service teacher training.

Multicultural Classrooms: Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy among A Sample of Canadian Preservice Teachers

Many teachers enter classrooms with limited cross-cultural awareness and low levels of confidence to accommodate cultural diversity. Therefore, teaching a heterogeneous body of students requires teachers to have culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE). The investigation of factors impacting teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching diverse students has produced mixed results. The purpose of the current study was to explore the determinants of CRTSE in a sample of Canadian preservice teachers. One hundred and ten preservice teachers from a medium-sized public Canadian University completed measures of political orientation, CRTSE, cross-cultural experiences, and teacher burnout. Higher levels of preservice teachers’ CRTSE were predicted by lower levels of Emotional Exhaustion (i.e., a key aspect of burnout syndrome) and more frequent cross-cultural experiences in their childhood and adolescence. Implications for training preservice teachers are discussed.

Promoting Metacognitive and Linguistic Skills: Digital Learning Logs in Pre-Service Teacher Training

This paper reports on the implementation of digital learning logs in the context of pre-service teacher training in a distance university in Madrid. The learning log, which had been previously implemented in the subject as a learning tool, has proven to be especially useful in Covid-19 times since the students had to work more independently and could use it to reflect upon their learning without the conventional teaching they were used to. The paper has a two-fold aim: first, to analyze whether the learning logs helped in promoting students’ autonomy and self-reflection, and second, to observe whether they contribute to the development of their linguistic competence in English as a foreign language. Participants of the study (n= 47) are students of the Primary and Infant Education degrees, specializing in English teaching, whose L2 level ranges between B1 and C2. At the end of half term, they were given the possibility of completing a learning log to record their learning process, review concepts and be aware of potential learning gaps and needs, and act accordingly. For this purpose, and to encourage participation, L1 or L2 could be chosen as vehicular languages. Participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire on their experience using the logs, answering questions regarding the suitability of this tool to enhance their language skills and promote effective strategies to become independent learners. The data drawn from the questionnaires submitted (n=29) were later analyzed through SPSS. In addition, individual semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect information on those participants who had not completed the learning log (n=11). The findings of the study show that the vast majority of participants agree on the potential of learning logs as a useful tool to keep track of their learning process and to develop metacognitive awareness and linguistic skills.

Tracking telecollaborative tasks through design, feedback, implementation, and reflection processes in pre-service language teacher education

Abstract Telecollaborative exchanges between students from different countries are increasingly becoming a common practice in foreign language education and calling for new teacher competences for task design in order to maximize interactional opportunities in these settings. Considering that tasks are dynamic in nature and subject to constant change from their initial design to implementation by L2 learners, there is a need for teacher training activities promoting opportunities for improving the required digital and pedagogical competences. With this in mind, this paper sets out to explore the interactional architecture of the multiple steps involved in the training of pre-service language teachers in pedagogical task design for telecollaboration-oriented video-mediated interactional settings. We describe the procedural unfolding of the telecollaborative tasks by analyzing (i) pre-service teachers’ collaborative design meetings and (ii) written design reports; (iii) peer and mentor evaluation of these design ideas in whole-class feedback sessions in teacher training classrooms; (iv) written reports of redesigns after the feedback session, (v) video-mediated implementation by telecollaborative task participants, and finally (vi) pre-service teachers’ written reflections based on the implementation of their own designs. We use Conversation Analysis to closely examine audio and screen-recording data and draw on the textual data to present the procedural unfolding of two tasks over multiple phases, namely design, feedback, implementation, and reflection. The findings show that a telecollaborative task is a co-construction by the pre-service teachers as task designers, the teacher trainer as the mentor, and the L2 learners as the end users in interactionally trackable ways across the teacher education events. The results bring insights into the novel sets of digital, pedagogical, and interactional competencies in L2 contexts. We conclude that task enhanced telecollaboration holds great potential to critically advance research and practice in L2 teaching and teacher education worldwide.