Pre-service Teacher Training Research Articles

Evaluating the preparation of pre-service school-based agricultural education teachers in laboratory-based courses

This study sought to examine laboratory-based instruction for pre-service school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers at various institutions across the nation. While research has indicated that laboratory-based instruction in SBAE programs is commonplace (Shoulders & Meyers, 2012), a myriad of literature has noted SBAE teachers are not adequately prepared to teach, manage, and facilitate learning activities in SBAE laboratories upon completing their teacher education programs (Burris et al., 2005; Hainline & Wells, 2019; Shoulders, 2012). 
 To better understand the current state of SBAE pre-service teacher training in laboratory instruction, we surveyed 33 agricultural education certifying institutions across the country. Many of these institutions indicated they required pre-service teachers to take two laboratory-based instruction courses in the areas of agricultural mechanics (96.9%) and welding metal fabrication livestock (83.9%). However, only 46.7% of the responding institutions required students to take a greenhouse management course, and 29% required pre-service teachers to take a meat science course. The findings of this study also highlight if the laboratory-based courses had a pedagogical component, and the teacher educators were asked to provide their perceptions for a need for expansion of instruction in each context. Recommendations for practice and further investigation were provided.

An Exploration of Trauma Handling Techniques Perceived by School Psychologists to Train Preservice Teachers

A tragic incident, such as an accident, physical abuse, or a natural disaster, can cause trauma, which is an emotional reaction. It is a detrimental mental state that overwhelms a person's ability to deal with difficulties in a typical manner. There is a significant trauma prevalence among pupils. Nearly 50% of girls and 60% of males suffer various traumas up until puberty, and nearly 75% of people encounter various traumas at least once in their lives (SAMHSA, 2020). Unfortunately, due to teachers' and parents' ignorance, many cases in Pakistan go undetected. The psychological, emotional, and cognitive facets of pupils' personalities are most negatively impacted by trauma. After their parents, teachers are the second stakeholders that students spend the most time with. Teachers can provide their students sage advice on how to handle trauma. They are able to support their students cognitively, emotionally, and psychologically. Unfortunately, due to a lack of thorough discussion of this subject in the pre-service training curriculum, instructors in Pakistan lack adequate training in trauma-informed treatment. This qualitative study explores the methods that seasoned psychologists working with educational institutions use to deal with trauma. The research involved 15 skilled psychologists and was intended to improve educators' understanding of trauma identification and intervention options. The study's goal was to gather thorough information from in-depth semi-structured interviews that would help teachers recognize trauma and use trauma-handling strategies efficiently. Participants were carefully chosen using purposive sampling. Twelve thorough themes emerged as a consequence of meticulously applying thematic analysis to the interviews. These ideas are extremely valuable for teacher preparation and provide important direction for teachers. In addition, curriculum designers and policymakers can use the study's findings to improve their materials and guidelines for dealing with trauma and trauma-informed therapies. This study illuminates an essential element of students' well-being and advances current efforts to make classroom instruction more trauma-sensitive.

Pre-service and in-service teacher training for rural schools: a dual perspective of rural teaching

Teaching in the rural context has its particularities and initial and in-service teacher training is key to providing a response. This study analyses how teacher training for rural education is approached in the two main teacher training institutions, the university and the Teacher Training Centres in a rural region such as the province of Teruel. The research design comprises a quantitative and a documentary analysis. The quantitative analysis uses a survey completed by 182 undergraduate teacher education students from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Teruel (University of Zaragoza). In addition, a documentary analysis of in-service training activities was also carried out in order to gain an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. The results show that there is a need to include more training on rural education in the trainee teachers’ curricula. In addition, a historical lack of activities on rural education in continuing teacher training has been identified, although it has improved in recent years.

Exploring the trajectories of preservice teachers' preparation in Business Studies and its impact on their teaching practice experience in South Africa

The successful training of preservice teachers in South African universities will be incomplete without the intervention of high school teachers, principals, and other stakeholders in education. It has been discovered that preservice teachers who teach Business Studies (BS) as one of the Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) subjects during teaching practice (TP) do not get enough assistance from their mentor teachers as they ought to because they are overloaded with much teaching work at this time. Therefore, the study aims to explore the different trajectories that preservice teachers take in their preparation for teaching Business Studies, the challenges 4th-year preservice teachers who specialise in EMS subjects encounter, how they overcome them, and how these trajectories impact their teaching practice experience. Overall, the study seeks to improve the quality of Business Studies education in South Africa by providing insights into the preparation and experiences of preservice teachers. Six fourth-year preservice teachers who taught Business Studies in Grades 10 and 12 were selected for the study to reflect on their experiences during teaching practice; hence, reflection was used as the data source for the study. Experiential learning theory was used as the lens of the study. At the same time, the interpretivism paradigm was adopted to understand individual preservice experiences. A case study was used as the design, and thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data generated. The study found that preservice teachers who teach BS during TP face challenges such as a lack of Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM), being assigned too much work to do, and the fact that BS has too much content to teach. Despite the challenges, these preservice teachers were creative enough to develop solutions, like designing posters without teaching resources and using practical examples to explain content for better understanding and parental involvement in class decisions such as discipline.

Pakistani Chemistry Teachers’ Understanding, Beliefs, and Teaching Practice About Climate Change

Teachers’ personal beliefs and understanding about science topics play a vital role in students learning. This is especially relevant for the teaching of climate change which is a scientifically complicated topic that can also be influenced by personal and political views. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen Pakistani chemistry teachers (grades 10 & 12) to understand their knowledge about the science of climate change as well as their beliefs and practices related to the teaching of climate change. We found that teachers believe it is important to teach climate change in schools. They report that they teach climate change with relevant topics and do not face any obstacles doing so. No consensus was found regarding the appropriate grade levels and disciplines in which climate change should be taught. We also found that teachers have insufficient scientific knowledge about climate change (e.g., they think that any change in environment is climate change and climate change is related to pollution and ozone layer depletion). Our results suggest that there is a need to include climate change in in-service refresher courses and preservice teacher training programs, so the teachers have better understanding of the science of climate change. Further, there should be more climate change content in high school chemistry and biology.

현직 중등 음악교사의 재교육 기관으로서의 교육대학원 음악교육전공에 대한 인식 및 요구 조사

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception and demand of in-service secondary music teachers regarding graduate college of education as in-service training institution; and discuss about the curriculum improvement of graduate college of education for in-service training.
 Methods A survey of 139 secondary music teachers nationwide was conducted to find out the awareness and necessity of the current graduate college of education as in-service training institution and its curriculum. In addition, interviews with two music teachers were conducted to find more specific causes and perceptions of the survey results and discuss about the future direction of the institution from the perspective of in-service teachers.
 Results In-service secondary music teachers tended to characterize the functions of the current graduate college of education and music education major as a pre-service teacher training institution rather than for in-servicet teacher training. This indicates that the functions of the graduate college of education are far from the purpose of initial establishment, and suggests the need to further strengthen the functions to enhance the expertise of in-service music teachers. Furthermore, secondary music teachers expected curriculum with high field connectivity, which was mainly related to the development of teaching methods.
 Conclusions First, the music education major of graduate college of education should develop curriculum for in-service training, focusing on the contents that require long-term education. In addition, a completion system that teachers have more autonomous curriculum decision should be provided as well as completion process according to the needs of in-service teachers. Second, curriculum for in-service teacher training should be developed to help teachers understand the rapidly changing needs of society and the latest philosophy and theory. In this way, research on developing high-quality teaching-learning methods and materials should be conducted; so that teachers can be far more accountable for professional development and improving their classrooom.

예비유아교사의 플립러닝 수업 효과 탐색

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pre-service Early Childhood teachers'flipped learning classes and the students' perception of the class, and to seek the direction of teachingand learning for the training of pre-service teachers. Methods: This study involved twenty-one students taking a play guidance class at E University. Theplay guidance class was operated as an intensive course for eleven weeks, and flipped learning wasutilized for seven weeks. First, a paired-sample t-test was conducted to verify the effectiveness of theflipped learning class. Next, text network analysis using the Netminer program and qualitative analysisof the contents of the reflection diary were conducted to examine the perception of the pre-serviceearly childhood teachers' classes. Results: First, the flipped learning classes of pre-service Early Childhood teachers were found to havepositive effects on self-directed learning, learning motivation, and cooperative self-efficacy. Second,because of text network analysis, play appeared as the most important word, followed by infant, class,learning, discussion, observation, teacher, and support as important words. As a result of qualitativelyanalyzing the reflection diary, it was confirmed that it was an opportunity for ‘reinforcing learning’,‘expanding experience’, and ‘experience of recalling the field’. Conclusion: It was confirmed that the flipped learning class is a learner-led class that reflects therecent changes in the educational field, and that it is a meaningful teaching and learning method totrain pre-service teachers in the field of Early Childhood Education.

POST-PANDEMIC DIGITAL SELF-EFFICACY AND ONLINE LEARNING READINESS OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

The study examined the digital self-efficacy and online learning readiness of pre-service teachers after the pandemic. Using a descriptive correlational research design, the results indicated that pre-service teachers have a high level of digital self-efficacy in several areas of technology integration, including digital usage, digital application, digital-infused learning, technology literacy, and digital-supported assessment. In addition, the results indicate that pre-service teachers are on the verge of being ready for online learning, though they still need to improve their time management and written communication skills. Age was found to be a significant factor in readiness for online learning, with those aged 25-34 demonstrating greater readiness than those aged 18-24 and 35-44. However, there was no significant difference when the participants were grouped by gender. These findings provide valuable insights into the digital self-efficacy and e-learning readiness of pre-service teachers, which can inform the development of strategies and interventions to improve their skills and, ultimately, enhance the quality of education in the post-pandemic world. Recommendations for digital education post-pandemic include providing training and resources for educators, supporting female teachers, incorporating online readiness training for pre-service teachers, tailoring programs to different age groups, and providing additional support for younger pre-service teachers to increase their digital self-efficacy.

Analysis of the Computational Physics Course in Secondary Preservice Teacher Training Curriculum in Korea

Analysis of the Computational Physics Course in Secondary Preservice Teacher Training Curriculum in Korea

Improving Vulnerable Populations’ Emergent Reading Outcomes by Training Preservice Teachers in an Evidence-Based Program

ABSTRACT This article details a large-scale tutor-to-teacher pipeline created in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program addressed two vital needs: 1) improving outcomes for striving readers in high-needs communities, and 2) improving teacher training in both evidence- and research-based instruction. Across school year (SY) 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, 608 preservice teachers delivered an evidence-based (Reading Rescue) or research-based (Reading Ready) early literacy intervention. Through a coordinated effort between the City University of New York (CUNY) and the NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE), 857 NYC DOE students received one-on-one, interactive, remote tutoring three to five days a week, for an average of 21 sessions. Results demonstrated that students who received the emergent word reading program, Reading Ready, improved in their phoneme segmentation and nonword reading skills by 31–47%, and students who received the follow-up evidence-based program, Reading Rescue, consistently improved by one intervention reading level per 10 sessions, and showed age equivalent reading gains of one-half to almost a full year of growth as measured by a standardized, nationally normed assessment. Discussion focuses on the value of this high-quality training and tutoring experience for preservice teachers and on the critical support provided to striving readers in underserved communities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rural primary teachers’ perceived affordances of ICT training in Nepal

ABSTRACT ICT training can be conceptualised based on affordance theory that offers a lens to observe how ICT training is perceived. This study examines teachers’ perceived value of ICT training and how they developed their awareness of affordances in the pedagogical practice of ICT. Since government teacher training does not cover ICT, ICT training along with computer lab is provided by NGOs. NGOs, thus, stepped in to complement the generic government teacher training. This study reports the findings of how goal-oriented ICT training offers teachers the capability of recognising the potential of training, and teachers progressively actualise knowledge of affordances into practices. ICT is still not a part of the key universities’ pre-service teacher training programmes. In-service training provided by NGOs that covers ICT is sometimes introductory and sometimes on-going. Following a one-week initial ICT training provided by NGOs, teachers were able to incorporate digital tools into lessons and use digital content to encourage students’ collaborative learning. When it first became apparent that teachers needed ICT training, the government directed them toward ICT training programmes at for-profit institutions. This study, thus, contributes to a practical understanding of affordance that can be utilised in government interventions of training and information system management.

A Study of the Relationship Between the Pre-service International Chinese Language Teacher Beliefs and Occupational Outlook on Development

With the rise of China and the increasing global influence of the Chinese language, international Chinese language education has gradually become a focal point in the global education field. In the flourishing development of international Chinese language education, the training and support for pre-service international Chinese language teachers has become an urgent problem to be addressed. People are paying increasing attention to the psychological and career development of pre-service teachers nowadays, and therefore the relationship between the teacher beliefs and occupational outlook on development of pre-service international Chinese language teachers deserves in-depth analysis. Firstly, this study analyzes the reliability and validity of the pre-service International Chinese language teacher belief Scale and the Professional Development Outlook scale to ensure the reliability and validity of the two scales. Secondly, this study tests the correlation between the pre-service international Chinese language teachers beliefs and the occupational development outlook. The findings show that the teaching beliefs, Chinese language beliefs and occupational development outlook had a statistically significant correlation, while there is no statistically significant correlation between learner beliefs and occupational development outlook. Finally, the regression analysis of teaching belief, Chinese language belief and occupational development outlook is carried out in this study. The results show that both teaching belief and Chinese language belief of pre-service international Chinese language teachers can predict the occupational development outlook. This study is helpful to deeply explore the psychological state of pre-service international Chinese language teachers and provide some references and enlightenment for the training of pre-service international Chinese language teachers.

Development and in-depth investigation of pre-service teachers' digital competencies based on DigCompEdu: a case study.

The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) Todevelop digital competencies of pre-service teachers in an educational process; (b) Todescribing their digital competences by examining artefacts designed by pre-service teachersbased on DigCompEdu framework. Holistic single case study was employed in this study and the course was examined as a single unit. The study group consisted of 40 pre-service teachers. A 14-week course has been designed to develop the digital competencies of pre-service teachers based on the DigCompEdu framework. The e-portfolios and reflection reportsof 40 pre-service teachers who participated in the study were examined and evaluated according to the indicators presented for each competence within the framework of DigCompEdu. Pre-service teachers' digital competenceswere assessed as folows: mostly C2 levelin digital resources;mostly C1 level in teaching and learning, and mostly B2 level in assessment and empowering learning. An education process that blends theoretical and practical assignments for the pre-service teachers' digital competencies to be improved was conductedin this study. It is expected that the steps that were followed in the study in the process of training pre-service teachers be directive towards researchers who wish to study this subject. It is important that contextual and cultural qualities are taken into consideration in the interpretation of the findings in the study. This study contributes to the literature in terms of evaluating the digital skills of pre-service teachers based on reflection reports and e-portfolios, instead of self-report surveys.

THE CONTENT OF TEACHING PROFESSIONALLY ORAL COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE INTERCULTURAL ASPECT TO PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS

The article deals with the problem of the content of teaching professionally oriented oral communication within the intercultural aspect to pre-service English teachers. The author has analyzed oral communication as a combination of following components: professionally oriented monologue, professionally oriented dialogue and professionally oriented listening comprehension. Professionally oriented oral communication is considered to be a complete system of socio-psychological, educational and personal interaction of teachers with the participants of the educational process – with students, their parents, and colleagues. The article describes methods and types of intercultural interaction of teachers, outlines situations of intercultural communication. The content of teaching has been established and characterized in its two aspects – subject and procedural aspects. The components of the teaching content are determined on the example of two spheres, the texts are characterized as a component of the teaching content, and the correlation of the texts between the topics and communicative tasks during the teaching professionally oriented oral communication to pre-service English teachers is illustrated. Special attention is given to fiction and the possibility of its use in the training of pre-service teachers of English, the list of novels that can be used as a means for developing professionally oriented communication skills is given.

Analysis of the implementation of a framework for teachers’ digital competence in preservice teacher training

After a conceptual analysis of numerous frameworks for teachers’ digital competence (TDC), one such framework was selected to be implemented, and the state of development of the TDC and its relationship with the introduction of computer programming have been studied. The hypothesis is that the implementation of a TDC framework within a first-year university class within an Education degree, called Computer Science and Digital Competence would help future teachers to significantly improve their TDC and, specifically, increase their knowledge of computer programming. In order to test this hypothesis, a study has been carried out with 116 students enrolled in the degree programs in Early Childhood and Primary Education at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The results show that the participants were not digitally competent at the beginning of the course but that they had become significantly more so at the end of it, with a large effect size. Additionally, the prospective teachers did not understand the basic concepts of programming at the beginning of the course, but by the end their knowledge of programming concepts had improved significantly, as evidenced by the large effect size, although even by the end of the course they had not reached an adequate level of programming. The most used frequently tools among students are WhatsApp, social networks and email, but many they were not aware of tools such as podcasts or forums. In addition, the motivation of the participants to learn programming seems to be excellent.

The use of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) in teachers’ training: a scoping review

Taking care of teachers’ competencies is essential to determine a satisfactory level of quality in teaching, with a crucial impact on the proper functioning of educational services. In order to be effective, this training must consider the most recent developments in the field of technology-enhanced learning, such as Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL). Although research in the educational field has shown that DGBL enhances learning processes, promoting learning by doing and cooperative learning as well, with all their positive effects, there is still a paucity of studies on the subject; hence, the intrinsic reason for the present investigation. This review aims to fill this gap, analyzing studies that explore DGBL for teacher training and/or teacher attitude toward using DGBL in their professional activity. We searched the following bibliographic databases: Scopus, ERIC, and Web of Science. After an accurate screening, 20 papers have been selected and included. Main results returned a clear framework of what the current literature presents as effective DGBL training for teachers and pre-service teachers and of facilitators and barriers that impact teachers’ attitudes toward the use of DGBL at school.

Incorporating Capacity Building as a Pathway to Environmental Stewardship for Public Schools in Kenya

Education has been touted as a major driver toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, environmental stewardship takes a peripheral position in the pre-service and in-service training of teachers. As a result, most teachers and school heads that are supposed to champion stewardship activities in schools remain poorly equipped to undertake such activities. More so, a review of the literature finds glaring gaps in research in that most studies have only concentrated on student performance, teacher-student ratio, student discipline, etc. This study, therefore, sought to survey to establish the rationale for incorporating capacity building as a pathway to environmental stewardship in public schools in Kenya. The study sampled 260 public school teachers in the Githunguri Sub-county of Kiambu County in Kenya. Data from the teachers was collected using a structured questionnaire while 15 principals were also interviewed. Secondary data was collected through desktop reviews. The study established that the majority of the teachers had neither received pre-service (88.8%) nor in-service (90.4%) training on issues around environmental stewardship. A correlational analysis also established positive linear associations for capacity building, leadership roles, and stewardship activities (R = 0,803) and (R = 0,874) respectively. As a consequence, this hampered stewardship activities in schools within the study locality. For instance, the study established that most of the schools did not have a proper waste management system (88.1%) or even an environmental policy (75%). This study will inspire policy frameworks for future training of teachers to ensure that Kenya meets her SDG targets.

Research on the Influence Mechanism of Music Education on Preservice Teachers' Learning Ability

This paper explores how music education affects preservice teachers' learning ability. A review and analysis of relevant research literature found that music education positively affects preservice teachers' learning ability. Specifically, music education can improve preservice teachers' cognitive, emotional, and creative thinking abilities. The enhancement of these competencies mainly stems from the emotional experience, cognitive training, and creative thinking that music education has. In addition, there are differences in the impact of music education on the learning abilities of different types and levels of preservice teachers, which are related to factors such as individual differences, educational background, and music education approaches. Therefore, differentiated teaching regarding individual differences and educational backgrounds is needed in music education. Finally, this paper suggests applying music education in preservice teacher training, including increasing the time and content of music education and encouraging preservice teachers to participate in music composition. These suggestions can provide reference and guidance for applying music education in preservice education.

Evaluation of Practice Schools and Teachers within the scope of Teaching Practice Lesson through Web Diaries by Pre-service Teachers

This study aimed to evaluate practice schools and teachers through web diaries and teaching practice scale by pre-service teachers who attended pre-service teacher training certificate program which was put into practice in 2021-2022. The research was carried out with the exploratory sequential design, one of the mixed research designs. The study's qualitative data were collected from 30 pre-service teachers through structured web diaries. The quantitative data were obtained from 200 pre-service teachers using the "Opinion Scale on School Experience and Teaching Practice Course". As a result of the research, the pre-service teachers welcome the weight of the new pre-service teacher training certificate program put into practice. The pre-service teachers stated that they could easily interact with their teachers in practice schools and the lecturers from whom they took theory courses, and they could benefit from their experiences. This gives an idea about the effectiveness and sustainability of the new pre-service teacher training certificate program.

Motivation to teach and preparedness for teaching among preservice teachers in China: The effect of conscientiousness and constructivist teaching beliefs.

"Preparedness for teaching" refers to the degree of confidence preservice teachers have, and reflects their ability. Developing preparedness for teaching is an important part of preservice teachers' professionalization. A substantial body of literature has documented the critical influence of the motivation to teach on preparedness; however, how this relation is impacted by mediating and moderating mechanisms remains unclear. To respond to this gap in knowledge, the present study constructed a mediated moderation model through structural equation modeling and multigroup tests using 383 questionnaires completed by preservice teachers in China. The findings indicate that the preservice teachers' genders, entry path, and levels of certainty about their future teaching career choices all influence their preparedness for teaching. Specifically, preservice teachers who believe that they will choose a teaching career in the future have more intrinsic motivation, stronger constructivist teaching beliefs, and a higher levels of teaching preparedness. Moreover, preservice teachers' motivations to teach can positively predict their constructivist teaching beliefs and preparedness for teaching, but their constructivist teaching beliefs alone do not have a mediating effect on the relationship between motivation to teach and preparedness for teaching. However, the findings reveal that the constructivist teaching beliefs of highly conscientiousness group can partially mediate the relationship between the motivation to teach and the preparedness for teaching. Additionally, conscientiousness moderates the influence of constructivist teaching beliefs on preparedness for teaching. The study provides meaningful insights into the within-personal traits of how and when motivation to teach affects preparedness for teaching, which may be useful for the motivation best practices for preservice teacher recruitment, training, and support to create high-quality teachers.