Undergraduate Initial Teacher Education Research Articles

Health literacy profiles of final year pre-service teachers in two initial education programs compared with the general population: A cross-sectional study using the Health Literacy Questionnaire.

Health literacy (HL) can be developed throughout the lifespan starting from the early years highlighting that educational institutions, curriculum and teachers are powerful settings, places and people that can foster HL in youth. Current research shows that Australian teachers need more support to teach health education that promotes students' HL, with limited research focusing on pre-service teachers (PST). This study aims to identify the HL strengths and challenges of PST at one Australian university across two initial teacher education programs (HPE and primary) and compare their health literacy profiles with that of the Australian general population. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) was administered in March and April, 2022 to measure HL in Australian PST. The research setting was a university in Sydney, Australia, with two of the University's undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programs (Health and Physical Education [HPE] and Primary). Of the 24 PST in the HPE cohort, 23 consented. Of the 70 PST in the Primary cohort, 34 consented. The results were compared with Australian Bureau of Statistics data. The participants' median age was 22.3(4.3) years (SD), age ranged from 20 to 54 years, with 36% of participants under the age of 22 years. When comparing the PST data with the general population there were two significant differences: (1) PST scored significantly higher than the general population for Domain 4 (Social support for health, 3.41 vs. 3.19; p < 0.001; d = 0.57); and (2) the PST scored significantly lower for Domain 9 (Understand health information enough to know what to do, 4.02 vs. 4.27; p < 0.01; d = -0.43). In addition, we found that primary PST had significantly lower scores for domains 5-9 (demonstrative of interactive and critical HL), compared with the general Australian population. Findings show that PST strengths are that they perceive that there they are able to access social support for health, however the PST find it more difficult to analyse and apply health information, compared with the general Australian population. SO WHAT?: Further understanding of health literacy profiles of Australian PST should influence the design of ITE programs and its health education curricular to ensure that PST are able to further develop their HL understandings and capabilities.

Awarding digital badges: research from a first-year university course

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a study that replaced marks with digital badges in an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education course. The aim was to examine the impact of badging on students, and on the quality of university provision. Data collection consisted of surveys and focus groups. The study found that while digital badges had considerable potential to improve the student experience in terms of engagement with feedback, motivation and reducing ‘grade anxiety’, delaying the awarding of marks caused significant student anxiety. The effect on university provision was more positive, and digital badges promoted constructive alignment between university-based assessment tasks and external professional standards frameworks. The student findings pointed to an underlying tension associated with implementing student-centred, outcomes-based assessment methods in contexts designed to accommodate traditional high-stakes assessment. Five recommendations for future practice were made: (1) Remove marks altogether where digital badges are used; (2) Do not substitute written feedback with digital badges; (3) Developing a badge framework is important for both students and staff; (4) Inform students about what to expect; (5) Develop a ‘Badge Tree’.

Awarding digital badges instead of grades?

Micro-credentials are seeing increasingly rapid adoption in higher education (McGreal &amp; Olcott, 2022), however their efficacy is still being explored (Stefaniak &amp; Carey, 2019); as Oliver (2019) notes, “rapid innovation can be exhilarating, but it can also confuse the very people who might benefit most” (p. i). This Pecha Kucha is derived from a project that examined the impact of awarding digital badges instead of assessment grades within a large undergraduate Initial Teacher Education course in Australia. The aim of the project was to examine the impact of micro-credentials on the student experience, including motivation and engagement with feedback, as well as the impact on the quality of university provision, including the alignment between university assessment and broader workplace standards frameworks. Traditional methods of assessment, such as numeric grades, may not reflect the full range of competencies that students hold and that will benefit them in their future careers (Bassett, 2015; Robinson &amp; Aronica, 2015). Moving away from awarding marks/grades to using competency based micro-credentials may help to address this issue, as micro-credentials can be used to assess both skills and dispositions, as well as knowledge in practice. Micro-credentials (to be referred to as digital badges) may also contribute to a more holistic and detailed record of students’ achievements (Elliot et al., 2014). This work was broadly underpinned by theories of human motivation (Deci &amp; Ryan, 1985). Specifically, and following from the aims outlined earlier, the project was guided by research on gamification and (student) motivation (Hamari &amp; Koivisto, 2015; Hamari, 2017), and research on the impact of grades on student motivation (Butler, 2011). With respect to university provision, the project was guided by Stefaniak and Cary’s (2019) framework for implementing digital badges in higher education. What impacts did implementing digital badges have on student motivation and engagement with feedback? What impact did implementing digital badges have on university provision? Study design and implementation was informed by Stefaniak and Cary’s (2019) Framework for Successful Badge Program Implementation, which includes ‘Badge Instructional Design’, ‘Badge System Platform’, and ‘Badge Program Implementation’. A three-phase, mixed method approach was adopted, consisting of online surveys and semi-structured focus groups. Findings showed positive motivational and social impacts of digital badges, and positive effects on engagement with feedback, however removing grades from a course designed around traditional modes of assessment also caused significant student anxiety. It was also found that digital badges improved university provision through promoting constructive alignment between assessment and professional standards. There were also unexpected findings warranting future research, including how digital badges reduced student anxiety around the awarding of numeric grades. A number of key recommendations were made: 1) if using badges, remove marks 2) adopt a whole-of-school approach 3) badges are not a substitute for quality written feedback, 4) invest in appropriate software infrastructure, 5) developing a badge framework is important for both students and staff, 6) students need to know exactly what to expect, 7) develop a ‘badge tree’. Overall, it was found that digital badges have considerable potential to improve the student experience, however these benefits can be overshadowed by student anxiety if the badging system is not optimally conceptualised and executed.

Preservice teachers’ health literacy levels and perceptions of teaching capabilities: an Australian case study

ABSTRACT Research studies focusing on schools and teachers’ capabilities to teach and develop students’ health literacy (HL) are few. Of the research that currently exists, teachers face difficulties when teaching health education to enhance students’ critical HL levels, with only one study examining preservice teachers (PSTs). The aim of this study is to explore one Australian University and two of its undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programs and the role that it plays in developing PSTs’ HL levels and capabilities to plan for promoting students’ HL. Twenty-three final year Health and Physical Education (HPE) and thirty-four final year Primary Education participants completed a Health Literacy Questionnaire. Five PSTs from each ITE program consented and were involved in focus group and individual interviews. Current HL levels were found to be higher across all nine sections for HPE PSTs when compared with Primary PSTs, showing medium to very large effect size differences, with all but one section reporting statistical significance. Interviews emphasised the need for ITE programs to focus on developing PSTs’ HL levels and to implement authentic opportunities to practice enhancing students’ HL. Findings provide insight into the role ITE programs in promoting PSTs’ HL before becoming graduate teachers in schools.

The Art of Prophesy: Selection for English-Medium Undergraduate Initial Teacher Education Programmes in New Zealand

I offer this critical essay as a reminder of the prevalence of unproven negative dialogue about Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in New Zealand, taking selection practices as an example. The focus of this critical essay is the evidence base about selection of students into English-medium undergraduate ITE programmes. In New Zealand and elsewhere, selection practices suggest that there are some people who are suited to teaching and others who are not and that we can, and should, screen out unsuitable people before entry. I make a case for examining taken-for-granted assumptions about selection and developing research informed selection practices in response to calls for increased diversity in the profession.

Developing online teaching and learning : The potential benefits of ‘listening’ to student voices for staff professional development and authentic student engagement

This paper explores the potential role of authentic student voice in developing online teaching and learning in an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education programme in a UK higher education context. It considers the benefits of harnessing students’ insider perspectives as ‘expert witnesses’ through providing an exemplar of practice in relation to establishing systems for gathering both ‘feed-forward’ and ‘feed-back’ information to inform the iterative development of educational provision. Alongside similar studies internationally, the authors propose that authentic engagement with student voice has positive implications for staff professional development, as well as improving student engagement and lived experiences of learning. The paper details staff and students’ perceptions and experiences of adaptations to online educational provision and pedagogic practice resultant from the iterative development process. Inductive thematic analysis identifies three principal adaptations to practice: organisation and communication to support access and understanding of learning; encouraging discussion and positive peer relationships; and utilising online platforms to promote student collaboration. Findings suggest that these adaptations enriched staff understanding of student engagement and facilitated rapid adaptations to educational provision in order to support access and understanding, as well as the development of positive working relationships. Further evidence suggested that the establishment of systems to ‘listen’ to student voice also led to increased engagement, ownership, and an increasing sense that their perspectives were recognised and valued.

Investigating the assessment practices within an Initial Teacher Education program in an Australian university: Staff perceptions and practices

Effective assessment design and subsequent assessment practices are essential for student success in the higher education sector. A plethora of research on assessment in higher education exists which tends to focus primarily on the student experience. This paper shares results from a 3 phased study that explored staff perceptions related to assessment practices in an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education program within an Australian metropolitan university. First, course learning objectives, activities and assessment items were mapped to identify the presence of constructive alignment. Second, staff were invited to complete a survey and a follow-up interview in relation to understanding of assessment knowledge and skills. Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning (2013) was used to analyse the qualitative data and findings suggest that staff are highly committed to quality assessment practices but often work in silos rather than teams. Additionally, a lack of professional development and learning was available at the school level, particularly for casual staff. Further research about assessment practices in higher education in relation to staff rather than student experience is warranted.

Students learning as researchers of curriculum in an undergraduate programme

ABSTRACT This article analyses an approach to student researchers of their curriculum as a module in an undergraduate initial teacher education programme. It shows the rationale for bringing such curriculum research into a taught programme to widen the range of possible participants. Rather than the outcomes of the student researcher project, the article presents the student researchers’ learning from this module to show how it contributes to becoming researchers. It shows how the module was constructed and enacted as an innovation within a taught programme. Data from module learning activities show that students as researchers of curriculum can be successfully included in a taught programme. The open pedagogy encouraged reflective thinking, engagement in learning, and taking ownership. The appreciative approach shows that undergraduates are capable of organising and managing their own learning and so become more engaged in their studies and those of their peers.

Re-conceptualising professional competence development of student teachers in initial teacher education

ABSTRACT This article presents a qualitative study which presents professional competence development in an undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programme in Hong Kong. Fifteen student teachers participated in two rounds of interviews, one after the first ITE fieldwork and another after the second ITE fieldwork in a five-year Bachelor of Education Programme. The interviews placed focus on the ‘context-specific’ aspects of professional competence, namely Competence in Classroom Teaching and Competence to Work in Schools, as well as student teachers’ experiences in different aspects of the ITE fieldwork context. The findings provide important insights into re-conceptualising professional competence development with an integrated analysis which explicates the dynamic interaction between the teaching context, the school context and the student teacher’s approach to learning. Three distinctive patterns of competence development in terms of student teachers’ perceived change in the two ‘context-specific’ aspects of professional competence were identified. The insights from the integrated analysis also extend Mutton, Burn and Hagger’s (2010) study by connecting different patterns of professional competence development with the interaction between student teachers’ approaches to learning from experience and factors in the ITE fieldwork context. Enhancing and constraining conditions for professional competence development and implications for ITE stakeholders are discussed.

Purpose-built, Web-based Professional Portfolios: Reflective, Developmental and Showcase

This pilot study examined student engagement with a web-based digital professional portfolio through the 3C process of collect-critique-curate. To overcome common problems associated with electronic portfolios, including cost; specificity; lifelong access; and ease of use, the study used Weebly as its portfolio platform. The creation and use of the portfolio was embedded into the first professional studies unit in the second year of an undergraduate initial teacher education degree, and technical seminars ensured that the base portfolio was created. As students reflected on possible sources of evidence to demonstrate achievement of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011) and crafted their capacity statements to preface their CVs, they began to clarify their present selves and to envisage their possible future selves as graduate teachers. The study tested strategies, based on the notion of self-authorship that assisted the students’ transition from aligning with a personal student identity to demonstrating a burgeoning professional teacher identity.

I feel like a hypocrite: a beginning teacher’s disconnect between beliefs and practice

Purpose This study aims to examine the lived experiences of a beginning teacher to understand the constraints and possibilities she faces in moving from a critically minded preservice teacher toward a critical educator during her first year of teaching secondary English Language Arts at a public high school in the Southwestern USA. Design/methodology/approach This research was conducted as a qualitative case study. The data set was collected through interviews, documents and observations. Data were analyzed inductively using open coding techniques and grounded theory in order to establish themes. Findings The research describes three themes: losing a sense of self, losing hope and losing sight. These themes explore in order to illustrate the participant’s sense of loss, the disconnect between her stated beliefs and practice and how contextual factors contribute to her experiences. Practical implications The paper includes recommendations for teacher induction and undergraduate initial teacher education. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature about beginning teachers and their challenges to realize their stated beliefs in practice. It extends this body of literature with a specific focus on criticality and an exploration of how the current corporate reform paradigm impacts beginning teachers and how these topics can be taken up in teacher education.

‘Come in with an open mind’: changing attitudes towards mathematics in primary teacher education

Background: The relationship between attitudes and behaviour has led to a focus on the role played by attitudes in the teaching and learning of mathematics.Purpose: This paper reports on an investigation into student teachers’ self-reported attitudes towards mathematics in the context of a mathematics education programme. The programme had been developed by the authors in response to a new, reformed four-year undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) for primary teachers in Ireland. The authors aimed to use the feedback to evaluate and develop the course further.Sample: We report on the attitudes of 345 pre-service primary teachers enrolled in a four-year undergraduate ITE programme. 281 of these participants had matched survey data before and after participating in the mathematics education programme.Method and Design: Four evaluation criteria were used as a conceptual framework for the evaluation of the mathematics education programme. A multi-method approach was taken in investigating the students’ attitudes to mathematics by using a scale as a quantitative measure of attitude alongside open-ended survey items that provided qualitative insights into changes in attitudes.Results and conclusions: Results from the survey data suggested overall that the participants’ attitudes towards mathematics were more positive after they had experienced the mathematics education programme. Overall, the written responses suggested that according to self-reportage, participants perceived that participation in the mathematics education programme had affected their attitudes towards mathematics positively. Comments indicated that the ‘small group’ tutorial structure was particularly well received and was associated with opportunities to actively engage, explore, interact and reflect. Suggestions offered by the participants will be used to inform planning and development of the mathematics programme.

Re-envisaging and reinvigorating school–university practicum partnerships

ABSTRACTThe study that provides the context for this article developed from a major overhaul of the practicum in an undergraduate initial teacher education degree in which practicum roles and relationships were re-envisaged. The aim was to reinvigorate university–school practicum relationships through the collaborative development of a practicum where teacher professional knowledge and university scholarly knowledge could come together in the service of student teacher learning. The article reports a qualitative study involving 72 participants from one university and four primary schools. Analysed through the lens of “third space” the findings indicated that relationship and role transformations undertaken by the participants, along with collaborative practice during the practicum, were key to reinvigorating the practicum. In the discussion, we examine the main factors that contributed to the development of a “third space” between the university and participating practicum schools, and also note some cautions related to this development.

Licenciaturas e educação infantil: desafios para a formação inicial

&lt;p&gt;Este artigo apresenta resultados de projeto de pesquisa que discute a relação entre formação inicial em nível superior e os conhecimentos para atuar na educação infantil adquiridos em cursos de três licenciaturas. O objetivo foi investigar se as grades curriculares das licenciaturas apresentam disciplinas que contemplam questões relativas ao atendimento da criança de 0 a 5 anos, bem como problematizar a formação inicial para a docência e identificar desafios para a atuação do profissional na educação infantil. Superar a fragmentação entre os conhecimentos adquiridos na formação inicial e os conhecimentos necessários para a atuação na educação infantil requer romper com estruturas curriculares engessadas que concentram esforços em conhecimentos específicos da área de formação sem formar declaradamente para a docência.&lt;/p&gt;

Collaborative Teaching and Self-study: Engaging Student Teachers in Sociological Theory in Teacher Education.

This article presents some of the findings of a three-year project researching the impact of changes made to teaching and learning in a first-year sociology paper for primary and early childhood education (ece) student teachers. The context of the research is an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme situated in the School of Education in a New Zealand University. Through self-study, teacher educators sought to gain a deeper understanding of how changes made to the paper influenced their teaching and student learning. A collaborative teaching relationship was particularly important for the teacher educators to share concerns and present ideas for innovative practice in a safe space. The relationship, built over a period of three years, encouraged a mutual desire to create a teaching and learning environment that valued the student voice and was engaging for teacher educators and student teachers.

‘Ours is not to reason why, just invert and multiply’: an insight into Irish prospective secondary teachers' conceptual understanding of the division of fractions

This paper reports on an investigation into the conceptual knowledge, through the domain of fraction division, of prospective secondary mathematics teachers in their final/fourth year of undergraduate initial teacher education. The aim of the study is to assess if levels of conceptual knowledge in this domain are sufficient in order for these prospective teachers to teach for understanding. Some impact of conceptual understanding on teaching approaches is also explored. The content of the teacher education program and its suitability for preparing prospective mathematics teachers is also considered. The results indicate that in spite of four years of mathematics teacher education, these prospective mathematics teachers hold a fragmented and limited conceptual understanding of dividing fractions. To address this issue and to ensure the effective implementation of Project Maths, it is argued that initial teacher education programs need to be revised to include an emphasis on school mathematics.

An evaluation of an alternative placement experience for students undertaking primary initial teacher training

This study is an analysis of the impact on students of their experience of an alternative placement. The placement was run with Year 2 students on a three-year undergraduate initial teacher education degree programme (primary, 3–11) in England. The placement enabled students to have a practical teaching experience in any setting outside the age phase they were training to teach. The analysis is based on a cohort evaluation of the placement (170 students). Data were collected in two ways: through students’ written reflections and their identification of the standards required for Qualified Teacher Status that they experienced. This approach was selected owing to the strong expectations by the UK Government to meet set criteria to qualify as a teacher. There is one direct reference in the standards to learning outside the classroom, but it was found that the students considered they had benefited from the alternative placement by offering opportunities for their professional and personal development in many more areas. The research study found that these areas included learning from other experts, working with colleagues, gaining confidence to teach, experiencing other cultural settings, working with children in informal settings, the importance of personalising learning and, in some cases, experiencing second language teaching.

Student teachers go online; the need for a focus on human agency and pedagogy in learning about ‘e-learning’ in initial teacher education (ITE)

This paper argues that student teachers' developing pedagogical approaches achieve expression within the virtual classroom in much the same way as they would in the `real' classroom; that is to say through language as the primary tool of mediation. Whilst the advent of new communications technologies affords new arenas in which learning can take place--Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), online communities, Managed Learning Environments--the importance of human agency and the significance of language remains pivotal to the effective use of such technologies. As such it is argued that student teachers need opportunities to engage in authentic online dialogue with children as they endeavour to find their online pedagogical voice. The key findings emerge from a case study carried out with a group of Year 3 ICT specialists on an undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) degree course in the UK, leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) in the primary and lower secondary phases of education. Funding from the University of Brighton, Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP), was used to design and resource a module, which facilitated opportunities for student teachers to engage in online learning dialogues with children from a local primary school, having initially met with the children face-to-face. Fourteen student teachers participated in the study. Interviews were carried out and their online dialogues with the children were analysed to establish both the issues and potential advantages of such a situated approach to learning about the educational use of new communications technologies with children.

Calculating the cost of an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course

Through a documentary analysis approach, the data included in the validation documentation for a new course designed for undergraduate Initial Teacher Education are used in an attempt to calculate the direct costs of the course. The portion of the costs that are visible are then compared to the pricing policy of the funding agency involved. The devolution of financial responsibility within higher education is suggested as a means of making courses more responsive to market trends.