University Teacher Education Research Articles

Assessing the Competence of Early Childhood Education Students at Teacher Education Universities in Vietnam in Terms of Implementing STEAM Education

Assessing the Competence of Early Childhood Education Students at Teacher Education Universities in Vietnam in Terms of Implementing STEAM Education

Perceptions of Bahir Dar University teacher educators about functions of education in Ethiopia

Using the four major philosophies of education (Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and Social Reconstructionism) as its theoretical framework, this study examined the perceptions of teacher educators about the functions of education in Ethiopia. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and employed the case study as a design. Through a purposeful criterion-based sampling technique, six teacher educators from Bahir Dar University were selected as participants in the study. Data pertinent to the study were collected through semi-structured interviews and document reviews. The data collected through these methods were thematically analyzed. The results of the study revealed the existence of multifarious perceptions among teacher educators. To be specific, the teacher educators were found to be proponents of the perennialist, essentialist, and progressivist educational purposes. As far as the function of education in Ethiopia was concerned, the study revealed that the perennialist and essentialist purposes of education were dominant. Educational purposes advocated by the progressive educational philosophy were also found to be important. The social reconstructionist function of education, however, was not given an adequate place. Finally, the implications of these findings for the country’s teacher education programs and policymaking initiatives are indicated.

Mathematics teachers’ professional noticing: Transfer of a video-based competence assessment instrument into teacher education for evaluation purposes

Teacher noticing has become widely accepted as a principal component of teacher competence; it is supported during university teacher education in many activities. However, only a few high-quality standardized measurement instruments exist that capture noticing and allow valid interpretations of how its development depends on factors within university teacher education. The present study is based on a video-based test instrument that has been developed to enable a standardized study of the noticing of practicing mathematics teachers—that is, their perception, interpretation, and decision-making skills—with respect to subject-specific and general pedagogical issues in secondary mathematics classrooms. This study examines how this instrument developed for in-service teachers can be used for pre-service teachers at the master’s degree level. Based on a sample of 313 pre-service mathematics teachers enrolled in six German universities, the study investigates (1) the instrument’s internal structure (scaling models based on item response theory) and (2) its association with relevant factors within university teacher education. The results reveal that a scaling model based on the three noticing facets (perception, interpretation, and decision-making) was superior to a one-dimensional scaling model. Opportunity to learn in mathematics education and average grades in final secondary school examinations were shown to be significant predictors of test performance. However, there was no effect for university-specific opportunity to learn in general pedagogy or pedagogical experiences outside teacher education. Overall, the results suggest that the measurement instrument can be used to assess pre-service mathematics teachers’ noticing in university teacher education.

Pre-service Teachers’ Preparedness to Teach during Teaching Practice in Tanzania

Teachers are vital to the success of any education system. However, concern continues to be raised about the quality of teachers’ preparation in the teachers’ colleges and about the quality of teachers in schools in Tanzania (Global Partnership for Educational Support in Tanzania Mainland, 2013; Mgaiwa, 2018; Makoro, 2020). In line with such concerns, this study explored Tanzania’s pre-service teachers’ demonstration of knowledge and skills of teaching during teaching practice. The study was conducted in three secondary schools located in Moshi rural District in Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania. It involved five pre-service teachers from one of the Diploma Teachers Colleges, five supervisors from the same Teachers’ College and mentor teachers from the three home schools where pre-service teachers were placed for teaching practice. The study is descriptive, employing qualitative methods of data collection. Interviews, focus group discussions and observations were used to collect data. Drawing on Shulman’s (1986) categories of knowledge, data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that the pre-service teachers had limited skill in lesson preparation and classroom management, which negatively impacted their learning during teaching practice. Based on these findings, the study recommends that teacher education colleges should take steps to better prepare pre-service teachers to effectively handle lesson planning, teaching, and classroom management.

‘Nice to Meet You Again’: When Heutagogy Met Blended Learning in Teacher Education, Post-Pandemic Era

Heutagogy and blended learning (BL) are core concepts in the educational discourse post-COVID-19. Conducting a mixed-methods study, we investigate meeting points between heutagogy principles and BL in the context of curricular change in the academic timetable of teacher education college, where pre-COVID most courses have been taught face-to-face (F2F). At present, teacher educators and students meet F2F for three weeks, followed by a week of remote learning, combining synchronous and asynchronous pedagogies. Data have been collected by a closed-ended questionnaire and two focus groups, involving altogether 76 lecturers and 553 students. Findings indicate that heutagogy has been applied in all facets of BL, rather than only with online or digital technological components. This study explores a bottom-up growth of heutagogy expressions in BL at three meeting points. When the core facets of heutagogy principles have been identified, there has been a predominance of the students’ agency and life-long learners, together with facets such as a non-linear learning and capability development that have been underrepresented. This study contributes to the research field of heutagogy in teacher education as it identifies the meaning and the way a structural change in the curriculum can constitute an accelerator and catalyst when implementing heutagogy in practice.

Challenges in creating value in the pre-service teachers’ journey from learning to implementing student-centred approaches: an ethnographic study along a two-year PETE

ABSTRACT The present study's purpose was to comprehend the internal dynamics of the social learning interactions inside a Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programme where pre-service teachers (PST) were learning and implementing student-centered approaches (SCA). Specifically, this article draws on the Value creation cycles framework to unveil the education development challenges faced by PSTs inside of their PETE Social Learning Space. The context was a two-year PETE programme in Portugal. In year one, the participants were three university teacher educators (TE) and 25 PSTs. In year two, the participants were 3 PSTs (from the original year one class) in their school placement, one university supervisor (US), and one cooperating teacher (CT). This study was an ethnography with a two-year longitudinal design. Data were collected through the ethnographer's participant-observations, meetings of the PSTs with the mentoring team (TEs, US, CT), and the ethnographer's field diary, reflexive log, and audio recordings. Data analysis involved the constant-comparative grounded theory method. The analysis resulted in understanding the challenges faced by PSTs while working in contexts of possible development of social learning spaces. Accordingly, findings explore the development of PSTs throughout the two years of the programme by analysing their involvement in each cycle of value creation: the PSTs’ work group social dynamic; their experiences of peer-teaching SCAs before school placement; PSTs’ intentions about implementing SCAs; the individualisation of PSTs learning process; relationship dynamics with stakeholders (TEs, CTs, and US); and, the lack of practical examples of SCAs implementation in the host school. The analysis of the value creation cycles encourage PETE programmes to invest in understanding the development of social learning spaces, before introducing them in programme policy, by acknowledging the importance of developing a mechanism of analysis and follow-up of its development.

Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Reading Comprehension.

We report findings from a survey of elementary teachers regarding reading instruction. The purpose was to examine teachers' beliefs about how children in the first 7 years of schooling develop reading comprehension skills and to characterize the self-reported practices and strategies they use to support children to comprehend connected text. A web-based survey was used to collect data from 284 Australian elementary teachers about their beliefs and practices regarding reading comprehension instruction. Selected Likert-scale items were aggregated to determine the degree to which participants held "child-centered" or "content-centered" views of reading instruction. Australian elementary school teachers hold a wide range of beliefs about reading instruction, some of which are in direct opposition to each other. Our findings indicate low consensus about what elements of instructional practice are useful in classrooms or how time should be apportioned to different tasks. Commercial programs had significant penetration in schools, and many participants reported using multiple commercial programs, with varying degrees of pedagogical harmony. Participants indicated that their most common source of knowledge about reading instruction was their own personal research, with few nominating university teacher education as a primary source of knowledge or expertise. Little agreement exists within the Australian elementary teacher community regarding the ways that reading skills can and should be taught. There is significant room for teacher practice to have improved theoretical underpinnings and to develop a consistent repertoire of classroom practices aligned with these.

Perceptions of practicum actors in the primary teacher education practicum program

This study looked at the perceptions of the three practicum actors (prospective teachers, placement school teachers (mentors), and teacher educators (tutors) of the primary teacher education practicum program of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. To that end, a mixed methods approach with a concurrent design was utilized. The quantitative data were collected from randomly selected 799 participants (290 prospective teachers, 252 placement school teachers, and 257 teacher educators) using a survey questionnaire; while the qualitative data were garnered using interviews and focus group discussions from 60 practicum actors. The data were analyzed quantitatively using mean, standard deviation, one sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA and qualitatively using descriptions and narrations. The findings revealed that although teaching practicum is supposed to be an imperative aspect of teacher learning that is instrumental to putting theories into practice, the overall perception of the three practicum actors was lower than the expected level. By far, student teachers’ and placement school teachers’ level of understanding of the basic assumptions of practicum in line with the reflective practitioner model of teacher education was minimal. Knowledge is still considered as transferring from the teacher to students, learning as receiving, and teaching as a process of transferring knowledge. Hence, continuous awareness creation on the basic assumptions of the reflective practitioner model of practicum and its core values is required. Besides, there should be a structure formed carefully of experts in teacher education to lead the program through strong school-college link and collaborative work of the hosting schools and teacher education colleges.

The role of teaching processes in turnover intentions, risk of burnout, and stress during COVID-19: a case study among Finnish University teacher educators

Previous research in teaching contexts other than Higher Education (HE) has shown that teachers struggle with stress, burnout, and intention to leave the profession. There is rather scarce evidence that HE teachers’ wellbeing is affected by their teaching processes. Thus, in this case study, how HE teacher educators’ (N = 83) risk of burnout is related to their approaches to teaching, their intention to leave teaching in HE, and the stress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic have been investigated. Based on the correlations and regression analyses of the survey data, the results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the work stress of over half of the HE teacher educators, but only a few suffered from burnout and had intended to leave teaching in HE. The risk of teachers suffering from burnout was negatively related to having an interactive teaching approach, and positively related to having an unreflective teaching approach. Both intending to leave teaching and the stress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic predicted HE teacher educators’ risk of burnout. This study has shown the importance of conducting more research on university teachers’ wellbeing.

Deconstructing Imperialism in English Language Teaching with Alter-Globalization Community in Education

The positioning of the English language as the world’s lingua franca has led to the prioritization of an English monolingual ideology, which has, over the years, promoted the English language as a product to be manufactured, sold, and continuously promoted in capitalistic spaces and neoliberal markets as a tool of upward mobility. This paper presents a university teacher-educator project that is continuing to implement an alter-globalized framework in language education. The project focuses on utilizing translingual practices to create more context-based and liberating learning environments for students and teachers, with a recognition of how these practices can empower people beyond schooling. The paper maintains that by shifting away from globalized perspectives rooted in imperialism in language education, the English language can be repositioned as one tool among many for international cross-cultural communication.

Process of developing a cervical cancer education program for female university students in a Health and Physical Education teacher training course: an action research

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to develop a cervical cancer education program for students and evaluate the process for female students of an HPE teacher education university who were training to become Japanese Health and Physical Education teachers.MethodsThis study used Action Research (AR) methodology. In developing program, we analyzed the description of the teaching material development process, the lectures, and the students’ report contents, which was the main activity in the program development. Thirty five third- and fourth-year students majoring in health promotion at a Health and Physical Education teacher education university, which trains Health and Physical Education teachers in Tokyo, Japan, participated in this study.ResultsAfter a review of the prototype version of the cervical cancer education material, six out of nine reviewers determined that it can be published. In the revised cervical cancer education materials, messages from students, university lecturers, and gynecologists have been added as a column in the section on 'how to prevent cervical cancer. Analysis of the contents of the texts (16,792 characters in total) of 35 student reports resulted in the generation of 51 codes, 3 categories, and 15 subcategories.ConclusionsThis study reflects the intentions of female university students to contribute their knowledge to the development of educational materials on cervical cancer, which, alongside the lectures, have deepened the knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer. Based on this, the teaching material development process, lectures by experts, and students’ mindset after learning about cervical cancer is reported in this study. There is a need for more educational programs on cervical cancer that are implemented through the education of female university students.

DEMYSTIFYING STUDENT-UNIVERSITY IDENTIFICATION AMONG VIRTUAL TEFL CANDIDATES: THE CASE OF IRAN

Student-University Identification (SUI) of virtual students in higher education is one area of identity that receives less attention. This study aimed to explore the SUI of a purposive sample of five virtual students studying Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at the Ph.D. level in Iran. Investigating SUI in higher education among virtual TEFL Ph.D. candidates potentially contributes to demystifying a complex relationship of factors, such as cultural experiences, linguistic backgrounds, and online environment challenges. Using phenomenology, the study investigated the identities of the participants by thematically analyzing semi-structured interview data. The findings revealed the participants’ various ways of identifying with a university, the subsequent consequences of identification, and the obstacles preventing them to develop SUI. The findings indicated that several factors at play are unique to doctoral candidates. The faculty prestige, research-based concerns, and nature of online media were identified to be crucial aspects of SUI for the TEFL Ph.D. students. Universities are thus advised to provide appropriate direction for virtual candidates. The study also found that some students perceived a lack of competence in TEFL, which, in turn, acted as a barrier to their SUI. To alleviate this problem, further research needs to identify what is lacking in teacher education university programs and what initiatives are required to improve TEFL students’ professional development and help them become confident English teachers.

A Review of the Integrated Creative Arts Curriculum Implementation in Nigerian Teacher Education Colleges

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the implementation of Integrated Creative Arts (ICA) curriculum in Teacher Education Colleges (TECs) in Nigeria.
 Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.
 Findings: The study concluded that the lack of schemes of work, lesson plans, ICA syllabus and handbooks has a negative an impact on the implementation of ICA curriculum in TECs in Nigeria.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that the college management should make it a point of duty to avail art rooms, workshops and music rooms in all Teachers Education Colleges (TECs) with adequate provision of equipment, and tools this will make teaching and learning of the subject to be meaningful, as the students will have the opportunity to be engaging in practical works, which is the major aspect of the curriculum; Instructional materials should be provided and their usage be made compulsory in TECs.

Difficulties pre-service science teachers encountered in conducting research projects at teacher education college

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difficulties pre-service teachers experience in conducting and writing research projects. A concurrent mixed research design was utilized to identify the primary difficulties. To collect the data, the study employed a questionnaire and document analysis. A closed-end questionnaire was administered to natural science candidates of Teacher Education College. The questionnaire data were analyzed using statistical procedures like frequencies and percentages. For document analysis, nine research papers were selected and analyzed by setting evaluation criteria. Two coding cycles (in vivo and axial) were used to evaluate the quality of the papers, and the results were embedded in the quantitative questionnaire. Contrary to the previous findings, the most challenging area candidates struggled with when conducting research was found to be a lack of knowledge and skills in analyzing, organizing, and interpreting data. It was also found that the candidates lacked primarily procedural knowledge and also epistemic knowledge to accomplish research projects. Thus, it was suggested that courses and delivery strategies should include high-level knowledge such as procedural and epistemic knowledge to promote students’ problem-solving skills.

ハンズオンによる技術科教員養成の電気理論科目における教育実践

The purpose of the study was to practice teaching electric theory to first graders using a hands-on approach in a technology teacher training course at a teacher's education university, and to verify the effect. Hands-on activities included simple electrical experiments and simulations in a lecture room. To allow time for hands-on activities, flipped classrooms were used as a teaching method. In the flipped classroom, students were required to watch the video lectures in advance and then engaged in hands-on activities. Fifteen lessons were taught, and the effect was examined based on test and questionnaire results of the group using the hands-on activities (experimental group) and a group without the activity (control group). The results showed that the average score of the short tests and regular examinations was significantly higher than that in the control group, except in the case of the AC circuit field. Thus, the experiments and simulations contributed to improved interest and comprehension, therefore, demonstrating the educational effect of the hands-on approach.

Are We on the Way to Successfully Educating Future Citizens?-A Spotlight on Critical Thinking Skills and Beliefs about the Nature of Science among Pre-Service Biology Teachers in Germany.

A rapidly changing world and constantly expanding knowledge requires education to no longer focus on teaching subject-matter knowledge but also to promote students' critical thinking (CT) and an accurate understanding of the nature of science (NOS). However, several studies have shown that these skills are still poorly acquired during formal education. Given the cause-effect sequence from teacher education to teacher action to student learning, it seems reasonable to consider individual factors on the part of (pre-service) teachers as possible contributors to such skill gaps. In our study, we therefore investigated how pre-service biology teachers perform on tasks assessing their CT skills and NOS beliefs. In addition, we addressed the questions of whether test performance and/or the relationships between CT skills and NOS beliefs differ as a function of the number of learning opportunities. Our results show that our participants' CT skills were only in the low-average range. Moreover, 86% of them did not have an informed understanding of NOS. Although participants in the master's program demonstrated clearly superior CT skills than those in the bachelor's program, no such difference was found in terms of NOS beliefs. However, there was a consistent advantage for pre-service teachers who were aspiring to a teaching qualification in two (as opposed to only one) scientific subjects. Our findings provide useful implications, particularly with respect to the influence of learning opportunities in university teacher education and the effectiveness of CT- and NOS-based instructional settings. On a more prospective note, our findings underscore that, given the grand global tasks of the 21st century, it seems more important than ever to ensure that pre-service science teachers have sufficient expertise in CT and NOS in order to increase the likelihood that these teachers will be able to successfully help their future students develop these skills.

Contextual Changes and Shifts in Pedagogical Paradigms: Post-COVID-19 Blended Learning as a Negotiation Space in Teacher Education

This study investigates a post-COVID-19 curricular change in the blended learning (BL) academic timetable of a teacher education college where, pre-COVID-19, most academic courses were taught face-to-face (F2F) on campus. At present, the meetings are F2F for three weeks, followed by a week of remote learning, combining synchronous and asynchronous pedagogies. This study explores these two aspects of the online component and the considerations for their implementation. In a mixed-method approach, the data were collected using a closed questionnaire and two focus groups involving 76 lecturers and 553 students altogether. Of the wide range of pedagogies identified, the highest success rating was accorded to synchronous frontal lectures via Zoom by the students and to integrating MOOCs, YouTube, and Podcasts by the lecturers. Moreover, compared to the lecturers, the students rated the success of asynchronous self-directed learning considerably higher. Qualitative analysis revealed that pedagogies slated for the online module were frequently negotiated between students and teachers. Findings suggest that a structural change in the curriculum could be a first step in rethinking pedagogies in the post-COVID-19 education arena. The next step should focus on narrowing the gap between lecturers’ and students’ perceptions regarding the success of the various pedagogies.

University teacher educators´ practicum discourses in early childhood teacher education

ABSTRACT This study uses frame of boundary work to explore university teacher educators’ discourses of the early childhood teacher education practicum and to identify the complexities of their positions(s) in these discourses. Data were obtained through focus group interviews with university teacher educators (N = 16) from two Finnish universities and analysed using discourse analysis and positioning theory. The analysis revealed five discourses: the discourses of expertise, work experience, criticism of policies, mediation, and encouragement. Moreover, working in the boundary between the university and the early childhood education setting challenges university teacher educators to adopt a variety of positions.This study helps us to understand the multiple demands of UTE´s work in the practicum context, and to address the needs of student teachers and their supervision. It also challenges to develop collaboration with cooperative teachers, who supervise the student teachers at early childhood centres during the practicum.

The Efficacy of Microteaching in a Teacher Education Programme During the Lockdown at a University in South Africa

The microteaching programme is the initial phase of teacher development, and it intends to provide student teachers with a genuine experience of the teaching profession. Prior to the global COVID-19 lockdown, microteaching was conducted in a traditional face-to-face setting. However, the lockdown restrictions compelled such programmes to be carried out virtually using digital devices. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study is to examine the efficacy of microteaching during the lockdown in a university teacher education programme. The research was conducted with two groups of Post Graduate Certificate in Education students at a university, in South Africa. Each group comprised of five members, with a totality of 10 participants. A case study research design was employed, and data were collected through observations and semi-structured interviews. An observation schedule and interview schedule were utilised to guide the accuracy of data collection. Thereafter, data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, whereby codes and themes were developed. The findings reveal the efficacy of microteaching since all student teachers successfully completed their microteaching virtually with better marks when comparing Microteaching One and Microteaching 2. The microteaching programme was enhanced by improving the utilisation of technology resources in the programme. Student teachers’ digital skills, knowledge and critical thinking skills were enhanced. Conducting microteaching virtually also resulted in inclusive learning. It is concluded that technology resources played a vital role in the efficacy of microteaching during the lockdown. This study contributes to the literature on teacher education programmes to embrace technology utilisation in microteaching, even after the lockdown.

Enhancing College Students’ Procedural Knowledge of Physics Using Blended Jigsaw-IV Problem-Solving Instruction

Jigsaw-IV Problem-solving method is innovative active learning instruction used to improve college student’s learning. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of Jigsaw-IV problem-solving instruction on preservice physics teachers' (PSPT) procedural knowledge in college of teacher education in the Southern nation nationality region of Ethiopia. The study involves 136 first year PSPTs who are attending their preservice teacher education program in four colleges of teacher education. To achieve the goal of the study, a quasi-experimental research method with the pretest-posttest design was used. Procedural knowledge test was used for Data collection. The reliability of the test was checked using KR-20 and found to be 0.83. In treatment groups one, two, and three, the TECDRER (Thinking, Exploring, Choosing, and Manipulating), Discussing, Reflecting, Evaluating, and Re-teaching) model used in Jigsaw-IV problem-solving strategies (J-IVPSS), Jigsaw-IV (J-IV), and Problem Solving Strategies (PSS) were employed, while the customary method was employed for the comparison group. After checking all necessary assumption the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as ANOVA and ANCOVA. The results showed that treatment groups performed significantly better than the comparison group. It was suggested that the J-IVPSS is a good approach to enhance PSPT's Procedural knowledge.