University Coursework Research Articles

Inquiry as a Compass: Revising a Social Studies Education Program Around Questions, Tasks, and Sources

In response to national and state trends promoting inquiry-based social studies over the last decade, social studies teacher educators at the University of Kentucky revamped their pre-service program to create alignment around the key inquiry concepts of questions, tasks, and sources. Part of the program revision involved the creation of a new observation instrument to assess students during their field experiences. Drawing from four years of data from the instrument, the authors discuss what the observational data reveals about the strengths and weaknesses of their students’ inquiry practices as well as what the data suggests about program coherence between university coursework and field experiences.

Cross-validating four measures of technology integration: Stages of adoption, CBAM LoU, ACOT, and TPACK core

This paper presents a cross validation study of four instruments commonly used to assess educator proficiency in technology integration. Data for the validation study were contributed by 357 teacher preparation candidates enrolled in university coursework in the Netherlands. Factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, reliability analyses and analysis of variance were used to confirm that the use of four brief but individually validated measures can provide a robust measure of technology integration proficiency that can be expected to operate well in a wide range of educational contexts.

‘It’s like Central Park’: conceptualising teacher residencies as a democratic hub

ABSTRACT In this conceptual paper, we offer a framework to examine how residency programmes can critically reflect upon their existence and presence as a democratic hub. As a model of teacher preparation that blends theory and university coursework with practice, residency programmes are designed to prepare and diversify the teacher workforce for a context-specific setting that calls upon universities to partner closely with local districts. We see the need for a reflective conceptualisation of residencies to offer a tool for considering how and why residencies are created. In conceptualising teacher residency programmes as democratic hubs rather than institutional programmes, we draw on the metaphor of Central Park in New York City to discuss the permeability of boundaries and accessibility to all. We centre our framework on three pillars: a) decentralising knowledge; b) historicising knowledge; and c) co-creating knowledge. This study has implications for addressing a central and longstanding problem in teacher education: the disconnect between academic coursework and fieldwork or the lack of collaboration between schools and universities often referred to as the theory-practice divide. We offer this tool to conceptualise teachers’ residencies so that teacher education can be designed to matter in practice, not only in institutions but for the public good.

Preparing Prospective English Language Teachers for ICT Integration

This paper reports on a case study of six prospective English language teachers’ ICT training experiences and the connections between these experiences and their beliefs about how well their language teacher education program prepared them for effective technology integration in language classrooms. This study aimed at arguing the importance of the situational factors in the university coursework and fieldwork components of teacher education on future teachers’ technology-related beliefs and technology use. Data were gathered through surveys and semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The results provided some implications for curriculum updates in teacher education programs and necessary improvements in relevant policies to prepare their graduates to teach with technology-integrated classrooms. The development of a practical and integrated knowledge base of ICT use should be a visible component in teacher education programs.

Engaging elementary mathematics specialists: Strengthening the connections between university coursework and practice

AbstractElementary teachers are underprepared to teach mathematics, and there is a lack of field‐based support for mathematics‐specific pedagogies in the elementary grades. To address this theory to practice gap, we developed an innovative model of fieldwork that draws on the expertise of in‐service teachers (elementary mathematics specialists [EMSs]) who had recently completed a K–5 mathematics endorsement to work in the role of university supervisors supporting beginning teachers (BTs) in initial fieldwork. We argue that this model has three key aspects that will support BTs bridging the theory to practice gap: (1) as in‐service teachers the EMSs are keenly connected to the context of schools; (2) recent experience in university coursework in mathematics while serving as in‐service teachers required the EMSs to navigate the theory to practice gap themselves; (3) one‐on‐one mentorship supports strong and trusting relationships. Drawing on data from a 3‐year study we found that EMSs brought intimate knowledge of the school context and knowledge of the mathematics‐specific pedagogies taught at the university. These connections to the field and the university allowed EMSs to support BTs in implementing research‐based practices in their mathematics lessons that went against the norms of their school settings.

Promoting Theory and Practice: A Year-Long Residency Program to Better Prepare Future Educators

A challenge frequently voiced in the field of teacher preparation is the divide between theory and practice. Specifically, university coursework is often viewed as “the theory,” with classroom teaching experiences in PreK-12 settings being considered “the practice.” One Teacher Preparation Program re-designed their program to address this divide and better prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) for their futures as educators. To do this, the re-designed program included more authentic classroom experiences through the implementation of a year-long residency model and the creation of a residency-specific course. This article details how an English methods course and residency course were designed to support PSTs as they made connections to their residency experiences. In this way, PSTs majoring in secondary English Language Arts (ELA) education were immersed within middle and secondary ELA classrooms as residents, while simultaneously engaging in rigorous university coursework, which sought to promote educational theory and practice. Specific instructional approaches and assignments are shared, along with reflections on what was learned.

Tensions in teaching balanced controversial history: Competing voices within a student teacher in Northern Ireland

AbstractHistory education that deals with the controversial and sensitive past is a vehicle for peacemaking in conflict‐affected societies. However, its success is dependent on teachers taking risks to challenge entrenched ‘us versus them’ views of history. How does a student teacher in Northern Ireland grapple with risk‐taking when learning to teach controversial history? What tensions are involved in bringing a different perspective into the classroom that challenges identity‐based understandings and emotions? This paper analyses interview data from a study on the preparation of preservice teachers for teaching controversial issues. It uses dialogical self theory to examine competing voices that animate a student teacher's practice and reveal how her interpretation of pedagogical lessons from university coursework and professional norms bump up against her identity, family loyalty and related emotions. Her conflict brings into relief tensions of learning to teach controversial history in divided societies.

Inclusive learning communities: An English learner framework for all educators

AbstractEducators in many countries must meet the educational needs of students who are not fluent in the language of instruction. Professional learning focused on incremental or individual teacher change has failed to improve student learning trajectories (Cuban, 2013; Gorski & Zenkov, 2014). This article explores Brookfield's (2012) critical articulation of Mezirow's (2012) adult learning theory to support the complex and radical transformation needed from all educators—not just language specialists—to improve classroom learning and schooling. We present the inclusive learning communities framework, with conceptual and pedagogical growth targets, guiding a seven‐course English as a New Language Certification program for PreK‐12 preservice and in‐service teachers working with English learners (ELs) in general education and EL specialist classrooms. The conceptual and pedagogical elements leverage critical transformative learning theory to reframe educators' individual beliefs and practices while developing their collective capacity to challenge oppressive ideologies and systems in pursuit of equity. We conclude that radical improvement in EL outcomes requires all EL teacher educators to plan and evaluate university coursework programmatically in ways that demonstrate real‐world change.

Perceived preparedness to teach over time: A longitudinal case study of instrumental music teachers

Music teacher education programs are an integral part of preparing novice music teachers for a successful start to their careers. Despite that, many studies show that music educators often feel unprepared by their education. This three-and-a-half year longitudinal case study examined instrumental music educators’ perceptions of the preparation provided by their education as they completed university coursework and entered the profession. Participants were four instrumental music education majors who were in their upper-level courses at the beginning of the study and participants completed five focus group discussions. Participants were four instrumental music education majors who were in their upper-level courses at the beginning and participants completed five focus group discussions starting at the end of their third year, continuing through both semesters of their final year, and at the end of their first 2 years in the classroom. I identified three emergent themes from the data: the importance of authenticity and contextualization; the core practices of classroom management, secondary instrument knowledge/skills, and rehearsing ensembles were central to feelings of preparedness; and a shifting focus over time. Findings indicated various perceptions of preparedness and their connection to music teacher education experiences, including implications for future research.

Making the Most of Cognitive Surplus: Descriptive Case Studies of Student-Generated Open Educational Resources

Universities are hives of knowledge production and innovation, but the work students produce for assessment is often utilised in a limited way, neglecting a potentially rich intellectual resource. This article investigates an activity that can make use of this resource. It has known benefits for students but is rarely used in higher education—student-generated open educational resources (OER). In descriptive case studies of two projects where students created OER as an assessed part of university coursework, the article explores the impacts of this activity on students’ learning experiences and the educational practice of teaching academics. Drawing upon social constructivist understandings of teaching and learning and a range of quantitative and qualitative data from projects with 156 students and 3 academics, the descriptive case studies illustrate how student-generated OER, guided by an OER development model, positively benefitted learners and educators. The discussion balances these benefits against some of the challenges experienced in the process. The article will argue that student-generated OER could be widely used, but specific supports are necessary for academics to facilitate this activity successfully.

Preparing the Expert Novice: Preservice Teacher Thinking and Efficacy in Inquiry Design

In this study, we share the understandings and the reflections of preservice teachers as they engage in focus group interviews about inquiry in social studies, generally, and their reactions to publicly available Inquiry Design Model blueprints. These preservice teachers first discussed their understanding of inquiry, which was rooted in their university coursework. They then described their self-efficacy for implementing inquiry, generally, and the IDM blueprint, specifically, in their current field placements and future classrooms. This envisioned implementation often involved adaptations of the blueprints. Our goal in this research was to reconsider how preservice teachers experience and learn about social studies inquiry and, as a result of these experiences, whether and how they see themselves implementing social studies inquiry with students. This study can inform teacher educators to proactively address common barriers and better support preservice teachers.

The university coursework timetabling problem: An optimization approach to synchronizing course calendars

In university settings, scheduling coursework over an academic term and across several courses is an extremely difficult task, owing to numerous complexities and constraints, such as the uniqueness of each student and instructor’s schedules, workload limits, syllabus considerations, university policies, and the length of the academic term. In addition to the inherent difficulty, the activity is usually performed arbitrarily and with little to no coordination among the relevant decision-makers, including department chairs and faculty members. Although mathematical models have been developed to address similar educational timetabling problems, models that tackle the scheduling of coursework, in particular, are lacking. In this regard, the present study introduces the university coursework timetabling problem (UCWTP), and proposes an optimization tool as a solution approach. The UCWTP involves scheduling a set of coursework covering different courses and several course sections over an academic term such that the quality of the resulting timetable is optimized. To model the case, a multi-objective mixed integer linear programming model was formulated with constraints divided into two types, hard and soft, with the latter defining the quality of the timetable based on three dimensions: (1) compliance with curriculum requirements, (2) adherence to student workload limits, and (3) adherence to instructor workload limits. The hypothetical case considered yielded promising results as a 100% weighted satisfaction was attained, equivalent to an average improvement of 9.45% relative to multiple heuristically constructed timetables. The exact algorithm proves to be sufficiently effective as a solution approach, yielding reasonable computational times of less than 2 min for real-world university scenarios.

Finding Etheridge Knight

This case study examines outcomes from a university project that emanated from a grant for a public humanities collaboration. It involved undergraduate research as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives at a midsize private university in the Midwest. The university worked with the local library system and its Center for Black Literature and Culture (CBLC) and K-12 schools to create community engagement initiatives based on student research done in the universities special collections archives of the poet, Etheridge Knight, Jr. It also included Knight’s family, local poets, the university’s Center for Citizenship and Community, and university faculty. The findings include that the project provided an explicit connection between Knight and existing university coursework and student learning, facilitated community engagement, and created an appreciation of both local community and personal sense of community.

Onsite coaching: supporting prospective teachers to enact and appropriate instructional strategies in their field placements

ABSTRACT Coaching supports have been used in the past few decades with practicing teachers in professional development programs seeking to improve teachers’ and novice teachers’ practice. Prospective teachers experience the complexity of teaching when they start their field experiences. In some cases, prospective teachers struggle to enact what they learned in university coursework in real classroom settings. In an effort to bridge this gap, this paper provides an innovative approach to onsite coaching in the form of modelling, along with dialogic feedback to support prospective teachers’ development of their teaching practice in their field experiences. Onsite coaching supports as described in this study, have implications on teacher learning to promote prospective teachers’ enactment and appropriation of instructional strategies from university course work in field experiences. Findings suggest that field supervisors use this onsite coaching model to support prospective teachers in developing their teaching practices in the context of practice by taking a clinical stance. This paper unpacks the appropriation cycle and provides coaching moves (e.g., types of feedback in lesson plans, planning sessions, debriefing sessions, and onsite coaching moves) by sharing representative stories of prospective teachers facilitating literacy and mathematics in general education classrooms, and by differentiating instruction for emergent bilinguals.

Teacher Candidate Supervision for Social Justice: Orientations, Practices, and Challenges

The need for teachers who are thoughtful and attentive to issues of social justice is more apparent now than ever before. Teacher education can and should be tasked with preparing teachers to serve a student population that is becoming more diverse over time. As teacher educators who function within both the university coursework and student teaching fieldwork spaces, teacher candidate supervisors are well-positioned to support candidates to make sense of and incorporate social justice-centered practices in their teaching. Building on the findings of Jacobs (2006), a comprehensive literature review of journal articles published in the last 20+ years revealed that orientations toward supervision for social justice can be characterized as “multicultural,” “critical,” “culturally responsive,” or “anti-racist.” This literature base described practices associated with supervision for social justice such as problematizing, storytelling, critical reflection, role-playing and rehearsals, and the use of professional learning communities. The identified literature also details challenges to supervising for social justice, including institutional barriers and power hierarchies, silence, or hesitancy with regard to conversations of race and racism, and the need for more research.

Negotiating coherence through meeting spaces in practicum

Teacher education takes place in two distinct cultures: schools and higher education institutions. The differences between these cultures make interaction between them challenging and often described as disconnected. There is a call for coherence. This interview study explores how meeting spaces during practicum can enhance coherence between university coursework and fieldwork in teacher education seen from the perspectives of student teachers, school-based and university-based teacher educators in Norwegian secondary school teacher education. The findings suggest that creating coherence requires meeting spaces that encourage student teachers’ reflection and are characterised by mutual respect where various perspectives can complement and challenge each other.

Exploring the work of Dorothy Arzner as a film-making teacher in southern California

Dorothy Arzner is best remembered as one of the exceptionally few women to direct feature films during Hollywood’s ‘golden age’. One of the lesser known dimensions of her career is her work as a film-making teacher in southern California during a time of great change in the ways that US-based film-makers learnt their craft. During the 1950s and 1960s, students were no longer limited to on-the-job studio training, as Arzner had been in her prime; instead, they were learning how to make films via college and university coursework, and Arzner was unquestionably a key player in this educational transition. After examining her preliminary instructional work with Realart Pictures and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, this article explores Arzner’s teaching experiences at the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts and the University of California Los Angeles. It combines her assessments of her pedagogical practices with commentary from former students and colleagues to provide a composite portrait of this pivotal film-maker turned educator.

A Comparison of Service Time and Racial Categories within Traditional and Alternative Route Internship Programs for Special Education Licensure

We used 14 years of state licensure and classroom data from Virginia to follow 19,878 special education teachers (SETs) who completed either the alternative route (AR) internship or traditional programs. Findings reveal that a greater percentage of SETs of color participated in AR programs compared to traditional licensure programs, while a greater percentage of White SETs completed traditional programs. SETs of color attained approximately three fewer years of service time if they completed the AR program compared to traditional programs. For White SETs, a difference of less than 1 year was found. For SETs from AR programs who did not complete 27 credit hours of university coursework, attrition occurred at higher rates within the first 3 years of service. Implications for future research on AR internship programs and teachers of color are provided, informing both policy and practice.

Pre-and in-service teacher attitudes related to English Learner instruction in the content-areas: A mixed-methods study

In this mixed methods research, we analyzed the extent to which pre- and in-service teachers' attitudes towards linguistic diversity predicted their attitudes towards English Learner (EL) content-area instruction in the United States. We also analyzed participants' open-ended responses regarding their attitudes towards EL content-area instruction. 195 pre-service (N = 136) and in-service (N = 59) teachers enrolled in university coursework participated. Multiple regression models indicated attitudes towards linguistic diversity was a significant and large contributor to participants’ attitudes towards EL content-area instruction. Qualitative analysis revealed pre-and in-service teachers differed in attitudes towards working with English Learners (ELs) in the content-areas.

Higher Aims Fulfilled:The Social Capital Academy as A Means for Advancing Underserved Students.

Current research underscores how college education can reflect broader social inequality through the disproportionate flow of resources to elite universities and the advantaged students they serve. In contrast, under-resourced comprehensive universities disproportionately serve under-represented minority, first-generation, and working-class students. This paper argues for the comprehensive university as an institution uniquely positioned to reduce social inequality and the comprehensive university undergraduate business school (CUUBS) as the first test of a new approach to education. This paper advocates a substantive response to social inequality through 1) refocusing the business school on undergraduate education within the comprehensive university, rather than the MBA within well-funded elite business schools; 2) a strategic focus within the CUUBS on underserved students’ attainment of career-related jobs (CRJs) upon graduation; and 3) helping students to pursue CRJs via the development of a Social Capital Academy (SCA), a program offering sustained networks, social skills, and career engagement, alongside the traditional academy’s formal university coursework. The paper describes the benefits of the SCA for underserved students, its requirements and benefits for universities and business communities, and the possibilities for scaling the program to significantly address social inequality. Future applications of the SCA to STEM-related fields are briefly explored.