University Teacher Education Research Articles

Self-Efficacy in a 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality Classroom—Initial Teacher Education Students’ Experiences

This study explores initial teacher education (ITE) university students’ experiences of work-integrated-learning (WiL) placements in a virtual reality environment. The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst for this study when schools around the world were inaccessible to ITE students. Undertaking WiL, which is typically a mandated component of ITE programs, became challenging, if not impossible. In this uncertain environment and the broader context of a nation-wide teacher shortage in Australia, the need to pivot and consider alternatives became a high priority. This study reports on a simulated experimental space as an alternative WiL for ITE students in a virtual classroom environment, exploring the impact on the self-efficacy of the participants. The ITE students explored the platform as a teaching space, designing, delivering and participating in lessons. Data about their experiences were collected utilising a multi-methods design comprised of self-efficacy surveys and self-reflections. The findings reveal: (i) an increase in self-efficacy upon completion of the experience, with a small decline post program; and (ii) reported development of technological and pedagogical confidence. These findings contribute to the field as low teacher self-efficacy is identified as one of the inhibitors for the integration of technology in teacher education. This study provides an insight into the transformative potential of enhancing ITE students’ self-efficacy in simulated, virtual environments.

Reflective Practice in Teacher Education: A Look into Past and Present Theories, and Some Pertinent Issues

Many educators regard the practice of pedagogical reflection as a prime motivator in the professional growth of teachers. This idea has spurred the realization of the practice of reflection since the early stages of the university's teacher education program. Several scholars have developed their ideas regarding excellent practices in reflection throughout the years. They presented methodologies, concepts, and ways to construct the course of reflection from non-reflective to critical reflective by identifying the reflective thought process and underpinning the degrees of reflection. These ideas would also allow educators to create evaluations for reflective practice. However, this sound theoretical framework is frequently riddled with flaws that linger to the present time, particularly about the extent to which such activity will provide noteworthy growth for teachers, as well as the legitimacy of its reflexivity itself. This paper tries to revisit the origin of the concept, the development, and pinpoint the persistent issues. This, hopefully, would enable us to seek the deeper insight into the dynamics of reflective practice in teacher education program.

Illusions of online readiness: the counter-intuitive impact of rapid immersion in digital learning due to COVID-19

ABSTRACT Framed from a socio-cognitive perspective, and the contemporary increased salience of digital learning readiness and competence, the purpose of this study was two-fold: to validate Online Learner Readiness Scale in a new context and to explore potential variances in online readiness within a student-teacher population between less (pre-COVID) and more experienced (during COVID) groups. A CFA was used to examine the suitability of the OLRS in an Irish context, and variances between groups based on gender and professional experience were explored. Two cross-sectional datasets were gathered from student teachers from a university teacher education programme in the Republic of Ireland (n 1 = 281, n 2 = 154). The analysis demonstrated significantly lower perceived online readiness in the more experienced ‘during COVID’ cohort compared to ‘pre-COVID’ cohort. This counter-intuitive finding is in direct contrast to prior research, and potential influencing factors include the sudden immersion in an entirely digital learning environment. The more experienced cohort reported significantly lower online readiness across all five components of the OLRS. The findings are discussed in the context of a major shift in the student-teacher learning experience due to COVID-19. Implications for future research are explored in the context of increasingly digitised teaching and learning environments during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Internationalisation, teacher education and institutional identities: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT Teachers are under increasing pressure to promote various and many times conflicting and fluid sets of values—both global/local—cosmopolitan and national. Teachers are expected to possess meaningful skills, theoretical grounding and practical tools to effectively undertake this role. One way in which to prepare teachers for this, is through internationalisation of teacher education (IoTE). Teacher education programmes are situated within a distinctive niche between higher education (HE) and schools and are expected to both compete with other local/global HEIs and to engage with and supply graduates for the local (often, national) education system. This distinctive position requires teacher education programmes to foster multiple constituencies and identities. In this study, we aim to explore these multiple identities, and how they shape IoTE. We investigate how internationalisation is expressed in two teacher education colleges in Israel. Drawing on internationalisation and organisational identity literature, we explore the role of organisational identities and how multiple organisational identities are negotiated and shape IoTE. We reveal two distinctive strategies, aggregation and compartmentalisation, employed to manage multiple organisational identities. We argue that these divergent strategies produce different forms of IoTE and are closely tied to the institution’s conception of the nation.

Striving to cope: The quest for social justice in initial teacher education in Uruguay

ABSTRACT This research project sought to comprehend how a group of graduates from an Initial Foreign Language Teacher Education (IFLTE) programme in a national teacher education college in Uruguay constructed a personal stance towards social justice as a result of having completed a curriculum intending to promote such a stance. Data were collected through document analysis, a survey, and semi-structured interviews. Results disclosed an inherent difficulty in graduates’ efforts to construct such a stance. Findings also seem to indicate the need for a reconsideration of the curriculum experience, particularly. This implies not only reconfiguring the curriculum, but also repositioning social justice at the theoretical and practical levels.

Overcoming the theory-practice divide in teacher education with the ‘Partner School Programme’. A conceptual mapping

ABSTRACT Pre-service teachers often express a strong desire for more practical experience in teacher education, which requires teacher educators to consider new, meaningful opportunities for field experiences. This paper aims to bridge the gap between two ‘practice worlds’ – university teacher education and school practice – based on the example of the Austrian ‘Partner School Programme’ in order to overcome the theory-practice divide. In this conceptual paper, we explore how the ‘Partner School Programme’ has aimed at bridging the two ‘practice worlds’ by enhancing collaboration between universities and schools in different ways: pre-service teachers can take part in fieldwork in schools within the framework of a project (project-based learning), a research activity (community-based research) or an organised service (service-learning). The paper shows the relevance of developing integrated approaches for encouraging pre-service teachers’ reflective practice as thorough preparation for their subsequent careers and provides teacher educators with new ideas for practical fieldwork.

The Experience of Bahir Dar University Teacher Educators in Practicing Society-centered Instruction

The Experience of Bahir Dar University Teacher Educators in Practicing Society-centered Instruction

Exploring Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers’ Pedagogical Scientific Language Knowledge

Chemish, as the scientific language of chemistry, is essential for communicating in and understanding chemistry. At the same time, Chemish is one of the major difficulties in teaching and learning chemistry in the school context. Although in recent years the importance of language in general and scientific language in particular has been pointed out and much research has been carried out on these topics, less is known about (pre-service) chemistry teachers’ knowledge of teaching and learning the scientific language in chemistry classes. Thus, the research on Pedagogical Scientific Language Knowledge (PSLK) is missing. As this knowledge is crucial for (future) chemistry teachers to teach chemistry, in our survey, we seek to evaluate the extent of 41 pre-service chemistry teachers’ PSLK. The answers are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results show that pre-service chemistry teachers’ content knowledge resembles the level of knowledge for higher secondary schools. Likewise, the pre-service chemistry teachers have a lack of incisive pedagogical content knowledge: although recognizing problems within Chemish, the pre-service chemistry teachers hardly address those and do not focus on the characteristics of Chemish while explaining scientific terms. On this basis, implications for further university chemistry teacher education and research will be drawn.

Professional Development in Technology Integration Among Teacher Educators in Ghana

In this digital era, education makes learners acquire the appropriate and relevant knowledge, attitude and skills that lead to understanding and functioning well in their digitally dominated environment. This research explored how exemplar lecturers developed competencies and skills in integrating technology for instruction. A qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology design was used for the study. In all, 20 lecturers (exemplars) out of 327 lecturers from a teacher education university in Ghana formed the sample and were interviewed by one of the researchers for ten weeks. Data were analysed using thematic coding, structural coding, pattern coding and focused coding in arriving at exemplars' experiences. The findings show that exemplars integrated ICTs such as Google Application for Educators (GAFE), Microsoft Office and Education tools, and other open-source software to make them stand out among their colleagues, as exemplars. Exemplars acquired their integration competencies through individual learning, colleagues, and online materials. The findings underscored the need for institutional facilities provision and support to deepen ICT integration in universities. Based on the results, recommendations, implications, and limitations are discussed.

Cultural Review of Student Compliance in The Western Region of Indonesia to Health Protocols

Health protocols help prevent the transmission of Corona Virus (COVID-19), but the culture of people's adherence to the Covid-19 health protocol in each region is uneven, which is due to the influence of local culture in various blood areas in Indonesia. This study is intended to describe the impact of a culture of adherence to health protocols during a pandemic on students in the Western Indonesia Region. The research approach is quantitative with the type of correlation research, through purposive random sampling, namely 268 students of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education HKBP Nommensen Pematangsiantar University class of 2018 and 266 students of Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) University UHKBPNP class 2019, a total of 534 samples. The data collection instrument used a questionnaire, the data analysis technique used the Kendall's Taub test. The results obtained a significance value of 0.018 <0.05, that there is a relationship between the cultural variables of adherence to health protocols. The correlation coefficient value is 0.554, that the level of relationship between the cultural variables of adherence to health protocols during the pandemic is strong. The direction of the relationship between variables has a positive value of 0.554. Shows the level of obedience culture experienced by students of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education class 2018 at HKBP Nommensen Pematangsiantar University and students of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education batch 2019 at HKBP Nommensen Pematangsiantar University based on health protocols.

Culture-based pedagogy in the Palestinian-Israeli College classroom

ABSTRACT As part of a joint European-Israeli project for developing modernised curricula on migrants’ lives (DEMO), academic courses were adapted to meet the needs of a population served by a Palestinian teacher-education college in Northern Israel. Arab minority students, in many cases descendants of displaced people, attended two courses within the English (39 students), Early Childhood (20 students), and Science (20 students) departments brought the voice of students and interviewees into the classroom. Inspired by culture-based pedagogy, the courses guaranteed safe spaces for students to share lived experiences of marginalisation and family displacement. The research question, What happens when offering culturally-based learning spaces for student-teachers and inviting them to reflect on lived experiences?, and participatory methods allowed students to reflect on their daily lives. Data analysis highlighted cognitive, emotional and behavioural themes that illuminated experiences and feelings of marginalisation, silencing, female’s suppression, religious extremism, privilege, memory, and dis-belonging bringing oral testimonies of students’ displaced ancestors to the public sphere.

Higher diploma program: A centrally initiated and successfully institutionalized professional development program for teachers in Ethiopian public universities

Higher Diploma Program (HDP) was introduced in 2003 as a professional license program for practicing teacher educators in Ethiopian public universities. Initially, it was introduced across seven public universities in Ethiopia by the federal Ministry of Education. Gradually, the program has been adapted and institutionalized as a mandatory pedagogical training program for all teachers in the 45 public universities in Ethiopia. The duration of study for HDP is 9 months, with two face-to-face sessions per week. It is not common to find such an extended pedagogical training program being institutionalized and implemented across universities in the nation. Hence, this study attempts to investigate the institutionalization process of the HDP program across public universities in Ethiopia with a focus on the initiation and early years’ implementation phases of the program. The paper analyses the process on the basis of data collected through document reviews and interview. The study applied key informant interview and data collected from seven respondents in which one was from the Ministry of Education and the rest from the four HDP implementing universities. The author also drew on his personal and professional experiences in the Ethiopian higher education sector in the last two decades. The study identified characteristics of HDP that contribute to its institutionalization. These include evidence-based program design and implementation, strong moderation system, systematic institutional capacity development, engaging leaders, the preparation and use of tools or artifacts, and adaptability to ongoing changes. These characteristics can be taken as lessons for the future policy reform initiatives in the Ethiopian higher education sector.

Self-Identity is a Function of a Good Motivational Model

In this article, I argue for the position that self-identity is a function of a good motivational model. Employee motivational models have a bearing on organisational performance and growth. While I am aware that various motivational models influence employee performance in the workplace, my view is that not enough education has been provided for employees to understand how their performance can be further enhanced. This article therefore presents propositions of a self-identity motivational model as a theoretical model. The propositions were developed from a study that adopted a pragmatic paradigm and a mixed methods research approach and a case study research design. The main purpose of the study was to investigate employees’ perceptions of their motivational models at selected government primary teacher-education colleges in Zimbabwe. Convenience and purposive sampling methods were used in selecting three primary teacher-education colleges and eleven lecturers. For triangulation purposes, document analysis, open-ended questionnaire, reflective journals, semi-structured face-to-face interviews and focus group discussion were used as data generation/production instruments. Emails and zoom platform were used since the study was carried out during Covid-19 era. Data that were gathered were analysed through guided analysis and a thematic approach. Furthermore, in order to ensure trustworthiness, issues of dependability, confirmability, credibility and transferability were considered in this study. In addition, ethical issues were employed, such as use of consent letters, anonymity and withdrawals. The study concluded that, employees ought to develop self-identity that would help them to become self-actualised; and become permanently motivated even beyond the workplace.

The Current Situation of Teacher Education in Chinese Application-Oriented Universities: Dilemma and Improvement Strategies

Teacher education is an important part of the construction of the teaching team, which plays a very valuable mediating role between teacher planning, qualification access, evaluation incentive and teacher quality. Teacher education in application-oriented universities is set to carry out planned and targeted training activities for teachers based on school development and goals of teaching team construction. In recent years, plenty of achievements have been made in application-oriented universities, but problems exist, too. Examples are as follows: a lack of specialized institutions for application-oriented teacher education; failure of training modes in satisfying young teachers’ development needs; failure to meet the diversified demand due to imbalance between training supply and demand ; not-targeted training content and difficult quality guarantee; poor training management and assessment mechanism, etc. All of these lead to dissatisfying training effect. The author believes that, to build the teachers team in application-oriented universities which can support the realization of education modernization in 2035, we should set up a teacher’s professional development center, pay attention to in-school training, and combine targeted recruitment with planed and classified teachers’ professional training

The Current Situation of Teacher Education in Chinese Application-Oriented Universities: Dilemma and Improvement Strategies

The Current Situation of Teacher Education in Chinese Application-Oriented Universities: Dilemma and Improvement Strategies

In-Service University-Level EFL Instructors’ Language Assessment Literacy and Training Needs

The study examined university-level English instructors’ assessment training experiences, classroom-based assessment practices, and assessment training needs in Iran. Sixty-eight instructors who were randomly selected through academic social networks filled out a questionnaire. Eight instructors were also interviewed. The results indicated that the instructors had received insufficient training, especially in practical aspects, because they had solely been exposed to assessment concepts and theories in the limited and impractical assessment courses offered to preservice teachers in their universities. Also, they had recurrently failed to put their limited assessment knowledge into practice. Despite this situation, they preferred to get basic rather than advanced assessment training due to personal and contextual constraints. The study bears implications for university English instructors, teacher educators, and university administrators.

Challenges for university teacher education in Brazil posed by the Alpha Generation

The idea of generation has been used as a theoretical construct to understand the characteristics of age groups born in the same historical period. Currently, children born from 2010 onwards are considered to form generation Alpha, which has access to digital information and communication technologies from an early age. In this article, we develop a discussion that addresses the theme of the Alpha generation to problematize initial teacher education. An empirical study was conducted with 57 teacher degree undergraduates from a federal public university in Brazil. The participants’ answers indicate that they are aware of the new generations’ challenges and critically analyze the formative processes they access.

Students’ Perception of the Role of Online Teachers:Comparing Routine and Emergency Times

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic forced the education system to instantly transition to online learning and teaching. Studies show that the challenges of emergency remote teaching (ERT) differ from those of online learning during routine times. Do student’s perceptions of teachers’ roles during online learning differ between ERT and routine online classes as well? Addressing this question can illuminate different aspects of the role of a teacher at different times, thus facilitating the improvement of online learning. This study compares students’ perceptions of their teachers’ roles in the online courses they attended during the pandemic, with perceptions of students who attended online courses in routine times when distance learning was a regular part of the academic program. The participants who attended online courses during routine times were 520 undergraduates in a teacher-education college. A second group of 475 undergraduates from the same college responded at the end of a semester of emergency online learning during the pandemic. Both groups answered questionnaires regarding their perception of four aspects of the role of online teachers: pedagogical, technical, affective, and differentiating. The findings showed that during emergency times, students had significantly higher expectations for teachers’ technical and affective roles than in routine times. However, students had lower expectations regarding teachers’ differentiating role during emergencies, and similar expectations for teachers’ pedagogical role in both situations. These findings highlight the need to plan curricula to suit different situations and different needs, and emphasize the different characteristics of the teachers’ role in different situations, in order to optimally address students’ needs in times of routine and emergency alike.

Prospective Teachers, Generic Skills, and Student Community Service Program: A Case Study in the Indonesian Context

Many papers have been published in recent years describing prospective teachers` generic and teaching skills. However, to our best knowledge, little is known about how they acquire and apply these skills in real-life situations outside of the classroom, among communities through student community service program in particular. In other words, because empirical evidence in the literature has failed to recognise the implementation of prospective teachers’ generic skills among communities, the question on this topic remains open. Therefore, our purpose was to explore and describe prospective teachers’ generic skills when taking part in a community service program. This study is qualitative in nature, with a total of 150 students consisting of 100 females (67%) and 50 males (33%) enrolled at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education in a public university in Indonesia participating by adopting a questionnaire and audio-recorded interviews for data collection. The data collected through questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the information collected through the interviews was evaluated and interpreted using content analysis through coding classification and theme or pattern identification, with the goal of providing thorough descriptive interpretations of social phenomena. The findings reveal that the prospective teachers under investigation strongly agree and agree that community service program has benefited them personally, socially, and professionally, as well as improved their generic skills. They could develop their generic skills while participating in a student community service program. The findings of this study provide clear evidence that generic skills and the development of these skills are deemed important by students enrolled at teacher training and education. Based on the findings, the implications and limitations of this present study with several suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Teacher educators’ self-efficacy and perceived practices of differentiated instruction in Ethiopian primary teacher education programs: Teacher education colleges in amhara regional state in focus

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher educators’ self-efficacy and perceived practices of differentiated instruction in Ethiopian primary teacher education programs. To this end, a mixed research approach was employed. As research participant, 400 instructors who had been teaching in teacher education colleges of Amhara regional state were selected through stratified random sampling for the quantitative phase and 15 of them were selected purposively for the qualitative phase. The data gathered through questionnaires and semi-structured interview were analyzed using percentage, one sample t-test and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that most of the teacher educators have not had any training on differentiated instruction and are less efficacious to implement differentiated instruction. It was also found that implementation of differentiated instruction in the study area was at a very low level. Thus, it is suggested that college officials should organize training that will provide instructors with sufficient opportunities to learn how to differentiate instruction and to strengthen their DI self-efficacy.