Session Information
Contribution
In 2006 the Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA) in England and Wales issued a tender for the development of a scheme which aims to contribute to the recruitment of 'able and committed students to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and raise the levels of attainment and aspiration of young people in schools in England and Wales' (TDA, 2006). England and Wales are currently going through a teacher recruitment crisis (Roberts, 2002) resultimg in a number of initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of which this is one. The scheme's strategic aim is to increase the number and quality of recruits into teaching, particularly in shortage areas such as physics, chemistry, maths and modern languages. All Student Associates are trained prior to a 15-day placement and follow a programme closely aligned to the standards for qualified teacher status (QTS). While in school each undergraduate student is guided by a mentor and has to complete a Core Programme of 12 activities that introduces them to the life and role of a teacher in school. They are also encouraged to negotiate other activity with their mentor to develop other interests and/or particular skills. The undergraduates targetted for this scheme represent the shortage areas for teaching with some places also available for other subject areas and the placements can take place in either primary or secondary school. Participating in the project for 2006-7 will be around 8000 students across England and Wales. The primary research question of this study is to determine whether or not a clear advantage is gained by participating students when compared with non-participating students. The purpose of the study is to establish the value of such a scheme to the outcomes and quality of current and future ITT programmes. The study is based on rich and detailed data that will enable us to develop core categories for understanding the participating students' views. Six participating students have been identified and will form the main focus of this paper. Students have been identified to represent a balance of gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background. A grounded theory approach (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) is being used to gather and analyse data. Students are engaging in reflective dialogue with their mentors in their host schools (classroom teachers) and are developing reflective journals (both students and mentors). These journals recount the detail of each reflective dialogue between student and mentor. Students will also be interviewed through a semi-structured format. Constant comparison of these two primary data sets will enable the development of systematic coding (line by line, focused and axial coding) which illustrate the students' thinking, decision making, range of actions, and views as well as what structures and cultural values influenced them. Analytic categories will be developed to identify a substantive emerging theory.The expected outcome of the study is a clear understanding of participating students' views of the scheme and its potential impact on enhancing the quality of current and future ITT programmes. A key methodological outcome will be an informed understanding of the effective use of elicited texts such as reflective journals. This understanding will enable us to develop a best practice model for future students to use reflective journals to aid their professional development. Guidelines will be published that will support students in developing their reflective processes and maximising their learning.Glaser, B. G. & Strauss, A. L. (1967) The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine Roberts, G. (2002) SET for Success. HMSO Training and Development Agency for schools (2006) Invitation to tender to be a provider of Student Associate Scheme from 2006. Ref T34194
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