Research suggests that for teacher education (TED) programs to be effective, they need to be closely tied to practice[1]. Using data from five TED programs (Stanford,TartuEstonia, Varona, PUC, and Stanford) in five countries, we explore similarities and differences between these programs focusing on the opportunities student teachers perceive to have to enact practice in their TED courses. Basing our study on student perceptions lets us describe the extent to which offered opportunities actually reach learners. 516 students completed a paper and pencil survey. Students indicated on a 4-point Likert scale to what extent they had the opportunity to, for instance, plan for teaching or watch or analyze videos of classroom teaching. Previous factor analyses[2] showed that the 17 items addressing these opportunities split into three scales: ‘linking to practice’ (10 items, α=83), ‘using theory’ (5 items, α=.74), and ‘research methods’ (2 items, Spearman-Brown=.75). Across programs, students rated the factor ‘using theory’ highest (M=2.88, SD=.67) followed by ‘linking to practice’ (M=2.68, SD=.60) and, lastly, ‘research methods’ (M=2.34, SD=.88). Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between the five programs (ranging from WelchF=39.96, p<.00 for ‘linking to practice’ to WelchF=10.11, p<.00 for ‘research methods’). Student teachers in the Stanford program rated the scale ‘linking to practice’ significantly higher compared to the students from the other four programs. Students in the Tartu program rated the scale ‘using theory’ similar to Varona students, but significantly lower than the students from the other three programs. More results will be presented during the symposium. With opportunities to enact practice being a key feature of strong TED programs[3], our findings may help point to key areas where these programs may need to develop. Further research may zoom in on the item level of the survey to find specific opportunities which may need to be addressed.

[1]Boyd, D.J., Grossman, P.L., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2009). Teacher preparation and student achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 31(4), 416-440. [2]Authors (in preparation). [Blinded for review purposes] [3]Grossman, P. Hammerness, K., & McDonald, M. (2009). Redefining teaching, re-imagining teacher education. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 15(2), 273-289.