How do Preservice Teachers Look at Their Initial Preparation? Findings from an Empirical Study
Author(s):
Maria A. Flores (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2013
Network:
10. Teacher Education Research
Format:
Paper

Session Information

10 SES 08 A, Entering, Staying and Being Mentored - The Experience of Pre-Service Teachers

Paper Session

Time:
2013-09-12
09:00-10:30
Room:
A-201
Chair:
Gerry MacRuairc
Discussant:
Maria A. Flores

Contribution

This paper draws upon a broader piece of research aimed at investigating student teachers’ perceptions about their initial teacher education programme. Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has been investigated from a variety of perspectives, including its curriculum organisation, its rationale and key components, and its impact upon the education and professional learning of pre-service teachers (e.g. Darling-Hammond, Newton and Wei 2010; Flores, 2011). In general, researchers, policy makers and teacher educators see teacher education as one of the key elements in efforts to improving the quality of teachers, and consequently, the quality of teaching and learning in schools and classrooms.

Field experiences are perceived as the most important part of ITE. The connection between two sites of professional learning (schools and universities), the collaboration between university supervisors and cooperating teachers and pre-service teachers, and the possibility to link and to put into practice knowledge and competencies acquired at university have been identified as the major contributions of practicum (see, for instance, Dawson and Norris, 2000; Al-Hassan, Al-Barakat and Al-Hassan, 2012). However, existing literature points to some critical elements in ITE. One of the most critical of them relates to the missing link between theory and practice (Elstad, 2010), which is said to be the “perennial problem of teacher education” (Korthagen, 2010). Other difficulties relate to the quality of support and supervision, the lack of articulation of its components along with its theoretical dimension which is said to be disconnected to the real world of schools (e.g.  Ebby, 2000; Flores, 2001, 2006). In this regard, Zeichner and Conklin (2008) argue for the need to discuss their meaning in both their content and structural characteristics.

This is particular relevant in a context in which ITE programmes have been restructured under the so-called Bologna process. The Master degree level is now required to all new entrants into teaching in Portugal. It implies a separation between training at the 1st cycle (3-year programme called licenciatura) and 2nd cycle (master degree in teaching). It is, therefore, important to get to know the perspective of the different stakeholders in ITE in order to better understand its role and impact in the preparation of prospective teachers. The research goals of the study are:

 

  1. How do pre-service teachers evaluate their Initial Teacher education programme?
  2. Why have they decided to enter a teaching degree?
  3. How do they rate different components of their training programme including workplace learning?
  4. How and what do they learn in the workplace during ITE?
  5. What is their sense of preparedness to enter the teaching profession? 
  6. What are their expectations in regard to their trajectories in the teaching career?

Method

The study reported in this paper was carried out with student teachers at the two-year programme Master in Teaching. In this paper questions1 and 3 4 will be dealt with. Data were collected through questionnaires and written narratives both at the beginning and at the end of the Master degree programme. In this chapter data arising from the narratives written at the end of the programme are analysed. In total, 47 written narratives were collected. Out of the 47 participants, ten are male and 37 are female; their age ranges between 22 and 45 years old (17,4% are 22 years old). All of them were at the end of year two of the Master degree programme.

Expected Outcomes

The participants in the study recognise that they have learned and developed knowledge and competencies relevant to their professional practice, but they also claim that there is room for improvement in order to make their learning experience in ITE, and particularly in practicum. Findings suggest the importance of practicum as a key component of the curriculum of Initial Teacher Education for developing professional knowledge and competencies. However, some critical issues emerged such as the length of practicum, the quality of supervision, the support received and the lack of articulation amongst the different components of the curriculum. They also suggest the need for a better articulation of the assessment components in practicum such as the portfolio and the final report, as well as a better articulation of the different modules that are supposed to support the development of the “pedagogical project”. They also recognise the quality of supervision and the existence of support and guidance as a key factor which makes a difference in their process of becoming a teacher. The papers discussed the implications of the findings for teacher education and teacher educators in order to overcome the limitations of the model and to enhance its potential.

References

Al-Hassan, O.; Al-Barakat, A. and Al-Hassan, Y. (2012) Pre-service teachers’ reflections during field experiences, Journal of Education for Teaching, 38(4), pp. 419-434 Darling-Hammond, L., Newton, X., and Wei, R. C. (2010). Evaluating teacher education outcomes: a study of the Stanford Teacher Education Programme, Journal of Education for Teaching, 36 (4), pp. 369-388. Dawson, K. and Norris, A.(2000) Pre-service teachers’ experiences in a K-12/university technology-based field initiative, Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 17 (1), pp. 4-12 Ebby, C. B. (2000) Learning to teach mathematics differently: the interaction between course-work and fieldwork for pre-service teachers, Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 3, pp. 69-97 Elstad, E. (2010) University-based teacher education in the field of tension between the academic world and practical experience in school: a Norwegian perspective, European Journal of Teacher Education, 33(4), pp. 361-374. Flores, M. A. (2001) Person and Context in Becoming a New Teacher, Journal of Education for Teaching, 27 (2), pp. 135-148. Flores, M. A. (2006) Being a Novice Teacher in Two Different Settings: Struggles, Continuities, and Discontinuities. Teachers College Record, 108 (10), pp. 2021-2052 Flores, 2006; Flores, M. A. (2011). Curriculum of Initial Teacher Education in Portugal: New Contexts, Old Problems. Journal of Education for Teaching, 37 (4), pp. 461-470. Korthagen, F. A. J. (2010). How teacher education can make a difference. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(4), pp. 407-423 Zeichner, K. & Conklin, H. G. (2008). Teacher education programs as sites for teacher preparation, in M. Cochran-Smith, S. Feiman-Nemser,D. J. McIntyre & K. E. Demers (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Teacher Education, 3ª ed, New York: Routledge, pp. 269-289.

Author Information

Maria A. Flores (presenting / submitting)
University of Minho, Portugal

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