Section archive - Preservice Teachers

Results from a metasynthesis of the relationships between 14 different types of preservice teacher preparation practices and teaching quality, preschool to university student performance, and university student and beginning teacher belief appraisals are reported. Each type of preservice practice (e.g., course-based student learning) included different kinds of instructional methods (e.g., problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and project-based learning). The metasynthesis included 118 meta-analyses and 12 surveys of more than three million study participants. Findings clearly indicated that active university student and beginning teacher involvement in mastering the use of instructional practices and both knowledge and skill acquisition by far stood out as the most important preservice teacher preparation practices. The pattern of results helped identify high leverage and high impact teacher preparation practices. Implications for future research and improving teacher preparation are described.

Preservice teachers in this study (N = 121) received training in evidence-based practices for vocabulary instruction via a series of three training modules. They then completed one of two practice conditions—creating a multimedia product to teach a vocabulary word or completing a non-multimedia learning task during class. The two practice conditions resulted in similar gains on the knowledge measure, but the group that created the multimedia product significantly outperformed the group that completed the non-multimedia task in a demonstration of instruction. Implications for teacher education are discussed by the authors.

This study aimed to explore how preservice teachers used iPads and their applications in their coursework and field placements, which took place in high-stakes early learning contexts, affect their conceptualizations of incorporating iPads into their teaching. The results revealed that most of these prospective teachers found iPads and their apps to be appealing but struggled to connect their attraction to these devices to student learning. However, some participants worried that by simply figuring out the pattern or steps required to complete the task or game found within the app successfully, students are not learning or developing the skills and/or knowledge the app was designed to teach them.

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of students at different levels of early childhood professional preparation. The results show differences in knowledge across the differentiated levels of early childhood professional preparation. The authors argue that such results are relevant to teacher preparation programs and provide further support for policies within early childhood programs requiring continued education for early childhood teachers.