International Portal of Teacher Education
The online resource of academic content on teacher training and teacher education
Section archive - Professional Development
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384 items
1
This study examined student teachers’ perceptions of how well their Teacher Education (TE) had prepared them for 21st-century competencies, and how well they applied these competencies to their teaching.
In addition, the study sought to identify best practices, major obstacles, and suggestions to achieve these competencies.
The study was implemented in two universities and three universities of applied sciences in Finland that have TE programmes.
This study used a mixed-method approach.
Data were collected both quantitatively and qualitatively from student teachers (n = 227), who assessed 21st-century competencies with a structured questionnaire that included open-ended questions.
Quantitative data analysis used descriptive statistics and correlations, while qualitative data analysis used content analysis.
The study found that based on the student teachers’ self-assessment, the student teachers achieved successfully 21st-century competencies despite differences between competencies.
The best-achieved competency was ‘Collaboration’ and the least well-achieved was ‘Global connections.’
The study illustrated student teachers’ perception of their success in applying 21st-century competencies to their teaching at schools.
Answers to open-ended questions produced convincing evidence that courses involving collaborative and interactive learning, high quality, sufficient support, related 21st-century competencies, certain pedagogical methods used by teacher educators, and integrating theory and practice can contribute strongly to the development of student teachers’ 21st-century competencies.
Published: 2021
Updated: Apr. 08, 2022
2
The authors investigate whether differences in professional vision (PV, both in noticing and reasoning) can be found between prospective teachers using a knowledge test as an economic, performance-based expertise indicator.
Furthermore, they examine whether novices can be supported in their PV through a specific compared to a general task instruction, activating knowledge schemata promoting top-down processes.
An online-based study with N = 85 prospective teachers using video vignettes reveals that PVs' accuracy and velocity depends on knowledge. The specific task instruction does not contribute to more effective PV.
Results emphasize the relevance of knowledge transfer during university education for prospective teachers.
Published: 2022
Updated: Mar. 24, 2022
3
This study explores pre-service and in-service teachers’ experiences in working as a learning community.
Pre-service teachers (N = 60) and teacher educators (N = 9) from a Finnish university and in-service teachers (N = 27) from four local comprehensive schools worked together over six months.
The teachers-as-learners continuous learning model was created and implemented in practice.
The participants’ written reflections were collected to explore what they learned, what challenges they experienced and how they would further develop the model.
The results showed that the pre-service and the in-service teachers reflected on their work somewhat differently.
The former experienced learning group working, self-regulation, and pedagogic and didactic skills.
The latter learned group working skills and new teaching methods.
Both groups of teachers experienced challenges, one of which was named role confusion.
The pre-service teachers experienced role confusion in terms of guided versus independent work.
The in-service teachers’ role confusion led them to wonder whether they should provide the pre-service teachers with expert support or participate as equal group members.
Both pre-service and in-service teachers reflected that the model would require active involvement of all teachers and teacher educators involved.
The results provide implications for pre-service and in-service teacher education.
Published: 2021
Updated: Feb. 16, 2022
4
Based on an in-depth study of a large number of teachers at one school, this paper begins to unpack the participants’ views about and the expectations they hold for their professional learning.
Data were collected over two school terms through several focus group interviews reaching approximately two-thirds of the staff.
Analysis of the data sets led to identification of themes used to categorise teachers’ perceived areas of developmental need (e.g. special needs, wellbeing, etc.) and what would be required to address these needs (e.g. time, collaboration, etc.).
Findings indicate that what teachers receive to support their professional learning is not always what they want or value.
Their aspirations regarding their professional learning needs tend to be more informed by their own beliefs about learning and teaching rather than more global, systematic or operational requirements.
Published: 2020
Updated: Jan. 11, 2022
5
This article reported how five preservice teachers constructed and developed their teacher identity in a year-long teacher residency partnered between a university-based teacher education program and schools in Louisiana, United States.
Drawing on a sociocultural approach to identity development and the ‘third space’ theory, qualitative data were collected from individual interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis.
Findings suggested that participants experienced an ongoing teacher identity construction while learning to teach in the hybrid, in-between ‘third space’ residency.
Key elements of the residency, including the mentored co-teaching experiences and learning opportunities situated in authentic school contexts, facilitated the participants’ learning about teaching and teacher identity negotiation.
Implications for teacher education practice, policy, and research were discussed.
Published: 2022
Updated: Jan. 10, 2022
6
This qualitative study explores how a group of preservice teachers, all of whom had been well prepared to become primary-grade teachers, made a transition into infant/toddler group care settings.
The authors used the teachers’ daily journal entries, individual interview, document analysis (course syllabus, weekly planning sheets), and weekly team planning meetings as data sources.
Findings revealed that the teachers initially struggled to work with the infants/toddlers and that their long-held notions of children, teaching, and learning were challenged.
Yet, their daily work with the children over 15 weeks of practicum helped them deepen and broaden and become more skillful and insightful of early childhood education, which the teachers found applicable to primary-grade teaching.
Published: 2021
Updated: Nov. 29, 2021
7
The study uses reflexive leadership as a framework for considering teacher professional learning across a network of schools.
The paper explores professional learning strategies for eight next generation leaders, both for their own leadership learning and to build their repertoire of professional learning strategies.
The study found that the emerging leaders understood the benefit of collaboration between the big schools and the need for focused teacher professional learning within their own schools.
They also appreciated the synergy between the design of professional learning and the types of communication required to develop shared goals and actions in teacher professional learning teams.
Published: 2020
Updated: May. 21, 2021
8
This study investigated the wellbeing of early career teachers in England and Australia to examine how best to provide early career support as a foundation for professional growth and longer-term retention.
Survey responses from 67 newly qualified teachers in England and Australia, and five semi-structured interviews, provided rich insights into new teachers’ experiences, highlighting the overwhelming nature of the transition experience as new teachers struggled to adjust as they moved from the relative safety of the initial teacher education context to the reality of work in schools, in particular managing considerable workload which continued beyond the initial transition phase.
Vital to successful transition were ongoing linkages between initial teacher education providers and employing schools, a supportive community of practice and bespoke mentoring.
This has important policy implications, emphasising the need for personalised approaches to transition with high-quality mentoring during the first few years in the profession.
An ‘educate – mentor – nurture’ model is proposed, to enable smoother and more supportive transitions, leading to professional growth and wellbeing.
Published: 2020
Updated: May. 20, 2021
9
This study aimed at understanding teacher emotions through interviewing 25 and surveying 1,492 primary teachers in China using a mixed method.
Content analysis was employed to analyse the data using the five nested ecological systems – microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macro-system, and chronosystem.
Statistical techniques such as mean score, Multivariate analysis of variance, Univariate analysis, and effect size were used to deal with the quantitative data.
Qualitative results show that 25 teachers described 65 emotions including 33 positive and 32 negative emotions.
The number of emotions that teachers reported decreased as the distance from the teachers increased.
The quantitative survey comprised 14 positive and 17 negative emotion items.
Given the powerful role that emotions and relationships play in education, the discussion was made with regard to classroom management, emotional display rules, and teacher vulnerability.
The implications for teacher development and well-being were provided accordingly.
Published: 2020
Updated: May. 11, 2021
10
The current study aimed to examine the perceptions of primary school teachers in different periods of their professional life regarding what constitutes professional development and their experiences with reformed professional development courses.
Teachers (N = 45) were enrolled in the study from three professional life periods (entry-level, advanced, and expert) as defined by the Israeli Ministry of Education, largely on the basis of years of teaching experience.
Their perceptions were examined in semi-structured interviews.
Teachers in all periods of their professional life seek to learn material that they can apply in teaching, student learning, or assessment contexts in their schools and classroom.
Entry-level teachers overwhelmingly desire to pursue professional learning goals that extend beyond the current focus on classroom competence. Entry-level and advanced teachers express a preference to learn in workshops, which offer participatory learning experiences.
For expert teachers in Israel, consideration should be given to removing the compulsory nature of formal professional development, while enabling them to pursue courses beyond their discipline and according to their interests.
All three groups suggest that course content should be better mapped to teachers’ needs.
These findings are consistent with the life phase model of teachers’ professional development.
Published: 2020
Updated: Apr. 20, 2021