Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Factors Influencing The Evolution Of Vocational Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Related To Classroom Management During Teacher Education, Céline Girardet, Jean-Louis Berger

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Two studies were conducted to investigate the evolution of 71 Swiss vocational teachers’ classroom management as a result of the inputs of a teacher education program, and to identify the factors that encouraged or impeded teacher change. Study 1 consisted of a longitudinal survey, and Study 2 of interviews. Longitudinal analyses were performed using a multilevel approach. This mixed-method study revealed that vocational teachers’ classroom management evolved towards the beliefs and practices encouraged by the teacher education program. Years of prior teaching experience and motivations for choosing teaching were found to moderate teachers’ evolutions. Moreover, influential people, providing alternative strategies …

“Fitting Into The Teaching Profession”: Supervising Teachers’ Judgements During The Practicum, Lynn Sheridan, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study explores supervising teachers’ judgements about pre-service teachers during a practicum experience. Making judgements is a complex, subjective process with judgements being conscious and intuitive, influenced by individual beliefs, contextual expectations and personal learning biographies. This research draws on Social Judgement Theory to guide the analysis of data collected from interviews with experienced supervising teachers. Analysis indicated that the supervisors placed most emphasis on ‘personal qualities’ of pre-service teachers. This has implications for the selection of candidates for teaching, the importance of non-academic capabilities in teaching and the development of pre-service teachers’ personal qualities within initial teacher education programs.

Examining Preservice Teachers’ Reflective Thinking Skills In The Context Of Web-Based Portfolios: The Role Of Metacognitive Awareness, Emine Adadan, Diler Oner

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This mixed method study aimed to examine if, and then potentially how, the level of preservice teachers’ metacognitive awareness (MA) influences their reflective thinking on their teaching practicum experiences in the context of web-based portfolio construction. Data sources included two sets of reflection task responses and a Likert-type metacognitive awareness inventory. Data from these sources were coded and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The total number of high-level reflective thinking indicators produced by the preservice teachers with high MA was notably higher than those generated by the preservice teachers with low MA. A Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test revealed a statistically significant …

A Stealth Intervention: The Glama (Girls! Lead! Achieve! Mentor! Activate!) And Blast (Boys! Lead! Activate! Succeed Together!) School Connectedness, Peer Leadership And Physical Activity Transition Program, Kate A. Jenkinson, Geraldine Naughton, Amanda C. Benson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated the effects of the GLAMA (Girls! Lead! Achieve! Mentor! Activate!) and BLAST (Boys! Lead! Activate! Succeed Together!) controlled 8-week peer-led stealth intervention on school connectedness and physical activity self-efficacy(PASE). The GLAMA and BLAST sessions were conducted during curriculum time in an Australian state secondary school by 49 Year 10 student leaders and 206 Year 7 students. Year 7 school connectedness decreased in both the control and intervention schools (p

Individual’S Patterns Of Commitment, Resilience And Subjective Well-Being Of Prospective Physical Education Teachers, Britta Fischer, Miriam Bisterfeld, Oliver Staab

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

To a greater or lesser extent, specific combinations of commitment, resilience and subjective well-being represent favorable individual resources in order to cope with professional demands. Prior studies have identified different patterns of these behaviors and experiences. The present study deals with the question whether these patterns are also identifiable in prospective physical education (PE) teachers. In addition, differences between physical education students and sport students with other career goals are examined. Lastly, the study concentrates on the existence of specific gender related differences within the group of student teachers.

For this purpose, 851 sport students were interviewed. The results of …

Teacher’S Perceptions Of How They Influence Student Academic Performance In Vce Physical Education, Rachael J. Whittle, Amanda Telford, Amanda C. Benson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This research explored teacher perceptions of how they influence academic performance of Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education students. VCE Physical Education teachers (n = 37) from 31 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia participated in a qualitative study using focus groups with a semi-structured interview schedule. Recorded focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed (NVivo 11). A social-ecological model was used to categorise emergent themes. At the individual level teachers perceived content knowledge, expectations, passion and enthusiasm, pedagogical content knowledge and use of reflective practices to inform teaching as key factors influencing student academic performance. Social level …

Why Do You Work With Struggling Students? Teacher Perceptions Of Meaningful Work In Trauma-Impacted Classrooms, Tom Brunzell, Helen Stokes, Lea Waters

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study contributed new findings to the construct of meaningful work (MW) and negative impacts on MW. In other professional samples, finding meaning in work has been shown to be an effective buffer when facing workplace adversity. However, prior investigation has neither identified nor explored the specific sources and mechanisms of meaningful work that teachers derive from educating trauma-affected students. Within a cross-sectional sample of primary and secondary teachers (N = 18) working in trauma-affected classrooms, two interrelated sources of MW: (1) practice pedagogy and (2) teacher wellbeing were further analysed for discussion via Rosso, Dekas, and Wrzesniewski’s (2010) four …

Attracting Preservice Teachers To Remote Locations, Kenneth D. Young, Peter Grainger, Dennis James

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teaching in rural/remote regions poses many challenges to teachers and is identified as a priority research area by the state government. Despite initiatives by the state government and university providers to solve the issue through various incentives designed to attract teachers, the problem remains significant. This research describes and analyses the impact of a regional university initiative to attract teachers to rural and remote locations in Queensland. The data was gathered through analysis of responses from preservice teachers completing education degrees at a regional university in Queensland. The data revealed that a pre-graduation teaching placement to a rural/remote region resulted …

Interculturality And Teacher Education. A Study From Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspective, Eva F. Hinojosa Pareja, M. Carmen López López

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Due to the multicultural nature of society and the failure of some of the educational models adopted to respond to cultural diversity, there is a need to pay greater attention to teachers’ training. This study examines Teacher Education students’ beliefs about cultural diversity and their relationship with pre-service teacher training as key aspects in designing intercultural teacher training proposals and improving educational practice. This quantitative, descriptive study was carried out with 1464 participants enrolled in teacher training programs. The results show that future teachers have positive beliefs about cultural diversity in general terms, but their positions diverge when dealing with …

Creating Multicultural Music Opportunities In Teacher Education: Sharing Diversity Through Songs, Dawn Joseph, Rohan Nethsinghe, Alberto Cabedo Mas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper contributes to the knowledge base for preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) for contemporary multicultural classrooms. To do so, we refer to our ongoing project “See, Listen and Share: Exploring intercultural music education in a transnational experience” across three Higher Education sites (Australia and Spain). Drawing on our narrative, and PSTs’ questionnaire data, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to analyze and code the PST data, we report on our initial experience and findings across the three sites and cultural contexts. Generalisations to other institutions cannot be made. We discuss what was taught and how it was taught in our three settings, …

A Systematic Review Of The Research On The Knowledge And Skills Of Australian Preservice Teachers, Jennifer Stephenson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since knowledge and skills related to curriculum content and pedagogy are crucial for teachers, it is of interest to explore the research relating to what preservice teachers know and can do. Refereed journal articles published between 2005 and 2015 that reported on the assessment of the knowledge or skills of Australian preservice teachers are reviewed. Data were extracted from 52 articles relating to the context of the research, participants in the research and the adequacy of the knowledge and skills of preservice teachers. Most authors expressed some concern about the level of knowledge and skills of preservice teachers and where …

Exploring The Use Of Narratives To Understand Pre-Service Teachers' Practicum Experiences From A Sociocultural Perspective, Gonca Yangin Eksi, Muzeyyen Nazli Gungor

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on an exploratory study designed to investigate what aspects of practicum pre-service teachers narrate as meaningful experiences and how these narratives help them promote teacher awareness and professional development. The study is conducted with 21 fourth-year pre-service teachers attending the practicum at the time of the study. The data consist of 84 narratives written in 2015-16 academic year and oral interviews with pre-service teachers conducted in seminar courses. A two-person review panel analysed the data through inductive data analysis from a sociocultural perspective. The analysis points to the nature of narratives, the practicum school context these narratives …

Music Activities Delivered By Primary School Generalist Teachers In Victoria: Informing Teaching Practice, Fiona King

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this paper is to share teacher practice in the inclusion and delivery of music education experiences for children, to inform teacher education and to guide professional learning. It draws on a larger investigation into the music activities delivered by three primary school classroom (generalist) teachers in Victoria, Australia. There is a gap in the literature regarding the music activities and experiences facilitated by teachers in day-to-day classroom learning. The case study investigation inquired into the content, pedagogy, planning and the place of music activities provided to children aged six to eleven. Teacher education is addressed in this …

“I Sorta Felt Like I Was Out In The Middle Of The Ocean”: Novice Teachers’ Transition To The Classroom, Rebecca Miles, Sally Knipe

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The design of initial teacher education courses is to provide pre-service teachers with skills, processes and knowledge about the practice and profession of teaching. This allows graduate teachers to best service the learning needs of future students. A disposition of inquiry in relation to ongoing teacher learning is a significant aspect of initial teacher education programs. The contribution that teacher education programs make in the transition from pre-service teachers to teacher challenges the experiences that occur during the teacher education program. The impetus for this study was to examine the graduate teacher’s transition to novice teaching and the impact of …

Cultural And Intercultural Education: Experiences Of Ethnoeducational Teachers In Colombia., Irma A. Flores H., Nancy Palacios Mena

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article focuses on the analysis of the pedagogical component of ethno-educational experiences developed in different departments of Colombia. A qualitative methodology that integrated a systemic explanatory analysis model was chosen for this study together with a content analysis of these experiences from a systemic point of view, in order to consider those educational practices as the expression of interests, struggles, relationships and social dynamics. The text includes a fragment on the emergence of ethno-educational processes in Latin America and examines the conceptualization of the term, the objectives, the emphasis given in literature to political empowerment, the struggle for preserving …

Implementation Of Portfolios Within Australian Initial Teacher Education: Who’S Leading The Charge?, Chad M. Morrison, Jennifer Masters, Megan Quentin-Baxter

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recent changes to national accreditation requirements have emphasised portfolios as the required mechanism for initial teacher education providers to demonstrate the impact of their programs against the Graduate Teacher Standards and to prepare graduates to be classroom ready. This paper presents findings from a national survey of teacher educators developed to capture how and where implementation of portfolios of evidence has been occurring. Discussion focuses on the reported concentration of activities within small programmatic teams and the comprehensive level of involvement that champions of portfolios are assuming. The priorities pursued by these individuals and teams are presented alongside possible implications …

Pre-Service Teachers: Knowledge, Attitudes And Their Perceived Skills In Addressing Student Bullying, Leanne Lester, Stacey Waters, Natasha Pearce, Barbara Spears, Sarah Falconer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Understanding pre-service teachers’ capacity to prevent and manage student bullying behaviours is critical for ensuring a smooth transition into early career teaching and the success of schools’ anti-bullying initiatives. This exploratory study investigated 234 pre-service teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, perception of skills, personal experience of bullying and current undergraduate learnings in relation to bullying behaviours in schools.

Most undergraduate pre-service teachers could identify bullying behaviours, however many reported they felt their undergraduate degree had not prepared them well enough to deal with bullying behaviours. As a consequence they felt they lacked the skills to prevent and respond effectively to incidents of …

Perceived Attributes Of Music Teaching Effectiveness Among Kindergarten Teachers: Role Of Personality, Yau-Ho Paul Wong, Wing-Chi Margaret Lau

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Musical activity has been found to be beneficial to young children’s all-round development in kindergartens. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between kindergarten teachers’ perceived attributes of music teaching effectiveness and personality. Eighty-eight in-service kindergarten teachers rated themselves using a set of Attributes of Music Teaching Effectiveness (AMTE) and the sensing-intuitive dimension of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Results showed that 75% (66 of 88) and 25% (22 of 88) of the teachers were sensing types and intuitive types, respectively. The former prefers a directive approach in music teaching to children, whereas the latter …

Learning Outcome Literacy: The Case Of Five Elementary Mathematics Teachers, Dilsad Güven Akdeni̇z, Ziya Argün

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Learning outcome (LO) literacy is conceptualized as a necessary skill for planning teaching and learning activities effectively. The skill has two main components: understanding and interpreting learning outcomes. The current study aimed to identify learning outcome literacy of elementary mathematics teachers with regard to this conceptualization. It is a case study based on the qualitative design. Participants were 5 mathematics teachers working at different elementary (5^th - 8^th grade) schools in Turkey. Observations and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection based on 10 learning outcomes selected from algebra and number learning domains in local mathematics curriculum. …

Student Reflections On Teacher Identity Development In A Year-Long Secondary Teacher Preparation Program, Kaisa Hahl, Erin Mikulec

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This preliminary case study examines qualitatively the experiences of 20 participants enrolled in an international English-medium secondary teacher preparation program at a university in Finland and analyzes reflections on their teacher identity development. Multiple measures of data with triangulation were collected from course work, including reflection essays from 20 pre-service teachers and a focus group interview with four of the pre-service teachers. The data were analyzed with thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) in order to find categories of factors that influenced the pre-service teachers’ teacher identity development. The results indicate that the support especially from mentors and positive feedback …