Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Online Presence During The Sudden Transition To Online Teaching: Case Studies Of Macau Award-Winning University Teachers' Practices And Phronesis, Yulong Marvin Li, Jing Sun, Hong Chen, Xiaojing Liu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Research about the sudden transition from offline to online in Macau during the pandemic is limited. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework as the deductive thematic analysis template, we interviewed six award-winning teachers at a teaching-oriented local tertiary institute about their online teaching practices concerning social, cognitive, and teaching kinds of presence. As the result of the collective case study, we found that the teachers, to some extent, echoed the good practices recommended in the COI in improving online presence. Meanwhile, the six teachers' seemingly practical skills reflected their accumulated phronesis or wisdom of practice. It is because the …

Ecologies Of Learning For Inclusive Pedagogy In Spanish Secondary Education, Inmaculada Orozco, Anabel Moriña

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

From the theoretical basis of the ecology of learning and inclusive pedagogy, this article explores the activities, resources and interactions practised by 25 Spanish teachers in compulsory secondary education. This qualitative study involved semi-structured and individual interviews. A progressive analysis of the data was carried out using an inductive system of categories and codes. The results show that the activities were varied and all of them put students at the centre of the teaching-learning process. The resources that stood out were technologies and peer support. Interactions were characterised by the need to nurture affection and get to know and motivate …

Reporting Values, Partnership With Parents And The Hidden Curriculum: A Qualitative Study, Veronica Elizabeth Morcom

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian government funded the West Australian project ‘Reporting Values to Parents’ as part of ‘The Values in Action Schools Project’ (2009). The two aims of the qualitative study were to develop a common values language supported by observable behaviours and an appreciation that values education is fundamental to schooling. Teachers used an action research process to create authentic values activities and involve parents in the assessment process. Parents shifted their perspectives to ratify teachers’ role to teach values explicitly. Students experienced a deeper sense of connection and belonging at school. Educators can adapt the activities in this paper to …

Exploring Teacher Educators’ Knowledge About Critical Thinking: A Case From Pakistan, Saima Bibi, Saba Hanif

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In Pakistan, it is aimed at both national and international levels to promote and develop critical thinking among students and teachers at all educational levels (sustainable development goals, VISION 2025, national standards for teachers, national educational policies, etc.). However, little research has investigated teachers' critical thinking knowledge. The present study explored critical thinking knowledge of teacher educators from teacher training institutes. The teacher training institutes of the most populous and developed province of Pakistan were taken as the sample of the study. Exploratory survey method was used for data collection. The study found that the majority of teacher educators lack …

In-House Efforts To Enhance Pre-Service Language Teachers’ Intercultural Competence, Nur Gedik Bal

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The goal of the current study was to ascertain pre-service English language teachers’ impressions of the impact of thematic speaking tasks on the development of their intercultural competence in an online Spoken English course. Moreover, the effect of certain demographic variables on pre-service teachers’ cultural intelligence (CQ) was also investigated. The findings revealed a significant difference between the CQ of students with and without overseas experience. Pre-service teachers who could speak languages other than their mother tongue and English had significantly higher CQ scores than students who could not speak other languages. However, there was not a significant difference between …

Measuring Australian Preservice Teachers’ Asia Capability And Perceived Readiness To Teach The Asia Cross-Curricular Priority., James F. Toohey, Peter R. Grainger, Michael Carey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Preservice teachers are soon-to-be graduates expected to deliver the Cross-Curricular Priority ‘Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia’. Teachers of all learning areas are expected to teach about Asia, irrespective of their knowledge or capabilities in Asian contexts. The curriculum review has revised expectations for ‘Asia literacy’ in graduates. The changes de-emphasise cultural knowledge, and instead, promote relationship-building and intercultural understanding. This research identified 31 preservice teachers’ perceptions of their Asia literacy and preparedness to teach the related curriculum initiative. Grainger and Christie’s (2016) linguistic model was used to define and measure Asia literacy. Thematic analysis identified (1) how participants conceptualised …

Professional Voices: Building Professional Identity In An Initial Teacher Education Programme, Jennifer Shand

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Very few professional areas in Australia attract as much political, media and community attention as teaching, and by association, few areas of professional training attract as much attention as initial teacher education. Recently, the Next Steps: Report of the Quality Teacher Education Review (Department of Education, Skills and Employment, 2022) has drawn attention to the need for preservice teachers to develop professional skills as a way to ensure ‘classroom readiness’ before graduating. Research in the higher education sector and within initial teacher courses indicates that nascent professional identities can support the transition from university to profession. Using a thematic analysis …

Exploring Language Teachers’ Cognition Of Learner Autonomy In Turkish Tertiary Efl (English As A Foreign Language) Context, Sevgi Erel, Hasan Bedir

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study explored language teachers’ beliefs on learner autonomy in different educational contexts at a university setting in Turkey adopting an explanatory mixed methods design. Teacher cognition has been investigated extensively all over the world. Yet, teacher cognition on learner autonomy has received less attention. Regarding teachers’ voices as essential to understand how they perceive learner autonomy, the study was structured in two phases- questionnaire survey and narrative inquiry. SPSS Version 23 and content analysis were utilized to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data emanated from the research. The findings revealed that while teachers considered learner autonomy from different perspectives, …

Using Change Laboratory Methodology In Initial Teacher Education, Kellie Tobin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Initial Teacher Education remains the focus of policy reform and research in Australia with the broad aim of improving the quality of pre-service teacher education. There remains dispute about limited evidence justifying ongoing reforms, particularly in relation to gaps in understanding how providers and schools work collaboratively in the joint activity of ITE. This paper argues for the potential of Change Laboratory (CL) methodology in contemporary educational research. The research examined the implementation of CL methodology in an Australian ITE program. Participants included 13 school-based and university-based educators. Participants were required to co-design a unit of work for an ITE …

Developing Pre-Service Teachers’ Assessment Literacy In The Practicum: An Action Research Study, Mustafa Akın Güngör, Müzeyyen Nazlı Güngör

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on an action research (AR) study that pre-service teachers conducted to assess their students in practicum. Based on Xu and Brown’s (2016) assessment literacy (TALIP) framework, we aim to empower them in a real classroom atmosphere. Data were collected systematically and came from interviews, pre-service teachers’ own exams, observations, evaluations of students, and reflections. The qualitative analysis was used to identify the realities and constraints of the classroom, to plan alternative ways of assessment, to reveal the observation results, and to make sense of the reflections. Results showed that pre-service teachers gained an awareness of the gap …

Walking Carefully Towards Bridging The Gap: Exploring Australian Music Educator Voices About Teaching Indigenous Music, Dawn Joseph, Bradley Merrick

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Facilitating an inclusive pedagogy to close the gap that exists within the teaching of Indigenous Knowledge in Australia is a tall order for many teachers. This paper draws on responses to a national study and explores how music educators include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and culture into their practice. An online survey (December 2022-February 2023, N=109) informed the findings. Using thematic analysis, two themes (teaching challenges and opportunities, and bridging the gap) are discussed and key recommendations offered. Findings suggest that walking carefully towards bridging the gap is an opportunity for educational change in contemporary Australian classrooms.

“To Be Or Not To Be Neglected”: Latent Profile Analysis Of Null Curriculum Concerning 21st-Century Skills In Teacher Education, Güler Çetin, Altay Eren

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Using a cross-sectional survey research design, this study explored the latent profiles of 247 in-service and 459 pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the omitted or neglected parts of teacher education programs in Türkiye regarding 21st-century skills, with the intention of examining whether these profiles substantially differed between the in-service and pre-service teacher samples. Both groups were asked to respond to a null curriculum questionnaire for 21st-century skills. Preliminary analyses revealed that the factor structure of the questionnaire had a good fit for both in-service and pre-service teachers’ data and was invariant across samples and gender. Based on the results of the …

‘We All Went In With An Open Mind’: Possibilities Of Professional Experience As A Catalyst For Engaging With Graduate Standards 1.4 & 2.4., Peta Salter

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Evolving discourses in Australia have resulted in an increasing focus on teachers’ abilities to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Political concerns with achievement gaps and national education policy that require teachers to engage with curriculum priorities and professional standards that focus on strategies for teaching and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have contributed to this move. This paper reports on efforts to develop preservice teachers’ engagement with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers during professional experience in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school community. These findings highlight the complexity of challenging pre-existing …

“I Love The Way We Do It In Early Childhood”: Influence Of An Enhanced Kindergarten Placement On Preservice Teachers’ Career Choices, Deborah Moore, Anne-Marie Morrissey, Katherine A. Bussey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Encouraging pre-service teachers to perceive early childhood teaching as an inherently attractive career option remains an issue in the early childhood profession in Australia. Following a Research by Design methodology with iterative modifications, this paper uses a professional identity theoretical lens to analyse survey and interview data from 37 pre-service teachers involved in an enhanced early childhood professional placement program used to foster professional relationships through workshops, intentional mentoring and time for professional conversations. Four themes identified factors in pre-service teacher decision making: an emotional connection to early childhood education; a positive attitude to early childhood pedagogy; differences in working …

Student Teachers As Readers: The Reading Experiences And Reading Pedagogy Of Finnish And British Student Teachers, Juli-Anna Aerila, Merja Kauppinen, Teresa Cremin, Mari Siipola, Sarah Jane Mukherjee, Johanna Lähteelä

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As the pedagogy of teachers depends partly on their earlier life experiences, investigating the prior reading practices of student teachers is crucial. This study investigated Finnish and English student teachers’ (N = 353) own reading, the importance of their own reading to their reading pedagogy, and the relationship of these to teachers’ content knowledge of reading pedagogy. The data were collected via an online questionnaire and analysed via quantitative methods. According to the findings, nearly all the student teachers enjoy reading, have a positive attitude towards reading, and consider the teachers’ own reading important for the pedagogy they implement. However, …

Leadership In Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Holding Space For Psychological Safety And Peak Performance, Xin H. Ong

Theses : Honours

This practice as research presents a case study of leadership in interdisciplinary settings, considering choreographic collaboration within technology, visual art, music and dance, alongside models used in teaching dance. I define leadership as influencing others to act towards a shared intention by holding space for psychological safety and peak performance. I synthesise leadership models relevant to my practice in a figurative ‘tree of transformation’, illustrating how Jim Collins’ Level 5 leadership, Robert K. Greenleaf’s servant leadership and C. Otto Scharmer’s Theory U model branch out from transformational leadership.

Within peak performance, Anders K. Ericsson’s concept of deliberate practice and …

Law Enforcement Recruit Health Database, Myles C. Murphy, Simone Radavelli-Bagatini, Garth Allen, Nicolas Hart, Andrea Mosler

Research Datasets

Our study established clear demographic, mental health/physical injury, and physical performance data to be collected in a law enforcement recruit training program for injury surveillance and performance monitoring. Furthermore, we identified several items that were classified as relevant, but unlikely to be reported truthfully. These items which can help inform current practice and assist clinicians to determine the trustfulness of information received by patients when working within law enforcement environments.

Determinants Of Social Loneliness And Its Association With Negative Coping Styles, Mark Facey

Research Datasets

The original study linked to this dataset argued that underlying antecedents of social loneliness maintain negative behaviour, whereby it becomes chronic and problematic. Four intrinsic antecedents of social loneliness are examined (Secure and Insecure Attachment, Emotional Regulation Problems – Expressive Suppression, Unclear Self-Concept, and Neuroticism) along with negative (Ignoring and Withdrawing) behavioural coping styles. Attachment type, Neuroticism, and to a lesser extent, Self-Concept Clarity, Expressive Suppression and Withdrawal coping styles may play an important role in averting or predicting Social Loneliness. Behaviourally, those who are higher in Social Loneliness, particularly young adult females, may adopt less Withdrawal coping styles once …

School Psychologists’ Perspectives On The Impact Of Clinical Practice On Their Personal Lives, Nantha Priya Ramu

Research Datasets

School psychologists in WA completed an online survey which included demographic information and a perception survey which asked them questions relating to their emotional states in the last 6 months, if they felt work impacted their personal relationships and communication, some factors that contributed to wellbeing, self-care practices and organisational practices for school psychologists' wellbeing.

Does Individual Innovativeness Influence Tpack Development?: The Case Of Pre-Service Efl Teachers In Türkiye, Taibe Kulaksız

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This study aims to investigate how pre-service EFL teachers’ individual innovativeness levels affect their TPACK development during an educational technology course. Employing a quasi-experimental research design, the participants were 59 pre-service EFL teachers. The course followed the Diffusion of Innovation Theory steps. Analyzing the data, TPACK and individual innovativeness scales were implemented as pre- and post-tests. The results showed a significant increase in participants' TPACK, while their individual innovativeness did not exhibit a significant change during the course. Although there was a notable difference in pre-service teachers' initial TPACK levels based on their innovativeness, this difference was no longer …

The Criticality Of Teacher Educator Wellbeing: Reflecting Through Arts-Based Methods, Kristina Turner, Georgina M. Barton Dr, Susanne Garvis, Ellen Larsen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher educators face many challenges related to workload and government-mandated reforms in Initial Teacher Education programs. Evidence suggests that COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges as universities must become more cost-effective and improve research outcomes and impact, often resulting in heavier workloads. While these challenges may be faced in other disciplines, teacher educator wellbeing, stress and burnout is an under-researched field, and little is known about if and how teacher educators maintain their wellbeing during times of uncertainty. This collaborative autoethnographic study applied an arts-based research method to explore the wellbeing challenges faced by four Australian teacher educators through the lens …

How Are Preservice Teachers Discursively Positioned During Microteaching? The Views Of Student Teachers In Hong Kong, John Trent

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports the results of a qualitative study that used in-depth interviews to understand the experiences and perceptions of six pre-service teachers as they engaged in microteaching at a tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Using a framework grounded in dialogism and positioning theory, the study describes the ways in which different discourses offer, as well as deny, positions to the pre-service teachers as they planned and implemented microlessons. The results suggest that competition between these discourses to position pre-service teachers can result in microteaching being associated with negative emotional experiences, such as disappointment, isolation, and frustration. This emotional dissonance …

Exploring Challenges Faced By Early Career Primary School Teachers: A Qualitative Study, Deborah Black, Gregory Hine, Shane Lavery

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study explored the challenges faced by 23 primary early career teachers (ECTs) in their second, third or fourth years of teaching. Qualitative data were collected through an online semi-structured interview. Three themes were evident: parents, workload and behaviour management. These results were also reflected in the review of the literature. All three themes have been linked to increased ECT stress and have been found to undermine ECTs’ self-confidence. The results suggest that some challenges are potentially aligned to the stage of ECTs’ career development and that ECTs face different challenges as their teaching experience levels increase. A range of …

"Sky-High Motivation": Intradisciplinary Integrative- Courses For Excelling Teachers' Training, Yael Kimhi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In many teacher education programs, curricula are comprised of fragmented courses within an academic discipline. This longitudinal study followed one cohort of teacher trainees in a fast-track B.Ed. program in Israel and explored an integrative approach to intradisciplinary courses. These courses were organized around significant themes and issues. A mixed-method methodology was implemented. The data included 81 teacher trainee responses, 16 mentor responses, and 11 college staff responses. Data were gathered during three years at four different time points: 1) online questionnaire for trainees and mentors (end of 1^st and 3^rd year); 2) trainee focus groups and steering …

Supporting Learners Through Effective Communication: Student Teachers’ Communication Strategies To Address Learner Behaviour, Jirina Karasova, Gabriela Kleckova

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers’ communication skills are integral to classroom management skills. If teachers implement effective communication skills and appropriate communication strategies, they are more likely to support learner autonomy, engagement, self-concept, well-being, or responsibility and succeed in behaviour management. This study examines student teachers’ awareness and use of communication strategies to address common disruptive learner behaviours. Although the participants showed limited ability to support learners through communication, they were more likely to identify effective communication responses than to produce them themselves. The study unveils that student teachers in the last year of a graduate program cannot respond to disruptive behaviour without communication …

Transformative Learning Experiences Of The Vocationally Interested And Vocationally Disinterested Pre-Service Teachers In Teacher Training Colleges In Zimbabwe, Esnati Macharaga, Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on some of the findings from a doctoral research project that explored how the vocationally interested and vocationally disinterested pre-service teachers in selected teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe experienced transformative learning. Through multiple-site case study and qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm, guided by Mezirow’s ten-phase Transformative Learning Theory, the study sought to understand the pre-service teacher transformative learning experiences. The study employed a multi-modal approach which involved focus group discussions, individual face to face interviews and continuum drawing and discussions to generate data from a purposive sample of 40 participants. Findings suggest that, both vocationally interested …

Teachers’ Experiences That Challenge Their Decision To Continue: What Teachers Really Need, Elizabeth Allotta

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Increasing global teacher attrition rates and the difficulty of filling teacher positions in Australian schools have led to rising concerns about teacher supply and demand. While attrition factors and rates have been known for over thirty years, little has changed or improved. This raises the question, ‘how and why do some teachers continue while others leave?’ A postqualitative ethnographic study into the experiences that have challenged teachers’ decision to continue highlights the complexity of the issues underlying teacher attrition with known attrition factors, in particular workplace and time, being compounded by unspoken and silenced challenges that contribute to teachers leaving. …

Student Teachers’ Initial Professional Identity: A Case In An Efl Teacher Education Program, Uun Muhaji, Didi Sukyadi, Ahmad Bukhori Muslim

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Student teachers enter teacher education programs with existing values, beliefs, and knowledge about teaching. However, little is known about the significant resources that shape this initial professional identity. Additionally, there is a lack of understanding regarding how first-year student teachers depict their initial professional identity in the context of Indonesia. This case study examines the initial professional identity of 23 first-year Indonesian student teachers in an English as a Foreign Language Teacher Education Program (EFLTEP) in Indonesia. Utilizing Esteban-Guitart's Funds of Identity theory, data were collected through participants' narratives via significant circles, self-portrait drawings and interviews. Data were …

Arguing For The Subjectification Of Graduate Teachers, Karen Maras, Geraldine Townend, Tony Loughland, Hoa Nguyen, Dennis Alonzo, Marie Mcgregor, Andy Gao, Tanya Kwee

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The quality of graduate teachers is a significant concern for teacher educators, policymakers and the public. Initiatives regarding the quality assurance of initial teacher education (ITE) programs require critical examination to ensure that ITE programs develop proficient graduate teachers to meet the demands of modern classrooms. In this paper, we draw on Biesta’s (2015, 2019, 2020) theoretical framing of purpose in education (i.e., qualification, socialisation and subjectification) to analyse the policy texts related to graduate teaching performance assessment from institutions involved in the creation and implementation of the Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) in ITE in Australia. Researchers used document analysis …

Scaffolding Methods And The Long Shadow Of Ramist Formalism: A Call For Correction In Teacher Education, Brian R. Moon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Modern Anglophone pedagogy is characterised by some distinctive approaches to teaching and learning that set it apart from earlier instructional traditions. Among these are certain forms of scaffolding that emphasise students’ construction of knowledge. Such methods are consistent with a trend toward visible activity and display in pedagogical practice, in place of dialogue and inner contemplation. In ITE courses, scaffolding strategies are promoted to beginning teachers as novel and effective products of modern cognitive psychology and constructivist theories of learning. Here I offer a historical correction to that view, demonstrating that today’s popular scaffolding strategies have a much longer history, …