Education Commons^™

Basic Skills Of 21st Century Teachers, Ömer Cem Karacaoğlu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aims to determine the basic skills that 21st century teachers should have. The study is based on the opinions of 79 teachers working in different disciplines on four different campuses in Izmir. The qualitative study used storage technique and content analysis. The opinions of the participants were evaluated to clarify the skill expressions, create themes and determine data categories. The study found that teachers prioritized several core competencies, including creativity, empathy and communication, critical thinking, problem solving and crisis management, and collaboration, curiosity and digital literacy. Other skills were determined as reading comprehension, learning to learn, patience, emotional …

Assessment Of Initial Teacher Education From The Evaluated’ Perspective: A Literature Review, Carla E. Förster, Andrea Ruffinelli, Tatiana Cisternas, Francisca Donoso

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Many quality assurance policies for teacher education are linked to the assessment of their training and although this is widely studied, the subjects’ perspectives have not been taken into consideration. This study sought to answer: how do the subjects perceive these education assessments and how do those assessments influence their training? A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) search was conducted, rendering the selection of 12 articles. The results indicate that the studies incorporating the subjects' opinions were limited to two instruments: the edTPA from the United States and LANTITE from Australia. Both the performance-based format (edTPA) and the measurement of literacy …

Careful Whisper: Using Ecoaching And A Feedback Taxonomy To Provide Practicum Feedback For Preservice Teachers, Louise Alix Taylor, Ruben Fukkink, Ron Oostdam, Catherine Van Beuningen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Many institutes for initial teacher education struggle to organise effective performance feedback within the context of student teaching practicum. As the cooperating teachers who provide this feedback bring their individualised ontologies, feedback practices have been characterised by inconsistencies in the amount and quality of performance feedback. In this small-scale study carried out in the Netherlands, we explored affordances of eCoaching using a standardised feedback taxonomy. With the help of Bluetooth technology and the Synchronous Online Feedback Taxonomy, four teacher educators provided eCoaching to eight preservice teachers over the course of three lessons. We interviewed teacher educators and preservice teachers about …

Insights In, On And For Teacher Education: An International Teacher Educator Study, Simone White, Jean Murray, Lin Goodwin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Whilst the importance of research in teacher education is widely emphasised, debates continue about issues of value, legitimacy and contributions to the knowledge base. This paper aims to contribute to these debates by looking at research in, on and for teacher education, by teacher educators. Drawing from 20 interviews of international experienced teacher educators, questions were posed into the types of research they have pursued, how their research contributed to the field, and how they conceptualised research in/on and for teacher education. Drawing from Bourdieu, findings give insights into what constitutes valued research capital within the divergent field or territory …

Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Personal Metaphors About Foreign Language Teaching, Juan Luis De La Montaña Conchiña, Guadalupe De La Maya Retamar, Magdalena López-Pérez

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study analyses the characterisation and evolution of the personal metaphors of a sample of 34 trainee foreign language teachers, through a questionnaire of open-ended questions that included asking the participants to make drawings representing the roles of the teacher. Four categories of metaphors were considered for the analysis: behaviourist/transmissive, cognitivist/constructivist, situated, and self-referential. The results indicate that most participants were able to conceptualise their image of the teacher in the form of metaphors. The pre-service teachers’ metaphors represented are mainly cognitivist/constructivist and behaviourist/transmissive. When comparing them before and after the internship in the primary schools, most of them did …

Teaching In Racially Diverse Schools: Towards A Racial Competency Framework, Tebeje Molla, Kerri Garrard, Tim Corcoran

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Safe learning environments foster the wellbeing, engagement, and educational outcomes of students. To develop resources that enable schools to create safe learning environments, we conducted focus group discussions with teachers and African heritage students in selected public schools in an Australian state. This paper reports insights from our discussions with the school staff. The findings indicate that teachers face ‘relational uncertainty’ in dealing with racial issues impacting their engagement with these students. To address these challenges, we propose a racial competency framework, featuring distinctive dimensions, drivers, and domains. The framework emphasises the need for schools to support racial value awareness, …

Effects Of Generative Reflection On The Professional Development Of Trainee Teachers: Social Representations Emerging From Practicum Tutorials, Andrea Ruffinelli, Carolina Álvarez, Macarena Salas, Victoria Andrea Ruffinelli Vargas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Although reflection is recognized as a driving force for teachers' professional development, which is the reason for its incorporation into Initial Teacher Education (ITE), there is still little clarity about its effects on teachers' professional development. This article seeks to understand the Social Representations (SR) of tutors and practitioners of the IDF of two Chilean universities, on the effects of reflection, promoted in tutorials and its link with the strategies used to promote it. Individual interviews were conducted with four dyads -tutor and pre-service teacher-, and group interviews with tutors and interns. The analysis was inspired by Grounded Theory. The …

Tackling Australia’S Male Teacher Shortage: Insights From Initial Teacher Education (Ite) Completion Data, Loan Dao, Jeanne M. Allen, Darren Pullen, Scott Cowie

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The under-representation of males in the Australian teaching profession has been an issue of concern for some time. With predictions that the situation will worsen due to an aging male teacher population and the enduring perception that teaching is females’ work, this paper explores trends in male initial teacher education (ITE) degree completion in a sample of Australian ITE programs from 2001 to 2021 to gain insights into which types of teaching degrees and delivery modes of study are most likely to attract potential pre-service male teachers. Open access and non-identifiable male ITE completion data were obtained from the Australian …

What Mentorship? Pre-Service And In-Service Teachers’ Experiences Of A Teaching Practice Mentorship Programme, Puleng Constance Letloenyane, Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa, David Maleho Letloenyane

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Mentoring during teaching practice plays a crucial role in teacher training as it exposes pre-service teachers to an authentic teaching and learning environment, under the guidance of qualified in-service teachers. Although mentoring has the potential to enhance the preparation of pre-service teachers and to improve the development of in-service teachers, the experiences are not always positive. The present study seeks to explore pre-service teachers’ and in-service teachers’ experiences of one university’s teaching practice mentorship programme. This single case study employed semi-structured interviews to collect data from one in-service and pre-service teacher in one suburban school. The collected data indicate that …

Chinese Secondary School Teachers' Perceptions Of Teacher Candidates' Teaching Ability And Performance, Liyuan Chen, Chia Ching Tu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This study investigated secondary school teachers' beliefs about teacher educators’ teaching competencies and performance. Additionally, it compared the differences between the perceived importance of teaching competencies and the teaching performance level among teachers from different backgrounds. The Delphi method was first used to identify teaching competency items followed by a questionnaire survey to collect data from secondary school teachers in Hebei Province, China. Out of 700 questionnaires that were sent out, 539 valid questionnaires were returned. Secondary school teachers were highly aware of the importance of teaching competencies but did not possess these competencies. An importance-performance analysis (IPA) showed …

Unveiling Raciolinguistic Ideologies: Pre-Service Teachers’ Insights On Refugee Integration In Schools, Tuba Yilmaz, Rosanna Ellis

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigates pre-service teachers' ideologies about refugee students' belonging and integration in Türkiye and examines how these ideologies shape their anticipated pedagogical practices. Using the framework of raciolinguistic ideologies, the study highlights how linguistic and cultural hierarchies influence educational practices, often perpetuating systemic exclusion. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 13 pre-service teachers from various educational programs, utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological design. The findings reveal a predominant reliance on deficit-based perspectives, with refugee students framed as linguistically deficient and culturally "othered." While participants expressed professional commitments to inclusivity, their approaches often emphasized assimilation into Turkish norms, reflecting cultural …

Australian Education Research Organisation And Teacher Education, Bruce Haynes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Australian Education Research Organisation was created to initiate, collate and disseminate reliable evidence-based research to the Australian school system. It uses the latest cognitive psychology to advocate the use of explicit instruction and phonics to lift outcomes of Australian schooling. These practices are reflected in the new ‘core content’ for Initial Teacher Education programs that were identified by the Teacher Education Expert Panel to be mandated in national accreditation processes for tertiary providers delivering initial teacher education. Mandating these practices is problematic and marks a further shift towards authoritarian processes in Australia.

Teacher Training For Diversity: Analyzing Inclusive And Intercultural Education In Early Childhood Degrees Of Three Universities Located In Spain, France And Columbia, Odet Moliner, Aida Sanahuja, Daniel Niclot, Mariaangelica Yazzo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examines the integration of inclusive and intercultural education principles in the Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at three Universities located in Spain, France and Colombia. An analysis of 116 course syllabi is conducted to identify the specific references to Universal Design for Learning, accessibility, inclusion, diversity and interculturality. A second content analysis was conducted to categorize the units of meaning into four categories and determine the predominant underlying approach to the use of the term 'inclusion' in each degree program. The results indicate that the concepts of accessibility and UDL are the least represented, followed by …

Harmonising The Rhythm Of Drumming With The Silence Of Meditation: An Autoethnography Of Initial Teacher Education (Ite), Elly S. Thomson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article presents an autoethnographic examination of how my professional experiences inform and resist the cultural swing towards over standardisation in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) over the past twenty years. This has been articulated through five ‘turning point moments’ as reflective narratives from my professional journey. Drawing on epistemic reflexivity, this study highlights the risks of homogenising the teaching profession, arguing for an equity-focused approach that values diverse pathways and fosters inclusive classrooms. From this perspective, the paper critiques the current trends towards standardised, one-size-fits-all ITE entry requirements and conforming curriculum. The findings suggest the potential risks of such …

Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers’ Preparedness For Professional Experience Placement And Employment: Authentic School-University Partnership Opportunities, Stacey E. Jones, Deb Clarke

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The transition from university learning to classroom application presents a challenge in initial teacher education. This transition results in ‘praxis shock’; a term coined to describe the confronting exposure to the gritty realities of the classroom. This case study investigated a school-university partnership that drew on authentic learning activities using a team-teaching model to address the praxis shock challenge. Data were gathered over five years from pre-service teacher subject experience surveys, journal reflections, and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that this authentic approach significantly enhanced pre-service teachers’ understanding of the Australian Professional Standards for teachers, their classroom readiness, confidence, and …

“My School Makes Even The Smallest Students …. Feel Included And Happy To Be There” Student Perspectives On Inclusion., Charles Ag Kemp, Umesh Sharma, Louise Mclean

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The objective of this study was to examine student perspectives on what inclusion means to them and what students believe to be critical school based inclusive practices. The study utilised a mixed method approach to collect data from a sample of 40 Year 9 and Year 10 students from a small school in rural Victoria.  Qualitative data were analysed using a three-stage process of thematic analysis.  Students emphasised that inclusion could be enhanced when relationships are prioritised, school environments are more participatory, when teachers know what students need to be successful, and, when teachers actively monitor and encourage the engagement …

Using Children's Picture Books To Teach Mathematical And Numeracy Concepts: An Exploration Of The Aesthetic Value Of Mathematics For Preservice Teachers’ Dispositions, Mellie Green, Lorraine Gaunt, Georgina M. Barton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Evidence suggests that preservice teachers tend to have negative dispositions towards the teaching of mathematics and/or numeracy. In response, this paper describes the work of three experienced teacher educators using high-quality children’s picture books to teach mathematical and/or numeracy concepts as well as foregrounding the aesthetic value of mathematics. The purpose of this type of reading is to support and improve preservice teacher dispositions towards mathematics and/or numeracy with children’s picture books. Using metalogue as methodology, the researchers discussed mathematical and/or numeracy concepts and explored the aesthetic value of mathematics within selected picture books. They used the Australian Curriculum’s General …

Impact Of Academic Advising On Student Satisfaction And Persistence, Michelle Pickett

Dissertations of Practice

Enhancing college student success is a critical challenge for higher education. Traditionally measured by retention and graduation rates, student success is now viewed through a more holistic lens. This dissertation of practice examines the impact of developmental academic advising on student satisfaction and persistence at a four-year regional public university in the Midwest, focusing on first-year students. Using a quantitative approach, this study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the impact of developmental advising on student satisfaction and persistence.

Findings indicate that while developmental academic advising positively impacts student satisfaction with their advising experience, it does not significantly influence …

"Why Am I Still Here?": Identity-Conscious Supervision And The Experiences Of Black Residence Hall Directors, Lauren Teso

Dissertations of Practice

"Why Am I Still Here?": Identity-Conscious Supervision and the Experiences of Black Residence Hall Directors

Colleges and universities have prioritized hiring diverse individuals who hold identities that are representative of their student population. However, research has shown that colleges and universities have not been inclusive to the needs and support especially for individuals identifying as Black. Moreover, departments of housing and residence life have been identified as predominately White spaces. This narrative inquiry looks at the experiences of ten Black identifying individuals serving as Residence Hall Directors to better understand their relationship with their supervisor. Through two rounds of semi-structured …

"I Always Thought That I Could Be Both Gay And Religious, But I Am Not So Sure Anymore": A Conversation Of The Lived Experiences Of Gay Men At Religious Institutions, Christopher Smith

Dissertations of Practice

This Dissertation of Practice explores how gay men navigate their identities while attending religiously conservative colleges and universities. These institutions often create conflict between students’ sexual identities and their faith before college life. Rather than focus on the voids or deficit, this study focused on how students are able to feel a sense of belonging through each other, even when support form Faculty and Staff is not always present. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, this study examines how interactions at multiple levels—from peers and faculty to institutional policies and broader society—play an impact in their college experience.

Using a …

Leading Transition: How Special Education Directors Make Meaning Of Their Leadership In Advancing Pathways To Employment, Deanna Gill

Dissertations of Practice

LEADING TRANSITION: HOW SPECIAL EDUCATION DIRECTORS MAKE MEANING OF THEIR LEADERSHIP IN ADVANCING PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT

Dede Gill, Ed.D.

Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations

Northern Illinois University, 2025 Kelly Summers, Co-Director Alexios Rosario-Moore, Co-Director

Despite decades of legislative reform and an expanding body of research on effective transition practices, students with disabilities continue to experience disproportionately poor post-school employment outcomes when compared to their non-disabled peers. Nationally, individuals with disabilities are employed at approximately half the rate of those without disabilities, and their poverty rates remain substantially higher. These outcomes persist even as federal and state mandates such …

Superintendents’ Perspectives On Effective School Board Governance: An Analysis Of Key Characteristics In South Cook County, Illinois, Dana R. Nichols

Dissertations of Practice

Effective school board governance plays a critical role in shaping the success of school districts. This study examines the perspectives of 10 superintendents from elementary school districts in South Cook County, Illinois, on what constitutes an effective school board and explores how their views align with or diverge from Dervarics and O’Brien’s Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards.

A general qualitative inquiry with a descriptive methodology was utilized to capture the lived experiences and perspectives of superintendents regarding school board governance. Data collection involved standardized, semi-structured interviews and a web-based survey, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of superintendent viewpoints. An …

The Correlation Between First-Dollar Promise Programs And Student Enrollment, Retention, And Completion, Jennifer Kotowski

Dissertations of Practice

Promise Programs gained popularity during the Great Recession to increase access to postsecondary education amid growing concerns regarding student loan debt. Promise Programs provide tuition-free scholarships to eligible students, typically based on non-merit criteria. Two common types of Promise Programs scholarships are first-dollar scholarships, which are awarded before any other grants, financial aid, or scholarships, and last-dollar scholarships, which are applied after all other grants, financial aid, or scholarships. Both models have been shown to positively impact student outcomes such as enrollment, semester-to-semester retention, and degree completion. This quantitative study determined whether student outcomes improved when a Promise Program scholarship …

Alumni Perceptions Of Success After Attending A Project-Based Alternative School, Cheryl A. Carter

Dissertations of Practice

ABSTRACT ALUMNI PERCEPTIONS OF SUCCESS AFTER ATTENDING A PROJECT BASED ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL Cheri Carter, Ed.D. Department o f Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Northern Illinois University, 2025 Tiffany Puckett, Co Director Kelly Summers, Co Director This study used a mixed methods approach to answer the question of what alumni attending a project-based alternative school model employed by a northern Illinois school district perceived as benefits of attending a project-based high school after leaving the K-12 environment. Students of the classes of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 of the Foundation High School campus were …

Serving Scholarly Practitioners: The Role Of Faculty And Pedagogy In Community College Leadership Edd Programs, Lindsey Nemcek

Dissertations of Practice

The purpose of this research was to explore the different ways instructors teach in community college leadership doctoral programs. This qualitative study used case study methodology to understand how faculty participants from different universities develop their pedagogy. Eleven faculty participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences teaching doctoral students on their journey to developing a scholarly practitioner identity. Three themes emerged: participants viewed their role in the learning process of doctoral students through co-creating learning environments where faculty recognized the expertise students brought to class, building scholarly confidence so students began trusting their critical thinking abilities from a research perspective, …

New Graduate Nurse Professional Perseverance Strategies In A Time Of Crisis, Jennifer E. Smith Edd

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative grounded theory study examined how new graduate nurses who entered practice just prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic developed and sustained resilience while navigating extraordinary professional and personal challenges. The study focused on associate degree nurses who graduated between December 2018 and May 2022 and were employed in acute and sub-acute care settings with direct patient care responsibilities, including the care of patients with COVID-19. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journal entries and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding.

Findings revealed that resilience was not a static characteristic but an evolving process influenced …

Educational Matriarchs And All Other Duties As Assigned: A Narrative Inquiry Into Motherhood And Student Affairs Leadership, Allison N. Brady Cullum

Dissertations of Practice

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of mothers who hold senior leadership roles within student affairs in higher education. Despite women comprising the majority of student affairs professionals, mothers remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership positions. This disparity is often attributed to gendered organizational norms and the “ideal worker” expectation, which privileges constant availability and lack of caregiving responsibilities. Using a narrative inquiry methodology and guided by Margaret Sallee’s “ideal worker” framework, this qualitative study amplifies the voices of five mother-leaders, examining how they navigate both their professional and personal responsibilities.

Data was collected through two in-depth, semi-structured interviews with …

Digital Community Policing: Using Social Media To Engage Students And Enhance Campus Safety, Dathan C. Jackson

Dissertations of Practice

Campus police increasingly rely on social media to reach students, yet little is known about how these efforts influence trust, collaboration, and perceptions of safety. This qualitative case study examined how one public research university’s police department uses social media to support community-policing goals. Data came from student interviews, departmental policy analysis, and a review of social media content.

Findings showed three central patterns. First, top-down, compliance-oriented messaging limited connection and failed to meet students’ expectations for open, two-way communication. Second, consistent and authentic engagement, online and in person, helped build shared responsibility and strengthened trust in campus safety efforts. …

The Beautiful Struggle: A Counter-Narrative Study Of African American Male School Leaders, Jamie Crosen Mr

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative dissertation explores the lived experiences of African American male high school principals in urban and suburban schools across the Chicagoland area. Using critical race theory (CRT) and counter-narrative methodology, the study centers the voices of ten African American male principals to examine how race, systemic inequities, and social justice shape their leadership practices, professional identities, and navigation of racially charged educational environments. These leaders consistently confront institutionalized biases and racialized expectations that limit their professional advancement while reinforcing deficit narratives about African American leadership. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, three primary research questions guided this study: (1) …

Grading Ecosystems And The Work Of Teaching: Educator Perspectives On Implementing And Sustaining Ungraded Learning Practices, Aliaa Kamara-Ibrahim

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative study examined the perceptions of ungraded learning environments and their implications for student motivation, equity, and assessment practice. A qualitative interview methodology was utilized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen K–12 educators from the Chicagoland and North Shore regions. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify convergent and divergent patterns in practice and belief.

Findings indicate that ungraded environments reposition accountability around evidence of learning, feedback cycles, and student reflection. At the classroom level, feedback routines, portfolio curation, and teacher moderation served as the backbone of rigor and coherence. Participants described increased persistence and metacognition when …