Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Exploring The Effectiveness Of A “How-To-Teach” Book Club For Preservice Teachers, Rina Bousalis, Eden Greene, Robyn Klein, Abigail Woods, Isabella Mandoeng

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

As teacher training programs continue seeking ways to prepare their preservice teachers to teach, many have turned to “how-to-teach” books written by veteran teachers, viewing them as a valuable source that could offer teacher candidates additional support. This study, which developed from the idea of creating a book club with instructors and members of a university’s future educators’ organization, used a qualitative textual analysis approach to explore concepts that emerged from how-to-teach books, how participants’ perceived those concepts, and how the books benefited participants. The study revealed that although authors’ perspectives often conflicted with participants’ beliefs, the authors’ engaging activities …

Preparing Inclusive Educators: The Impact Of Fieldwork Experience On Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge, Skills, And Confidence In Working With Students With Disabilities, Adrian Jung

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This study examined preservice teachers’ confidence in working with students with disabilities across Elementary (n = 44), Secondary (n = 43), and Special Education (n = 52) programs. Using a quantitative pretest–posttest survey design, participants completed an adapted version of the Special Needs Confidence Scale before and after student teaching. Descriptive statistics and Tukey post hoc analyses were conducted. Results indicated overall increases in confidence following fieldwork, with Special Education preservice teachers reporting consistently higher confidence than Elementary and Secondary peers. Findings highlight the role of targeted preparation and field-based experiences in supporting inclusive teaching readiness.

Everyone Is A Writer: Building Writer Identities And Writing Communities In Preservice And English Language Arts Classrooms, Amber Warrington, Hanna Burns, Allie Zimmerly

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

In this article, a teacher educator and two early-career teachers reflect on a Teaching Writers methods course the teachers took as part of their teacher education program. In the course, the two teachers developed their own writer identities and took part in a writing community. The teachers discuss ways they have brought those experiences into their classrooms and adapted the experiences for their students and contexts.

Nature Writing As A Bridge To Student Scientific Interest, Christine Mcgrail, John Kudukey, Colette Smith, Fnu Dharma

The Cicadian

Nature writing is an important pathway for preservice teachers’ engagement with science that can help more students recognize themselves as knowers and doers of science and better connect them and their students to the world around them. Nature writing allows all students, including those from non-dominant cultural backgrounds, to include their experiences and backgrounds in their science education. Nature writing also affords all students an opportunity to better understand the natural world they are a part of. Nature writing is typically written in first person and characterized as scientific observation of the natural world through a personal reflective lens. In …

“Do We Belong?”: Supporting Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students Through Teacher Education, Morohunkeji Orija

All Dissertations

The population of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in K-12 education continues to increase, yet the teacher workforce remains largely homogeneous, predominantly White. This imbalance creates a cultural mismatch in educational settings. In teacher education, predominantly White teacher educators prepare predominantly White preservice teachers, further increasing this mismatch. In early childhood education (ECE), which spans birth to 8 years, racial mismatch can lead to misunderstandings and misconceptions, contributing to bias and manifesting as Racial Microaggressions (RMAs). RMAs are mostly unintentional, and research is needed to examine how preservice teachers can identify and address them, given their impact on …

Exploring The Impact Of Generative Ai On Curriculum Design And Instruction: A Study With Preservice Teachers, Lindsay A. Gold, Vanessa Winn, Jackie M. Arnold

Thomas C. Hunt Building a Research Community Day

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is transforming education by reshaping curriculum design, individualized learning, and professional collaboration. This interpretive study examines how 70 preservice teachers engaged with GenAI through structured learning experiences focused on lesson planning, content development, and reflective practice. Participants, all fourth-year PK–Grade 5 and intervention specialist candidates at the University of Dayton, completed a co-taught seminar led by methods professors in science, social studies, language arts, and mathematics. Data sources included initial reflections on GenAI’s role in education, documentation of prompt exploration, and ongoing reflections during the seminar. Thematic analysis revealed a shift in preservice teachers’ understanding from …

When How We Teach Is What We Teach: Teacher Educators As Instructional Models For Novice Teachers, William Waychunas

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Teacher education programs have struggled to overcome the apprenticeship of observation, or the tendency for preservice teachers (PSTs) to replicate the traditional or problematic forms of teaching from their K–12 experience. However, the field tends to assume that PSTs draw only on instructional models from K–12, overlooking higher-education instructors such as professors, other faculty, and teacher educators as sources of pedagogical inspiration and guidance. This study uses data from a longitudinal investigation tracing the development of nine secondary social studies teachers to focus on how the modeling and demonstration of practice within coursework by teacher educators shaped PSTs’ understanding, impressions, …

The Missing Piece Of The Teacher Retention Puzzle: Considering Health In Sc Teacher Preparation Programs, Jonathan Coker

Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina

During the 2023-2024 school year, there was a 9% increase in teacher vacancies in South Carolina (CERRA, 2023). For decades, South Carolina has been attempting to address issues of teacher recruitment and retention. This has ranged from continued efforts from an organization called CERRA (Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement) founded in 1985, as well as more recently founded initiatives such as the SC Rural Recruitment Initiative in 2016 (Smith & Sauls, 2022; Tran, Babaei-Balderlou, & Smith, 2022). In 2022, the SC Department of Education established the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force to address the continuously concerning issues …

The Classroom Assessment Self-Efficacy Survey For Preservice Teachers: A Validation Study, Yiyun Fan, Timothy Folger, Connor Sondergeld, Toni A. May, Gregory E. Stone

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Preservice teachers often lack confidence in classroom assessment, highlighting the need for robust tools to measure assessment self-efficacy. The Classroom Assessment Self-Efficacy Survey (CASES) was designed to address this need. It comprises 24 items across two subscales: Evaluating Others’ Confidence (EOC) and Personal Performance Confidence (PPC). This study examined the psychometric properties of CASES using 223 responses from preservice teachers. Rasch modeling and other statistical techniques were applied to evaluate validity evidence based on response processes, internal structure, and relations to other variables. Results showed that CASES functioned as intended. Rating scale use was consistent with expectations, and reliability and …

Development And Validation Of A Music Teacher Candidate Assessment, Phillip Hash

Faculty Publications - Music

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Music Teacher Candidate Assessment (MTCA), a rubric-based tool for evaluating student teachers in music classrooms. Factor analyses of scores issued by university supervisors (USs), cooperating teachers (CTs), and student teachers (STs) supported construct validity, explained 53.5% of the variance, and revealed two subscales: Pedagogy (I) and Professionalism (II). Concurrent validity resulted from a strong correlation (r_s = .83) between evaluators’ rubric averages and holistic ratings of performance. Inter-factor correlation (r = .65) confirmed discriminant validity. All groups exceeded the α ≥ .80 threshold for acceptable internal …

Determinants Of Generative Ai Adoption In Teacher Education: A Ttf–Tpb Model Tested With Pls-Sem, Peter A. Partey Dr., Emmanuel Quayson, Samuel K. Adjei, Joseph Antwi

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

Abstract

The integration of generative AI in education necessitates a clear understanding of the factors influencing its adoption by preservice teachers. This study examined the predictors of generative AI use and its impact on the academic performance of preservice teachers in Ghana, employing a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 783 preservice teachers using structured questionnaires measuring task characteristics (TskC), technology characteristics (TechC), task–technology fit (TTF), attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SJN), perceived behavioural control (PBC), use of generative AI (USE), and academic performance (AP). The partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis revealed that TskC and TechC …

Mapping Digital Confidence In Initial Teacher Education: A Rasch-Based Self-Audit Tool For Curriculum Improvement, Michael D. Carey, David A. Martin, Natalie Mcmaster, Kate Williams, Natalie Kidd

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a higher education initial teacher education (ITE) programme in preparing primary school preservice teachers (PSTs) to integrate information, communication, digital, and robotics technologies (ICDRTs) into classroom teaching. While situated in an ITE programme, the methodology, based on a Rasch-calibrated self-audit, offers an actionable approach to evaluating PSTs’ digital confidence and learning needs across higher education disciplines. Using a Rasch-validated 77-item self-audit instrument, responses from 490 final-year PSTs were analysed to identify curriculum gaps and assess the programme’s capacity to develop digital pedagogical readiness. Regression analysis examined associations between readiness and socio-demographic variables (sex, age …

From Plans To Practice: Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Journey To Conceptual Understanding, Rolando B. Magat Jr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examines the journey of preservice mathematics teachers (PMTs) in the Philippines from lesson planning to classroom practice, focusing on fostering conceptual understanding. Using a case study approach, data were gathered from 15 PMTs in Metro Manila through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and lesson plan analysis. Findings reveal that PMTs face challenges in deep content knowledge, effective instructional strategies, and real-world application, often prioritizing procedural knowledge over conceptual depth. Additionally, engagement strategies and resource integration were key themes influencing lesson planning. To address these gaps, the study proposes Project M.A.S.T.E.R (Mathematics Application and Strategy Training for Enhanced Readiness), a …

Where Do I Go Next With This Writer? Preservice Teachers’ Responses At The Start And End Of A Writing Methods Course, Nicole M. Martin, Lisa K. Hawkins, Diane M. Bottomley, Brendan Shanahan, Jennifer Cooper Mrs.

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This mixed-methods study sought to extend what is known about preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) preparation for teaching writing by examining their responding to individual children’s narrative, informative, and persuasive writing at the start and end of a writing methods course. Participants were 115 elementary PSTs. Their selections of teaching foci and instructional strategies on a beginningand end-of-semester course task were examined. Overall, PSTs showcased differences in their selections at the two time points, displaying a lessened focus on local features (e.g., spelling, punctuation) and reliance on laypeople’s helping practices (e.g., telling, correcting writing) and a greater focus on global features (e.g., …

Beyond The Red Pen: Investigating The Formation Of Reader And Writer Identity Development In Preservice Teachers, Sarah Rutt Williams, Pengtong Qu, Lydia Denning

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The influence of identifying as a reader and writer in being a literacy teacher has been emphasized in the literature (Graves, 1983). However, few studies have explored how teacher education programs develop these identities in preservice teachers (PSTs). Grounded in Demerath’s (2006) epistemological identity theory, this study explored the fluid process of teacher identity formation, focusing on nurturing PSTs’ identities as readers and writers. The study took place over one semester in an English Education course. The researchers analyzed three PST participants’ weekly reflections about their beliefs regarding teaching and learning literacy. These statements revolved around topics that aligned with …

Preparing Confident Elementary Mathematics Teachers: Addressing Anxiety, Building Fluency, And Strengthening Practice., Amber Diamond Pendleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation, presented in three articles, examines how elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) experience and develop as mathematics learners and future educators when methods coursework deliberately integrates mathematical reasoning with affective supports. Collectively, the studies investigate how research-informed instructional design may help address mathematics anxiety (MA), mathematics teaching anxiety (MTA), procedural fluency, and instructional practice. The first article, written for practitioners and elementary mathematics teachers, illustrates how well-established instructional routines, such as number talks and student work analysis, can be facilitated to support procedural fluency in multiplication. Using classroom vignettes, this article highlights instructional moves that make structure visible, promote strategy …

Critical Thinking In Elt Among Indonesian Pre-Service Teachers: Understanding And Practice, Fadila Vani Dea Risanti, Bambang Widi Pratolo

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Critical thinking is essential in 21st-century education, but its application in English language teaching (ELT) in Indonesia still needs to be better understood. This research examines the understanding and application of critical thinking among prospective ELT teachers in Indonesia. Using qualitative methods with in-depth interviews with three pre-service ELT teachers, this study revealed that prospective teachers understand critical thinking as the ability to analyse, evaluate, and synthesize information. They employ strategies such as group discussions and accurate case analysis to encourage critical thinking but face challenges such as time constraints and variations in student abilities. Findings indicate the need for …

Reflecting On Teaching Together And Alone: Preservice Teachers’ Processes Of Knowledge Construction In Writing And Discussion, Ulrike Hartmann, Marcus Kindlinger, Kati Trempler, Anna-Lena Molitor, Helenrose Fives

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

Understanding how preservice teachers (PSTs) engage with knowledge of educational sciences through reflective practice is critical to improving teacher education. This study investigates how PSTs construct knowledge when analyzing a complex classroom situation and explores how a reflective task format—individual essay writing or collaborative group discussion—shapes the types and quality of knowledge construction processes involved. Drawing on frameworks of reflective practice and epistemic cognition, we developed a coding scheme to identify five knowledge construction processes and three levels of implementation quality. Using data from a university-based teacher education course, we applied this scheme to PSTs’ written essays and transcribed group …

“I Have Never Enjoyed Writing…” Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Divergent Perspectives And Responding To Student Writing, Nicole M. Martin, Lisa K. Hawkins, Jennifer Cooper Mrs.

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Understanding of pre-service teachers’ [PSTs’] growth in practice is foundational to making the most of available opportunities in writing teacher preparation programs. We sought to examine differences in PSTs’ changes in reading and responding to student writing when their perspectives diverge from each other. Three PSTs enrolled in one learning-to-teach-writing course participated. Our comparisons of PSTs’ initial and end-of-semester reading and responding revealed varied changes within their core practice. PSTs’ variations displayed alignment to their divergent writing attitudes and beliefs. The results highlight the need for more nuanced attention to PSTs' growth in practice in future writing teacher preparation coursework.

Building Community With Middle Level Preservice Teachers, Carolyn A. Weber

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This paper addresses how community building can be implemented in a class for preservice middle level teachers. The preservice teachers connected community building to their success in the course and reported ways they could build community in their future classrooms.

Investigating Elementary Preservice Teachers' Struggles In Mathematics Problem Solving And The Use Of Scaffolds For Supporting Them, Frank Forte

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Mathematical problem solving is a topic that has seen an increased focus in recent years, highlighted by its inclusion as the first Standard for Mathematical Practice in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). However, elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) often struggle when solving problems that are nonroutine and require higher cognitive demand. Many have little experience solving this type of problem and show an increased level of anxiety around problem solving, which impacts the way they engage their students with problem solving. To support PSTs to become better problem solvers, it is important to provide opportunities for PSTs to …

Preparing Preservice Teachers For Rural Teaching Through Professional Learning During Teaching Practice, Blandina Daniel Mazzuki

The Rural Educator

Resource deficit in rural schools has been reported to affect recruitment and retention of teachers. However, many researchers focus on external factors that can attract teachers to teach in rural schools. This study explores teacher educators’ and preservice teachers’ perspectives on strategies that may equip preservice teachers with professional learning during their teaching practice to attract them to teaching and staying in rural schools. The study was conducted at the University of Dar es Salaam (Dar es Salaam University College of Education-DUCE). Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions conducted with 5 teacher educators and 33 preservice …

The Impact Of A Creativity-Focused Course Design On The Development Of Pedagogical Creativity In Preservice Teachers, Joanna M. Weld

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Current preservice teachers have been apprenticed within an educational system that favors standardization which has limited their experiences with creative teaching and learning. The field of teacher education is currently lacking in frameworks to support the creative development of preservice teachers. The aim of this practitioner research, multiple-case study was to examine the impact of a creativity-focused course design on the beliefs of preservice teachers enrolled in a Secondary English Methods course in regards to the nature of creativity, the role of creativity in teaching and learning, their personal creative strengths and weaknesses, and creativity in lesson planning. Data was …

Professional Experience In Initial Teacher Education: Integrating Standards, Supervisors And Mentor Teachers, Madlen Griffiths, Mandie Shean

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Professional experience is the training ground for preservice teachers, where they apply what they have learned at university, in the reality of the classroom setting. Our article investigates the contribution of university supervisors to preservice teacher learning, from the perspective of both groups. This qualitative study gathered data from interviews with 28 preservice teachers and supervisors. Findings highlighted the complexity of the task assigned to supervisors, and the distinctive role that they play in the preservice teachers’ learning. This study offers a model of supervision drawn from the voices of these two key stakeholders that is underpinned by theory and …

A Deep Dive In Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy Development For Teaching Robotics (Rtp), Jennifer Jill Kidd, Kristie Gutierrez, Min Jung Lee, Danielle Marie Rhemer, Krishnanand Kaipa, Pilar Pazos, Stacie I. Ringleb, Orlando M. Ayala, Francisco Cima, Isaac Koduah Kumi

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Nationwide K–6 engineering and coding standards have made it increasingly important to prepare elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach these subjects confidently and effectively. Robotics, which combines coding and engineering, provides a rich context for developing PSTs’ expertise and self-efficacy. This study builds on prior work in which PSTs in an instructional technology course collaborated with undergraduate engineering students to co-teach robotics lessons to fifth graders. Using a multiple-embedded case study approach, we examine how the interactions and teaching roles within these partnerships influenced PSTs’ teaching self-efficacy. Drawing on reflections, lesson recordings, surveys, and interviews, we present the cases of …

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 …

Tweeting Over Time: Twitter/X For Communication, Assessment, And Growth In Middle Level Teacher Education, Toni M. Williams

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This article shares how preservice Middle Level teacher candidates used social media, specifically Twitter/X as both a resource and a tool and how that tool became important in assessing student growth and knowledge building which, in turn, informed instructional planning for the teacher education classroom. This is paramount for teacher educators and the future educators they teach, as they are preparing to create a variety of engagements for learning in teacher education programs and in middle level classrooms. Creating an online community is a means in which all preservice teachers can use their voices while at the same time having …

Rural Undergraduate Students’ Narratives Of English Language Learning Within Multilingual Classroom Contexts: A Namibian Perspective, Annaly M. Strauss, Joanne M. Marshall

The Rural Educator

This article presents findings on how preservice teachers navigate teaching and learning in a multilingual rural environment as English learners (ELs) during their teacher preparation program. The study used a qualitative research design to collect and analyze data. The conceptual framework of the study was based on culturally responsive pedagogy and place-based education theory. In this study, preservice teachers from multilingual rural backgrounds who wished to teach in multilingual rural settings illustrated their coping strategies for rural realities and how the rural context affected their commitment to their studies. The findings revealed preservice teachers’ narratives under the categories of culturally …

Ideological Becoming During Student, Preservice Teacher, And First-Year Teacher Experiences, Holly Sheppard Riesco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the first manuscript in Chapter 2, this study examines two teachers’ talk about literacy as they describe literacy events and practices throughout multiple contexts. Drawing the theoretical framework of discourse and literacy as a social practice, this research illustrates the potential ways these first-year English teachers talk and have talked about literacy during their time as English methods students to their student teaching experience in their current contexts. Findings illustrate that the teachers assimilated and adapted their literacy ideologies early but continued evolving their understanding of literacy across various contexts. Implications for teacher education include considering literacy events through …

“Without Boundaries, Something Great Might Just Be Created”: Examining Preservice Teachers’ Radical Imagination Through Becoming Writers And Teachers Of Writing, Erica Holyoke, Susan Tily

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This study investigates how preservice teachers (PTs) created and enacted innovative views of writing instruction through course experiences in a field-based writing methods course as writers and teachers working with early elementary authors. Theoretically, we drew on radical imagination (Sailors, 2018) to interpret PT’s narratives and experiences in the course. We used constant comparative data analysis across sources, which included field notes, observations, and course artifacts. The findings explore interrelationships between being a writer, establishing a writing identity, and teaching and envisioning writing instruction through liberating perspectives through writing for social change. The implications of this work argue for integrated, …