The emerging information and communications technology educational research forum

Abstract

In education, research presents a number of challenges. One of these is to ensure that educators are well placed to utilise the outcomes of research, and conversely that the profession is able to inform the research agenda. This is as true for the application of information and communications technology in education, as in any other field. At the same time, there is a growing perception that the education profession needs to become more ‘evidence based’ and draw on educational research and validated good practice. This applies to teachers in all phases of education, from the nursery school to the university, and to those who provide services to education and training and inform their strategic development. However, because teaching and learning take place in increasingly complex environments and across multiple organisations and systems, careful interpretations are required to put research into practice.     

Retelling herstory: to be a female Bedouin teacher differently

The aim of this article is to contribute to the discussion on education in Palestinian/Bedouin society in the Negev in Israel and it proposes the narrative of female trainee teachers as the basis of an analysis of the changing status of Bedouin women and their community. The academic discourse on teaching in Bedouin society ignores the potential existence of an alternative discussion outside the dichotomous area of ‘traditional and modern’ and/or ‘Jewish and Bedouin’. Bedouin society in the Negev constitutes a particularly interesting case for a meaningful study of the perception of teaching, chiefly because education has already become a significant practice in the life of a community that seeks integration into Israeli society. The teaching profession gives Bedouin women from the Negev a relatively new opportunity to integrate into education and employment and by so doing they reconstruct a new educational discourse.

Il’il: When we were little, we used to laugh about me—hmm—a teacher. Me with pupils, and I’d teach them, like the teacher who used to teach us, with a little board, and I write for them and they are my pupils, as it were, and I give them tests and all sorts. And I love the profession very, very much because I love the pupils…

Nura: I loved learning but this isn’t the profession that I want to study—to be a teacher … You can help someone in this profession. I see myself going in that direction … First of all, you have to give, to impart something to the children in front of you, who have come to learn. You have to give to these children, to be conscientious. You don’t just come. You haven’t chosen the profession because you wanted to, but you have to cope with it.     

Teaching teaching skills

Abstract

The paper examines concerns about the teaching profession as expressed by students in their teacher education program. Differences are analyzed between the concerns of entry‐level (second‐year) students and students in their student teaching (fifth) year. Items students chose as interview questions to ask a practicing teacher were used as measures of concerns. Using content analysis techniques, categories of concerns were developed. Findings indicate that entry‐level students were primarily concerned with their career choice and with the impact of the profession on their own lives. Fifth‐year students were more interested in technical classroom skills and in the impact they would have on their future students. Implications of these findings for teacher education programs are discussed.     

Book Reviews

ABSTRACT

Each year an overwhelming number of students apply to join teacher training courses to become primary school teachers in Brunei Darussalam. This article analyses some of the factors that teacher trainees find attractive in the teaching profession. Among 25 factors listed in a questionnaire, the factors concerning more opportunity to further education through the BA Education course received the highest score. Other factors considered important were classified under various categories such as status of teaching, salaries, conditions of service and benefits. Under these categories, it was revealed that teacher status, respect by community and salaries were among the dominant factors that influenced teacher trainees’ attraction to teaching. The article concludes with implications for the teaching profession in Brunei Darussalam particularly in issues pertaining to continuing education for teachers.     

Challenging and Appropriating Discourses of Power: Listening to and Learning from Early Career Early Childhood Teachers of Color

ABSTRACT

The racial mismatch between teachers and students has become a salient issue in efforts to counter the historical failure of children of Color in American (pre)schools. To address this mismatch, scholars have argued for the critical need to recruit and retain teachers of Color. In this article, we propose that to successfully prepare teachers of Color so that they remain committed to the profession, we must learn from their experiences during their preservice preparation and their first years of teaching. Against the backdrop of normative institutional discourses shaping teachers and teaching, we sought to learn from the ways in which six early career early childhood teachers of Color reconciled their preservice teacher education experiences, identities, and beliefs about education with the construction of their identities as teachers. To do so, we asked: How do the discursive spaces of early childhood teaching and teacher education shape the practices, beliefs, and identities of early childhood teachers of Color during their teacher education programs and within their three first years of teaching? Through Critical Narrative Analysis of in-depth interviews, we sought to unveil the discourses that shape and are shaped by the experiences of early career early childhood teachers of Color. Findings indicate that instead of being colonized by institutional discourses and oppressed by others' perceptions, to remain in the profession, these early career early childhood teachers challenged and appropriated institutional discourses, reauthoring them agentively. Implications underscore the responsibility of teacher education programs in preparing teachers of Color to negotiate the ever-so-normative discursive space of early childhood teaching and teacher education, if they are to enter and remain in the profession.     

Teacher competence,everyday teaching practice and professionalization

Abstract

In this article three questions regarding teaching and teacher education are addressed. The first question deals with the identification of elements of competent teaching. Relevant elements of competent teaching are described in terms of a teacher's knowledge base, the development and use of practical theories and the idea that teachers should also be ‘researchers’. The opinion is held that being a competent teacher is based not on one perspective or paradigm, but on a ‘grand strategy’ or integration of perspectives or paradigms.

The second question deals with some characteristics of the everyday teaching practice. First of all, teaching seems to be a profession under pressure. In addition, teaching in reality is considered to be a complex and holistic activity. It consists of three phases (planning, execution and reflection) which usually coincide in reality. Teaching, therefore, is to a large extent a matter of routine.

The third question deals with the professionalization of teachers. To answer this question it is necessary to regard teaching as a profession. For this purpose it is essential to pay (renewed) attention to the curriculum and didactics of teacher education as well as to the relationship between pre-service and in-service teacher education. In this respect much work still needs to be done, which should be a collective effort on the part of researchers, teacher educators, curriculum developers and school managers.     

Do Returnee Faculty Promote the Internationalization of Higher Education? A Study Based on the “2014 Faculty Survey in China”

Abstract

Based on data from the “2014 Chinese University Faculty Survey,” this article analyzes the distribution characteristics and manifestations of internationalization from returnee faculty to Chinese colleges as well as their impacts on the internationalization of higher education in the three dimensions of scientific research output, teaching content and methods, and international exchanges. Compared to local teachers, returnee faculty members adjust their research output strategies to reach a higher level of internationalization. They favor publishing papers in international journals and publish fewer domestic papers and make fewer domestic patent applications. They focus on international perspectives and content in their course teaching content and methods. In terms of international exchanges, they participate in international academic conferences and travel abroad more often for advanced studies. Their experiences studying overseas accumulate their comparative advantage in the internationalization of the academic profession. Higher education institutions should make them play larger roles in promoting the internationalization of scientific research and teaching as well as international academic exchanges to improve the level of internationalization of Chinese higher education.     

Teachers and Field Instructors as Student Role Models

Abstract

The social work literature often mentions the value and importance of faculty and field instructors serving as role models for students. Unlike allied disciplines, the influence of role models in social work education remains relatively unexplored. This article includes a search of two electronic databases on role models and social work education, identifies the various conceptual references the social work literature makes to the topic, and then discusses its inclusion as a variable in empirical studies. It argues that more qualitative investigation is needed into role modeling as an inextricable component of social work students' socialization to the profession.     

Passion for teaching: A perspective for South African teachers

Abstract

This article reports on an investigation into passion for teaching, a complex and demanding profession. Three relevant themes emerged: (1) choosing teaching as a profession; (2) growing the passion for teaching; and (3) sustaining passion for teaching. An interpretive study was conducted during which fieldworkers (Bachelor of Education and Training Level Four students) collected the data in the three months of their teaching practice at schools. These fieldworkers qualitatively interviewed 48 teachers at schools where they were placed. According to the findings, the majority of teachers interviewed indicated that extrinsic motives were dominant determinants for teachers to choose teaching as a profession. This means that the majority of participants probably had less passion for teaching as a result of circumstances in their environment or their passion diminished because of a less sense of enduring efficacy. Based on the findings, a framework is proposed that is flexible to accommodate the different realities. It was created to recommend how to sustain a passion for teaching.     

Faculty Development in Chinese Universities—An Analysis of the “2014 Faculty Survey in China”

Abstract

The “2014 Chinese University Faculty Survey” found that: University faculty in China are young, recent recipients of their academic degrees, and have a high level of inbreeding within academia; there is a high percentage of doctoral degree holders; a large proportion are from villages and towns, and have parents with low-level education and employment; overall they feel high levels of work pressure as well as job satisfaction. They work on average 45?hours a week and are paid nearly RMB 110,000 yuan per year. One third of them live in “policy apartments,” one third have no overseas experience, and one fifth would not choose the academic profession again if they had the chance. They would prefer a teaching to research ratio of 2:8, but their actual work ratio for teaching, research, and service is 4:4.5:1.5. Three conclusions may be drawn from the results of the survey: the academic profession is highly equitable, but would benefit from people from more diverse backgrounds joining; there is a high threshold for entering the profession but opportunities for advancement need to be improved; it is a highly specialized profession that places a high demand on academic excellence.     

Gender differences in entrance patterns and awards in initial teacher education

This paper explores a number of themes relating to gender and teaching. The existing balance of women and men in the teaching profession in Ireland and internationally is examined; patterns at entry to initial teacher education in Ireland are outlined; gender differences in final awards are presented; finally, sociological questions raised by these trends are discussed. The international figures on teaching presented imply that the feminisation of teaching is a historical and economic process as much as it is a social, psychological or educational one. What is clear from the analysis of the feminisation of teaching presented here is that prior educational achievement by young men plays a significant role in their patterns of entry into initial teacher education. The lower levels of achievement by men also extend to the levels of award taken in their initial teacher education courses. However, higher educational achievement by women in undergraduate university courses is not confined to initial teacher education but is to be found in almost all disciplinary areas.     

Integrating Technology in Physical Education Teacher Education: A Socialization Perspective

ABSTRACT

Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs are encouraged to develop teachers capable of delivering technology integrated learning experiences. Technological pedagogical content knowledge provides a framework for integrating technology into teacher education programs. Occupational socialization theory describes an educator’s recruitment, training, and socialization in the teaching profession. The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual framework for helping preservice physical educators develop technological pedagogical content knowledge that is grounded in occupational socialization theory. We specifically recommend a four-phase approach to help preservice teachers (a) build their knowledge and learn to value technology in physical education, (b) observe and explore through instructor modeling and integration, (c) experiment and collaborate with mentoring and scaffolding, and (d) discover through innovation and utilization. These suggestions acknowledge the sociopolitical aspects of learning to teach with technology and implications are discussed along with the need to help preservice teachers transfer technology integration into their professional careers.     

Ten suggestions for including gifted education in preservice teacher education

Abstract

New teachers have usually had little or no preparation for teaching the gifted students they will all encounter. Undergraduate education programs are crowded, and courses in special education do not usually focus on students who are academically advanced. The authors present ten suggestions for weaving information on gifted students into a variety of experiences, including other education courses, separate workshops or short courses, and opportunities outside the classroom. These suggestions can help prepare teachers for a type of diversity that is often overlooked.     

Learning from the Past: An account of an oral history project for students in an early childhood teacher education program

Engagement of student-teachers with the community of practice they are entering is central to the formation of their identity as an educator. This paper outlines a teaching and research project that enabled early childhood student-teachers to gain insights into the field through interviewing past teachers and reflecting on their practices. In the process, students became aware of the complexities of their chosen profession, alternative teaching practices and different ways of relating with families. Their responses indicated that the experience had an impact on their identity with the profession, their learning about the nature of history and their understanding of research processes.     

Feedback from the coal-face: how the lived experience of women casual academics can inform human resources and academic development policy and practice

Abstract

Casual academics form the backbone of learning and teaching practice in higher education in many developed countries and in many respects can be considered the norm around which academic policy and practice might be formed. Yet a narrative inquiry into the lived experience of women casual academics within Australian universities reveals that recruitment and management of casual teaching staff is generally ad hoc, and although they are committed to and enjoy teaching, casual academics rarely engage in professional and career development. Consequently, recommendations to contemporise recruitment and professional development policy for casual academics are made.     

Why some graduating teachers choose not to teach: teacher attrition and the discourse-practice gap in becoming a teacher

ABSTRACT

Teacher attrition is a perennial problem in many countries around the globe. With attrition especially pronounced amongst early career teachers, efforts to retain and sustain these teachers have highlighted the importance of effective mentoring and support programs within schools. However, less is known about the perceptions and experiences of graduates of initial teacher education (ITE) programs who choose not to enter the teacher profession, therefore not benefiting from such mentoring and support, and subsequently being lost to the profession, potentially forever. Therefore, this paper reports on a qualitative case study that investigated the reasons why one group of graduates from an ITE program in Hong Kong chose not to teach. Using in-depth interviews and grounded in a theory of teacher identity construction, the results reveal how the participants struggled to construct their preferred professional identities, in particular during a teaching practicum, and the role this played in their decision not to enter the teaching profession. Implications for how teacher educators can better support preservice teachers as they struggle to construct their professional identities are considered and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Continuities and Discontinuities: The transition from pre-service to first-year teaching

The study outlined in this paper is one element of a research project that was designed to determine, from the teachers' perspective, how their teacher preparation program influenced their development as teachers and how this development progressed in their beginning years within the profession. This paper then explores how a group of student-teachers who had completed their Dip. Ed. at Monash University described their own development during their transition into the teaching profession as they re-considered their pre-service teacher preparation program.     

Teacher education,graduates’ teaching commitment and entrance into the teaching profession

This study aimed to gain insight into the relationship between teacher education and graduating teachers (not) starting in the teaching profession (n=209). Predictor variables referred to teacher education, integration into teaching, and teaching commitment. To examine interrelationships between these variables, factors were also interlinked to test a theoretical model of graduates’ teaching commitment. Results reveal that graduates’ teaching commitment is strongly related to their entrance into the teaching profession. Furthermore, the perception of mentor teachers’ evaluative support is directly related to teaching commitment and other variables (e.g. faculty support, type of teacher training) are indirectly related through the mediation with graduates’ teacher efficacy and professional orientation.     

Research Students in Education and Psychology: diversity and empowerment

ABSTRACT

Although some attention has been given in the literature to the notion of variable supervisor style, students are often discussed as if they are interchangeable and homogeneous. Results from this study of education and psychology departments in British universities suggest that there are several different ways to present oneself as a student, some more in continuity than others with the requisites for academic success. Five such ‘student styles’ are described and illustrated, and themes of diversity and empowerment are explored. Student styles can be seen as individual coping strategies, and the emphasis on individualism becomes part of the reproduction of the academic profession.     

Untangling the Net

Abstract

The importance of computer training in social work education will continue to increase as the profession becomes more globalized and technological. It is the authors' premise that social work education must include the integration of training in computer technology. One resource available to educators is the Internet. The world wide web contains a vast amount of information on policy and social issues. This article discusses the use of web based learning exercises to simultaneously teach social policy and enhance student computer skills. Two learning exercises are presented which are designed for use in social work policy courses. The authors present their teaching experiences and provide suggestions on using this approach in the classroom environment. Information on resources and useful URL's for policy research is included in the discussion.