Research-based teacher education? Exploring the meaning potentials of Swedish teacher education

In this article, we explore the meaning potentials of teacher education in terms of the significance of a research-based approach and the different pedagogic identities that such an approach implies. The study’s aim is to examine the important factors for education to be considered research-based and to identify and analyse the research base of teacher education in Sweden. The results from the analysis of a large number of course documents and from a survey administered to teachers and students in four teacher education programmes indicate that the emerging potential meaning is that teacher education is generally a strongly framed professional education with a relatively weak and adapted research base. The analysis of the classification and framing of disciplinary content and pedagogy in the Swedish teacher education curriculum points at different pedagogic identities emerging from the different meaning potentials that are made available to the students. We argue that a thorough understanding of research-based teacher education needs to be grounded in both course content and its research base as well as other possible pedagogical aspects of research-based education; the education as a whole must be included in the concept of research-based education.     

The public face of teacher identity—narrative construction of teacher identity in public policy documents

Youth ‘at risk’ is the currently favoured label used in Australian policy for youth whose educational outcomes are considered too low, with an emphasis on the risk of not completing senior secondary education. Although some research has identified factors contributing to this risk as stemming from complex interactions between individual and family circumstances as well as characteristics of schools and society, policy identification of youth ‘at risk’ has tended to simplistically focus on personal attributes of young people. Moreover, this identification has set up a false distinction between a supposed problematic minority versus a ‘normal’ majority. Thus, the dominant conceptualization of youth ‘at risk’ draws attention to what is wrong with these youth, rather than to what may be wrong with schooling. This paper examines both empirical observations and discursive conceptualizations to critique the ‘youth at risk’ label, and proposes use of the concept of ‘marginalized students’ instead, which identifies individuals not through their personal characteristics but through their relationship with schooling. This approach allows recognition that marginalization is at least in part a product of schools and society, and requires action in those arenas.     

The appreciation and realisation of research‐based teacher education: Finnish students' experiences of teacher education

Finnish pupils have scored well on international comparative students' achievement tests. Apparently, this is the main reason for the current wide international interest in the Finnish teacher education system and its research‐based approach. The aim of this article is to describe student teachers' perspectives on the research‐based approach. We will report their attitudes towards the approach and what kinds of experiences they have concerning the realisation of the research‐based approach in their studies. The subjects of the research were part of a special group of students, who all had worked as teachers without being officially qualified to do so before they entered teacher education. The research was carried out as a web‐based survey (n = 113). The questionnaire was based on the structure of the curriculum of the teacher education programme, including items from each part of the curriculum. The subjects were asked about both attitudes and experiences. According to our results, the students appreciate the research‐based approach as the main organising theme of teacher education. They presume that this approach is detectable in every part of their studies, as was the case in most of the courses.

Les étudiants finlandais ont obtenu de bons résultats dans les comparaisons internationales de résultats scolaires. Ceci doit être la raison principale de l'intérêt international aujourd'hui répandu pour la formation des enseignants basée sur la recherche. Cet article traite des vues des futurs enseignants finlandais sur l'approche basée sur la recherche. Plus précisément il s'agit de l'appréciation qu'ils portent à cette approche et de sa mise en ?uvre durant leurs études. Les personnes interrogées sont des étudiants en formation multiforme qui ont travaillé comme enseignants sans qualification avant de commencer la formation et dont la plupart travaillent comme enseignants à côté de leurs études. Le matériel a été obtenu par le moyen d'un questionnaire électronique (n = 113). Les parties du questionnaire étaient basées sur la structure du plan d'études et contenaient des thèses sur chacun des modules d'études. L'étude a porté sur les appréciations et les expériences. D'après les résultats, les étudiants apprécient l'approche basée sur la recherche et en général l'attendent également de leur formation.

Die finnischen Studenten haben gute Resultate in den internationalen vergleichenden Schulleistungstesten (PISA). Vermutlich ist dies die Ursache für die heutige weltweite Interesse für die finnische Lehrerausbildungssystem, das auf der wissenschaftliche Research beruht. Die Ursache für dieses Artikel ist, dass wir finden wollten, welcherlei Aspekte die Referendaren/Innen zu ihrem Studium auf der wissenschaftliche Betonung (research‐based) haben. Wir wollen berichten, welcherlei Einstellungen die Studenten zu diesen Betonung der Studium haben und welcherlei Erfahrungen sie in ihren Studium bekommen haben. Die Studenten in diesem Erforschung sind eine speziale Gruppe. Sie haben alle als unqvalifizierte Lehrer vor ihrem Lehrerstudium gearbeitet. Diese Erforschung wurde als einem Survey in Internet verwirklicht (n = 113). Der Survey war auf den Strukturen des Unterrichtsprogramms für die Lehrerstudenten/Innen begründet. Beinhaltet waren auch Thesen aus allen Teilen des Unterrichtsprogrammes. Es wurden sowohl Bewertungen als auch Einstellungen befragt. Nach unserem Resultaten die Studenten bewerten wissenschaftliche Betonung des Studiums und das erwarten sie auch von dieser Ausbildung. So war es in den meisten Fällen der verschiedenen Kursen.

En comparaciones internacionales sobre resultados escolares, los estudiantes finlandeses han obtenido buenos resultados. Ésta es, con toda probablidad, la razón principal por la cual la formación pedagógica finlandesa basada en la investigación es, actualmente, objeto de gran interés a nivel internacional. En este artículo se estudian las opiniones de alumnos de formación de profesores sobre el enfoque investigador de la formación. Con más exactitud, se trata de saber si los alumnos valoran esta orientación y cómo, según sus experiencias personales, se cumple el enfoque investigador durante sus estudios. Los encuestados son alumnos de la formación multimodal de profesores. Han trabajado como profesores no titulados antes de empezar estos estudios, y la mayoría continúa trabajando como profesores también durante la formación. Los datos fueron obtenidos a través de una encuesta virtual (n = 113). Las diversas partes de la encuesta se basaban en la estructura del plan de estudios de la formación de profesores y contenían afirmaciones sobre cada uno de los componentes del plan. Se estudiaron tanto las valoraciones como las experiencias de los alumnos. Según los resultados, los alumnos valoran el enfoque investigador de la formación y, por regla general, también esperan que sea un aspecto importante de sus estudios.     

Cost‐effectiveness of online teacher training

This study aims to compare the cost‐effectiveness of an online teacher training method with a face‐to‐face training method in teaching ‘ICT integration in the school curriculum’. In addition, the study explores the possibilities of a school‐based voluntary training method in supporting other approaches to ICT teacher training. The analyses of various quantitative and qualitative data showed that online teacher training was more cost‐effective than face‐to‐face teacher training, mainly due to the lower opportunity cost of the participants. The voluntary teacher training revealed the possibility of providing cost‐effective training, especially in the actual application of ICT in classrooms. Based on the results of the study, factors affecting cost‐effectiveness of the teacher training approaches are discussed and further research areas suggested.     

From teacher to teacher trainer

如果你是一位不断超越自我的教师,如果你相信还有更好的、更适合你的职业发展,如果你有勇气面对挑战,那么请坐下和Briony Beaven聊聊,相信她权威专业的分析定会对你的职业生涯有着积极的指导作用。     

Effective teacher? Student self-evaluation of development and progress on a teacher education programme

This article examines 28 teachers’ views about their teacher education requirements. The participants were enrolled on a one-year full-time pre-service teacher education programme with a focus on post-compulsory education and training. The study examines how student teachers’ self-evaluations against aspects of teaching professional practice changed, developed and evolved over the duration of the course. The results reveal a statistically significant improvement in self-evaluation when all areas of professional expertise are considered. In addition, the study reports a decline, as the programme progresses, in student-assessed need to learn about specific aspects of teaching.     

Anatomy of a teacher–student feedback encounter

This study examines the anatomy of a teacher–student feedback encounter by qualitatively analysing live recordings of feedback between a teacher and her student in upper secondary school in Norway. By conducting a conversation analysis, this research identifies the overall organisation of the encounter. The results reveal that, first, the teacher used questions to establish a basis to promote her own agenda and worked to optimise students' contributions by providing positive feedback and minimising critiques and disagreement and second, the student approached the teacher's feedback with resistance. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for practice.     

The longitudinal effects of teacher judgement and different teacher treatment on students’ academic outcomes

The self-fulfilling prophecy model of Brophy and Good was applied to the area of teacher judgement in order to disclose the processes of how teacher judgement of student achievement influences students’ future academic outcomes. It was assumed that achievement and achievement motivation might be affected through the mediating processes of student-perceived positive and negative teacher treatment, which represents students’ perceptions of teachers’ actions towards them. A sample of 294 Chinese fifth-grade students and their eleven English language teachers were tracked over one school year. Structural equation modelling showed that after controlling for prior achievement and achievement motivation, teacher judgement was directly related to students’ future achievement, expectancy for success and level of aspiration. These relations were partially mediated by perceived negative teacher treatment. Teacher judgement was related to students’ academic self-concept and pride in English learning, and fully mediated by both perceived positive and negative teacher treatment. The study supported the model of Brophy and Good and identified the specific processes of how teacher judgements can become self-fulfilled. Positive and negative teacher treatment had different mediating effects. Compared with positive teacher treatment, perceived negative treatment was related to student academic outcomes more extensively.     

The myth of the research‐led teacher

This paper examines the contention that achievement in research is a prerequisite for effective teaching in higher education. It also explores university level teaching more generally with the purpose of examining the links between teaching and research. Concept mapping, in particular, is described as a means of exploring both the knowledge structures of experts (teachers and researchers) and the cognitive changes that are indicative of meaningful learning among students. We use the approach to suggest that rich and complex networks are indicative of expert status, but that these are seldom made explicit to students in the course of teaching. Instead, simple, linear structures comprise most lesson plans or teaching sequences. This linearity is often made transparent through the lecturers’ use of PowerPoint presentations to structure teaching. Thus the transmission mode of teaching predominates in HE and evidence of authentic research‐led teaching remains scant. This is likely to reinforce surface learning outcomes among university students and be an impediment to the emergence of expert status. The linear chains that are commonly espoused in teaching lend themselves to rote learning strategies rather than to individual meaning making. The approach we describe here has the potential to reinstate expert status as the prime qualification for teaching in higher education. Where concept mapping is used to share and explore knowledge structures between students and experts, then learning can be shown to occur in ways that are synonymous with research and discovery. Using this approach, the teacher–student distinction becomes legitimately blurred so that the sharing and advancement of knowledge are concomitant. In conclusion, we suggest that this is a basis for a pedagogy that is appropriate to HE and distinct from the compulsory sector.     

A cross‐cultural study of teacher perspectives on teacher roles and adoption of online collaborative learning in higher education

This study aims to understand teachers’ perspectives on their roles in higher education, their views about the adoption of a social‐constructivist approach to teaching and learning and the integration of online collaborative learning in blended learning environments in higher education from a cross cultural perspective. We interviewed 60 Chinese teachers from Beijing Normal University and Capital Normal University in Beijing, China and 30 Flemish teachers from Ghent University in Flanders, Belgium. The results revealed differences as well as specific similarities in perspectives between the Chinese and Flemish university teachers. The cultural and educational context is taken into consideration when discussing the results.     

My teacher

My name is Yanjiaai. I am 14 years old. I study in YuYing School. My Chinese teacher and English teacher is Miss Du, she is tall and thin, and she is very strict. My math teacher is Miss Zhang, she is short and strong, she is very striek too. But they are very nice, I love my teachers![第一段]     

My teacher

My name is Yanjiaai. I am 14 years old. I study in YuYingSchool. My Chinese teacher and English teacher is Miss Du, she istall and thin, and she is very strict. My math teacher is MissZhang, she is short and strong, she is very strick too. But they arevery nice, I love my teachers!study......学习 strict......严格的tall......高的 thin......苗条的strong...... 强壮的 very......非常My teacher$惠阳市惠阳区平潭镇育英小学六年级@严嘉爱…     

My teacher

为了提高同学的英语写作水平,使大家在中考中立于不败之地,应广大师生的要求。我们开辟了"学生习作名师点评"栏目。同学们如果想让自己的英语习作得到名师的点评,请邮寄给我们。老师们如果发现自己学生的优秀习作需推荐的话,请按栏目要求邮寄给我们。     

My teacher

I have a teacher. He's Mr Wang. He is the most handsome man in this world, I think. He has a pile of work to do every day. He always has a lot of work to do. We love     

Do teacher characteristics matter? New results on the effects of teacher preparation on student achievement

Research fairly consistently demonstrates that teachers are an important measurable factor in student learning, yet few teacher characteristics are shown to be consistently related to student achievement. Using a state administrative dataset that matches individual students to their teachers over time, I find that math teachers’ undergraduate performance, as measured by GPA (overall, math, and math education) and course hours (math and math education), is predictive of 5th grade math achievement. The effects of the teacher characteristics are mediated by years of experience and vary according to student types.     

Teacher competencies as a basis for teacher education – Views of Serbian teachers and teacher educators

Around the world reforms in teacher education have been oriented towards making the preparation of teachers more functional for development of competencies they need in practice. At the same time, much criticism has been voiced about such reforms jeopardising the fundamental humanist traditions in teaching, based on beliefs about non-instrumental values of education. In this study we examine teachers' perceptions of importance of competencies and explore their implications for teacher education. The study has been designed to ensure that voices of teachers and teacher educators are heard in identification of areas of expertise that make up a competent teacher. We conducted a principal component analysis of the response of 370 teachers and teacher educators in Serbia to a questionnaire about the importance of a number of aspects of teacher competence. We identified four components underling teachers' perceptions of competencies relating to 1) values and child-rearing; 2) understanding of the education system and contribution to its development; 3) subject knowledge, pedagogy and curriculum; and 4) self-evaluation and professional development. Teachers perceived all but the second area of competence as very important, with the fourth scale perceived as of the highest importance. Implications of each area of competence for teacher education are discussed and conclusions are drawn for the development of teacher education curricula.     

Frequency of co‐teaching in different teacher categories

Co‐teaching – or the use of more than one teacher in a classroom – has been commonly recommended as a means to promote inclusive education. The aim of the present study was to survey the actual frequency of co‐teaching among different teacher categories in the comprehensive school level in one Finnish city. The data were collected through a questionnaire answered by two representative samples of teachers including 117 resource room teachers in the first survey, and 317 teachers of various teacher categories in the second. The results showed that co‐teaching was a widespread phenomenon among resource room teachers and special class teachers but less frequent among other teacher groups. Overall, it was used only infrequently, typically from two to three hours a week. On a weekly basis it was implemented by every second special education teacher, every third classroom teacher and every sixth subject teacher. A comparison with a study from the early 1980s confirmed that the relative popularity of co‐teaching had increased only slightly during the years. Although co‐teaching is used sparsely, the teachers reported almost uniquely positive experiences obtained from it. It is argued that the promotion of co‐teaching needs additional incentives if it is hoped to make it more common.     

Chinese teachers’ perceptions of academically oriented teacher preparation

Academically oriented teacher preparation, which prioritises subject matter knowledge for teaching, is still widely practised in Confucian societies. Few studies, however, have investigated the impact of this academic model on teaching practices in Confucian contexts. Drawing on interviews and classroom observations of six Chinese mathematics teachers, this study identifies the affordances and limitations of a typical academically oriented teacher preparation in today’s China. Although this helped the sampled teachers establish their initial self-efficacy for teaching it limited the teachers’ awareness of and their capacity for engaging all students to learn. The paper argues that academically oriented teacher preparation programmes in Confucian societies may need to reform their curricula so as to help their graduates advance both excellence and equity in education through their teaching.     

Students’ use of power in the classroom: An investigation of student power,teacher power,and teacher immediacy

The purposes of this study were to examine: (1) students’ use of power to gain compliance from instructors, (2) the association between students’ use of power and their instructors’ power, and (3) students’ use of power and the nonverbal immediacy of the instructor. The results revealed that even though students did not feel they had a great amount of influence with their instructors, they used a variety of behavior alteration techniques (BATs) to gain compliance from them. Specifically, students reported using prosocial strategies most frequently and antisocial techniques least frequently. The results also revealed a positive association between students’ overall sense of power and their perception of their teachers’ power. Instructors’ use of reward power was also related to students’ use of prosocial BATs. Conversely, instructors’ use of coercive power was associated with students’ antisocial BATs. Finally, students tended to use expert power more with nonverbally immediate teachers than nonimmediate teachers. Students’ use of BATs did not depend upon the nonverbal immediacy of the instructor. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.