The value of the academic award in initial teacher education: key stakeholder perceptions of the masters level Postgraduate Certificate in Education in two English universities

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) has been a successful and popular initial teacher education (ITE) programme since the 1950s, with the masters level PGCE being successfully embedded within universities in England since 2007 and having high levels of student satisfaction. Recent White Papers, policy and reviews have undermined the academic award in ITE, however, favouring school-led initial teacher training and the minimum, essential professional award. Located within the Secondary ITE phase in two English universities, this article presents the value of studying education and the academic award at pre-service level via key stakeholder perceptions from interviews with teacher–educators and student–teachers within a case study. Findings highlight improvements to student–teachers’ knowledge and practice; enjoyment in working at a higher academic level; improvements to the ITE programme overall, including student–teacher support and student–teachers’ articulation of knowledge and practice; and enhanced opportunities for employability, career advancement and gaining a Master’s degree.     

新教师专业发展:从师徒带教走向专业学习社群

新教师在入职后将面临专业知识、情绪感受和社会适应的专业困境,而目前新教师专业发展的主要形式——入职教育和师徒制——所秉持的仍然是传统教师专业发展范式,忽视新教师自主。因此,未来新教师专业发展应从专业学习社群的角度来建构,为新教师提供社群土壤。     

Call me teacher: the quest of new teachers

This narrative inquiry presents the experiences of a group of 10 new primary teachers grappling with relationships in the social context of their school environment during their first year of teaching. Their lived experiences are plotted together in the story of Gemma to provide one insight into the emotional dimension of attaining the identity of a real teacher in schools with individualistic cultures. Readers can add their stories to enrich interpretations of the text, extending the collaborative process beyond this group, to understand the difficulties faced by some new teachers motivated to say ‘call me teacher’. The paper concludes with a plea to take account of the emotional needs, as well as the professional development needs, of new teachers in the induction process by differentiating induction procedures and raising awareness of the different cultures experienced by new teachers during their placement as they strive to attain a positive identity.     

Induction needs of a group of teachers at different career stages in a school in the Republic of Ireland: Challenges and expectations

This study examines the induction needs of a group of teachers at different career stages working in a socially disadvantaged secondary school in the Republic of Ireland. 44 teachers participated in the study, 11 of whom were student teachers, 11 of whom were newly qualified teachers and 22 of whom were experienced teachers returning to the school after an extended career break (4) or new to the school having previously worked in a different school (18). Through the use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques, including 44 questionnaires and nine semi-structured interviews, this study examines how a school-based induction programme can best accommodate the needs of a diverse group of teachers at different career stages.     

Australian undergraduate primary school student‐teachers’ responses to child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting

This study aims to understand how primary school teachers, as mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse, are responding to child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting, even though many teachers do not receive a compulsory course in Child Protection and its legal requirements in their pre‐service university training. A cohort of 81 Australian final fourth‐year Bachelor of Education (Primary) student‐teachers was asked about four aspects of it. Qualitative data gathered from these student‐teachers’ questionnaires provide important insights into their knowledge of child sexual abuse; their knowledge of Department of Education policy on it; their professional competence in mandatory reporting of it; and their recommended educational and professional training in it. The results show that all of these student‐teachers feel inadequately prepared to address child sexual abuse and mandatory reporting in schools, being unaware of both knowledge of it and the Department’s policy, even though many recognise the gravity of sexual abuse for the child survivor and the need, and seriousness, of child protection. Finally, these student‐teachers all want better training about these issues during their four‐year degree. In conclusion, these results, and some recommendations, may provide a guide for curriculum planners to design compulsory and appropriate pre‐service university courses to enhance student‐teachers’ knowledge, skills and competencies about child sexual abuse and its mandatory reporting.     

The mechanism of teaching–research conflict influencing job burnout among university teachers: The roles of perceived supervisor support and psychological capital

This study examined the relationship between teaching–research conflict and job burnout among university teachers and the moderating role of perceived supervisor support (PSS) and psychological capital (PsyCap) in this relationship. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from a convenience sample of 488 university teachers in China. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to examine the moderating role of PSS and PsyCap in the relationship between teaching–research conflict and job burnout. The results showed that (a) teaching–research conflict was positively linked to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but negatively linked to personal accomplishment, (b) PSS moderated the effects of teaching–research conflict on both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization but did not act as a moderator in the relationship between teaching–research conflict and personal accomplishment, and (c) PsyCap moderated the effect of teaching–research conflict on all three dimensions of job burnout.     

Pedagogical shift in the twenty-first century: Preparing teachers to teach with new technologies

ABSTRACT

The expectation in education today is that pre-service teachers should graduate from teacher education adequately prepared to teach with Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) that have potential to enhance curriculum delivery, hence improving quality of education. However, research shows that pre-service teachers are graduating from teacher education underequipped to teach with ICTs. The aim of this study is to understand why, given the deployment of ICTs for teaching and learning in teacher education, the new teachers remain underprepared to teach with ICTs. Qualitative research approach was employed in this study, whereby randomly selected pre-service teachers were interview respondents. Written reflections on their preparation to teach with ICTs also formed part of the data collected. Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) theory was embraced to guide the study. Analysis of the data shows that the main contributing factor of the new teachers’ under-preparedness to teach using ICTs is the quality of instruction they receive during their training.     

Professional identity in early childhood care and education: perspectives of pre-school and infant teachers

This paper explores perceptions of professional identity in the early childhood care and educations sector (ECCE) in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). It is concerned with the status, salary and conditions of those working with children aged four to six in pre-school and primary school settings. Using qualitative methodology, the study garnered personal perspectives and insights into professional identity. It presents new empirical evidence on the attitudes of those working in ECCE towards their professional identity and their aspirations for the future. Findings indicate that professional identity is contentious and problematic. At pre-school level, this is predominantly associated with the lack of a mandatory training requirement. There is compelling evidence that highly trained ECCE graduates are being lost to the sector. At primary school level, while teachers per se enjoy a relatively high social status, their professional identity as infant teachers is compromised within individual school settings. Teachers believe that this is related to a perception that the infant class is akin to ‘playschool’. As a result, they do not get the same respect as teachers working in classes higher up the school. These issues gives rise to fundamental questions about the value of early childhood as well as the value placed on those working with four- to six-year-old children in pre-school and primary school.     

A study of novice teachers: Challenges and supports in the first years

In recent years, it has been reported that an alarming number of teachers are leaving the profession in the first three years after graduation from a pre-service program. This phenomenon is common in North America and it is essential that educators identify the challenges surrounding new teachers and provide supports to assist them. The vast majority of literature surrounding new teacher induction and mentorship support is void of the Canadian context and the novice teacher voice. In this study, Ontario graduates from a two year pre-service program were surveyed and 5 teachers were selected for case studies. Participants found administrative leadership, refining the mentorship selection process, hiring practices, and district-sponsored supports as positive factors necessary for them to grow into the profession.     

Preparing teachers for professional learning: is there a future for teacher education in new teacher induction?

Today the quality of teachers is held to be increasingly important yet there continue to be doubts about whether teacher education programs graduate teachers ready to meet the challenges of their initial years of teaching. In some jurisdictions, other agencies (Ministries of Education, school districts, and private providers) are supplementing the work of teacher education through the introduction of new teacher induction programs which have become favoured policy initiatives to enhance new teacher transition, retention and quality. Evidence suggests that induction and mentoring increase teacher retention and ensure more effective socialisation of new teachers into the school culture. In spite of their growing popularity, the degree to which induction programs complement teacher education and/or impact new teacher professional learning remains unclear. In this paper the authors report a secondary analysis of data from an evaluation of the New Teacher Induction Program in Ontario, Canada to consider the implications for the future of teacher education by asking: What are the challenges facing new teachers? In what ways does the induction program support new teacher professional learning? What are the major implications for the future of teacher education?     

Prevalence and predictors of out‐of‐field teaching in the first five years

Many new science teachers are assigned to teach subjects in which they have not been prepared, a practice referred to as out‐of‐field (OOF) teaching. Teaching OOF has been shown to negatively influence instruction and constrain teachers’ development. In this study, we explored the extent to which new secondary science teachers were assigned OOF across their first 5 years. Analysis of this longitudinal data set indicated that these assignments were common. While new science teachers were assigned to teach a variety of subjects over their first 5 years of teaching, they were not assigned more or fewer OOF courses over time. Furthermore, results indicated that teachers in certain situations are more likely than others to be assigned to teach OOF. Even with federal legislation in the United States seeking to eliminate OOF teaching, a large portion of new secondary science teachers are assigned to teach science disciplines for which they are inadequately prepared. Based on the findings of this study, it is worth exploring policy avenues that eliminate OOF teaching. Policymakers, administrators, and teacher educators should seek to provide supports, such as science‐specific induction programs designed for new teachers who are assigned OOF, and science teacher educators should prepare prospective teachers to teach multiple science disciplines. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:1197–1218, 2017     

Induction seminars as professional learning communities for beginning teachers

This paper explores the operation and contribution of induction seminars operated as learning communities for new teachers. Mixed methods were used: 378 new teachers and 29 seminar leaders completed questionnaires, 16 new teachers and 14 seminar leaders were interviewed, and 20 seminar meetings were observed. Findings showed that seminar discussions focused primarily on coping with discipline problems, building self-confidence, and developing a professional identity. The main contribution of the seminars was emotional support provided in a non-threatening environment. Findings imply that seminars can be a significant supplement to in-school mentoring for the professional development and adjustment of new teachers.     

Effective Practices for Mentoring Beginning Middle School Teachers: Mentor's Perspectives

In order to improve student achievement, school systems must provide new teachers with support to become effective teachers more quickly. Educators frequently use mentoring to support new teachers and reach the goals of improved classroom performance as well as teacher retention. The intention in this study was to provide insights into the mentoring of beginning teachers working in the middle grades. In this exploratory case study, three elements of a mentoring model deemed necessary for the implementation of effective mentoring for middle school teachers are presented. First, the mentor must forge a trusting relationship with the new teacher. Second, the mentor must support and guide the new teacher in creating a classroom environment that is supportive of learning. Third, the mentor must be able to support and guide the new teacher in instructional strategies appropriate to the content and context of the classroom. Furthermore, this research highlighted a need for mentors to receive ongoing training in classroom management, instructional practices, and relationship building in order to remain effective mentors. Without effective trained mentors programs will fail to meet their goals of improving instruction and retaining teachers past their induction year.     

农村教师配置的深层困境——基于川南H县的实地考察

根据对川南某县的实地考察,发现义务教育教师资源的均衡配置依然任重道远。在强制性的分配制度打破以后,诱致性的激励制度尚未建立,导致新增农村教师质量尚需提高。而考调制作为一种较为有效的教师进城选拔方式,却造成了更多农村优秀教师的流失。从学校层面来看,校长虽然有较强的原动力提高教师队伍水平,但在很多现实矛盾中,往往忽略了配置教师的质量。就相关利益群体来看,农村群体是松散的,对教师配置决策施加的影响非常有限,而城市群体是强有力的,对教师配置决策可以施加较大压力,这强化了教师配置的城市化倾向。     

Induction: the experiences of newly qualified science teachers

This research focused on the induction year entitlement in England, with particular reference to timetable, formal assessment meetings, lesson observations and provision of an induction tutor and a named external contact. Pooled data from a postal questionnaire, with a 60% response rate (n = 92), were analysed from three consecutive cohorts of newly qualified science teachers (2003–2006). Focus group interviews and telephone interviews with 20 newly qualified teachers and 20 induction tutors were also used to collect data. The majority of the sample of newly qualified teachers received the main entitlements in their induction year but serious concerns persist for a significant minority. Implications for the induction of all newly qualified teachers, irrespective of their subject area, school and policy‐makers, are identified.     

职教改革背景下高职高专新教师入职培训策略探析

职业教育改革是建设社会主义现代化强国的重要举措,职业教育的发展离不开教师,教师的发展需要培养和指导。本文在详细调查研究广西电力职业技术学院新教师入职培训情况的基础上,分析培训对象、高职高专教师工作特点、培训结果评价等,提出包括建立校校、校企、二级院系共同参与的培训平台,以能力导向为培训内容设计原则,采用集中学习、企业实践和个别指导相结合的培训方法。     

美国特殊教育教师的入门指导计划

新教师的入门指导是教师专业发展的重要组成部分。本文介绍了美国基于大学-学区伙伴关系的特殊教育教师入门指导计划,包括:亚当斯县的“特殊教育准备创新计划”、圣塔克鲁兹县的“新教师计划”和密尔夫基市的“特殊教育教师实习计划”;并提出改革我国特殊教育新教师入门指导的几点建议。     

Physics teachers: a holistic plan for professional education during both the pedagogical stage and the probation year

Despite the Bologna agreement implementation in 2008, teachers' education in Portugal has not changed significantly from earlier practice. The major modification in the requirements of master’s level teacher education programmes was the introduction of a strong component of educational research in a master’s degree; this is designed to replace an educational monograph in the typical 5-year ‘Licenciatura’. Both a professional one-year in-school pedagogical stage and a fifth year as a university student continue to be mandatory, as well as the stage co-supervision of the university and the school. However, existing government regulations imply that in the very near future the full professional education of teachers will have to be complemented with an in-service probation year conducted under the supervision of a school mentor. The current study has been designed to try to determine: (a) how the activities of the probation year should be organised in order to improve this stage of professional education; and (b) how probation years could be used to promote school–university partnerships that could provide for more effective in-service teacher education and/or possible shared educational action research. Drawing on the survey data from pre-service students from four different universities, novice teachers, stage supervisors and school principals, information was collected on the perceptions of the quality and scope of the professional education of future teachers from the beginning of their programmes through their pedagogical stage. A high degree of agreement among all the respondents enables us to point towards the perceived high quality of several components of the teacher education programmes, e.g, teachers’ ability to plan a lesson using different teaching strategies and the high value-accorded school–university collaborations. The results also show the weaknesses of other components, e.g, teachers’ skill with controlling badly behaved students and their ability to capture students’ attention and motivation. Based on these results and on our knowledge about the type of professional support needed to promote teaching practice, we conclude with a holistic plan designed for teachers’ professional education during the pre-service pedagogical stage and the in-service probation year.     

美国高校教师入职门槛及启示

教师的优劣被认为直接影响到孩子的学业成功与否。美国十分重视教师的聘用与选拔。文章拟从美国高校教师的入职要求,教育专业博士课程的设置,以及高校教师的入职培训等来看美国高校教师的入职门槛,以期为我国高校教师的选拔与培养提供借鉴。     

Beginning and end of the internship: student teachers’ interpersonal profiles and the accuracy of their self-beliefs

An important purpose of internships in teacher preparation programmes is to develop competence through experience. The research questions in the present study concern student teachers’ interpersonal profiles (i.e. patterns of their interpersonal behaviour as perceived by students) and the accuracy of their self-belief regarding the interpersonal relationship with students at the beginning and end of the internship. Participants were student teachers (n=34) of a one-year teacher education programme. There were fewer student teachers with preferable interpersonal profiles at the end of the internship than in the beginning. Self-beliefs at the beginning indicated that the majority of student teachers were underestimating themselves; at the end of the internship most of them were overestimating themselves. About two-thirds had more accurate self-beliefs at the end of the internship than at the beginning. Overestimating oneself seemed negatively related to more accurate self-beliefs at the end of the internship and student teachers with more preferable profiles had more accurate self-beliefs.