Exploring student teachers' motivation change in initial teacher education: A Chinese perspective

Informed by a multiple, integrated perspective on teacher motivations, this study explores ten student teachers' motivation change throughout a pre-service language teacher education program in China. Drawing on data from the participants' personal reflections, focus group interviews, and individual interviews, this study reveals how the participants' motivations were shaped and reshaped through their professional practice and social interactions in relation to their self-efficacy, outcome expectations, professional autonomy, and social support in their learning context. This study concludes with some implications for policy makers and teacher educators on how to cultivate and promote pre-service teachers' motivations and commitments towards teaching as a life-long career.     

Exploring metropolitan university pre-service teacher motivations and barriers to teaching in rural schools

Staffing shortages has been a consistent problem for Australian rural schools. This paper addresses the rural staffing shortage by exploring the motivations and barriers faced by pre-service teachers in an Australian metropolitan university as they explore the prospect of teaching in a rural school. The paper examines two research ideas prevalent in the research literature. Firstly, that introducing pre-service teachers to rural placement experiences enhances their desire to seek teaching positions in rural schools. Secondly, that pre-service teachers from regional or rural backgrounds are more likely to seek teaching jobs in rural settings than their metropolitan counterparts. We draw on data from a longitudinal qualitative study with pre-service teachers in a metropolitan university that were interviewed before, during and after their rural placement. We found that while the second idea stands the test, the first idea, undertaking a rural placement, is not a guarantee to redressing the staffing shortage.     

Demonstrating a situated learning approach for in-service teacher education in rural India: The Quality Education Programme in Rajasthan

Recent educational policy in India has repositioned elementary school teachers as active, reflective practitioners, not just ‘deliverers’ of syllabus material. This article examines innovations in teacher support in Rajasthan's government schools through the ‘Quality Education Program.’ Drawing on qualitative research of collaborative learning processes, the paper discusses two support strategies used by the program: professional dialogic interactions and modeling of pedagogic strategies, which paralleled introductory or developmental phases within a ‘collaborative apprenticeship model’ of teacher professional development. In doing so, the paper outlines the potential of situated, collaborative approaches for Indian in-service teacher education and education development reform, more broadly.     

Acknowledging teacher professionalism in Ireland: the case for a Chartered Teacher initiative

This paper presents an argument for the development of an Irish Chartered Teacher initiative which would acknowledge and accredit the professionalism of experienced and accomplished teachers. It begins by examining the current position of teaching as a profession based on findings from Irish and international research studies. Issues surrounding the accreditation of accomplished teachers are considered through the examination of a range of Chartered Teacher initiatives. Finally, the potential opportunities and challenges of accrediting teacher professionalism in Ireland are discussed with reference to the continuum of teacher education and recent developments introduced by the Teaching Council of Ireland.     

One teacher's identity, emotions, and commitment to change: A case study into the cognitive–affective processes of a secondary school teacher in the context of reforms

This paper presents a cognitive social–psychological theoretical framework on emotions, derived from Richard Lazarus, to understand how teachers’ identity can be affected in a context of reforms. The emphasis of this approach is on the cognitive–affective processes of individual teachers, enabling us to gain a detailed understanding of what teachers have at stake or what their personal, moral, and social concerns are. To illustrate the usefulness of this approach, a case of a reform-enthusiast Dutch secondary school teacher of Dutch language and literature is presented. The analysis of his emotions of enthusiasm for the reforms, and his emotions of anxiety, anger, guilt, and shame related to the way the reforms unfold in his school and influence his work, show the many ways his identity and concerns are affected, resulting in a loss of reform enthusiasm. The paper ends with a reflection on the possible risks of current educational policies to the commitment and quality of the current and next generation of teachers.     

A multilevel analysis of the impact of a professional learning community, faculty trust in colleagues and collective efficacy on teacher commitment to students

This study investigated the relationships between a professional learning community (PLC), faculty trust in colleagues, teachers’ collective efficacy, and their commitment to students. The findings from exploratory factor analysis indicated that three clear components could be extracted from the scale of Professional Learning Communities Assessment (PLCA) in a Chinese setting. Multilevel analyses was conducted to investigate how school-level variables, including the three factors of PLC, faculty trust in colleagues, and collective teacher efficacy, affect teachers’ commitment to students. The findings from the Hong Kong teacher sample indicated that two PLC factors including collective learning and application and supportive conditions - structures, and the factors faculty trust in colleagues and collective teacher efficacy could significantly and positively account for the school-level variances of teachers’ commitment to students. Another PLC factor, shared and supportive leadership, was not identified as a significant predictor to teachers’ commitment to students in a Chinese setting. The findings of school-level regressions indicated that all three factors of PLC as well as faculty trust in colleagues could significantly and positively affect teachers’ collective efficacy on instructional strategies. However, only one PLC factor, collective learning and application, and the factor faculty trust in colleagues were significant predictors to teachers’ collective efficacy on student discipline.