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.     

An Empirical Study: To What Extent and In What Ways Does Social Foundations of Education Inform Four Teachers’ Educational Beliefs and Classroom Practices?

Within the state selected for this study, teacher preparation programs and state certification criterion require that educators examine the relationship between school and society within social foundations of education (SFE) coursework. Using observations and interviews, this study examines to what extent four experienced, urban classroom teachers both speak in belief and exhibit in classroom practice an understanding of SFE. Two sets of measures, rooted in the social foundations and curriculum traditions, were devised to examine the degree to which teachers’ beliefs and practices matched to the tenets of SFE. Inconsistencies were evident within each teacher's beliefs and practices. Also, among the four respondents, there was minimal uniformity. From this study, when teaching even with a limited understanding of SFE, instructors engendered practices essential for a democracy. Students composed critical works, combining academic content as well as skills essential for life in a self-representative government. Use of these particular measures could be applied to inform pre-service teacher education programs as well as professional, in-service development.     

Helping Pre-Service and Beginning Teachers Examine and Reframe Assumptions About Themselves as Teachers and Change Agents: “Who is Going to Listen to You Anyway?”

The focus of this article is how to ensure (beginning) teachers’ needs as practitioners are part of the discursive dialogue in physical education teacher education programs. We consider the relationship between ‘structure’ and ‘agency,’ teachers as ‘change agents’ and refer to ‘workplace learning’ as we examine the extent to which the social structure of the school and the teaching profession, and?/?or the capacity of the individual to act independently, ultimately determines a teacher's behaviour in reaction to teaching expectations. We are interested as physical education teacher education faculty in how we (1) strive to help pre-service teachers examine and reframe assumptions about themselves as teachers and change agents, and (2) examine taken-for-granted school practices and processes. We share ways that physical education teacher education programs could encourage pre-service teachers agency and the relationship between initial teacher education and induction.     

Occupational Prestige and Professional Image of Teachers in Taiwan: A Comparison of Three Surveys

In the past four decades Taiwan was marked not only by rapid economic growth, but also by wide-ranging social, political, and cultural changes. In this fast-paced period, occupational division of work has become narrower and some functions of the family have gradually been taken over by the school. The function of the school has thus expanded. Generally, in traditional society, the school teacher's role was primarily that of guardian of cultural assets and disseminator of existing knowledge. In modem-day society, when values are becoming increasingly pluralistic, the school teacher is no longer facing a static and homogeneous state, but a swiftly changing and highly heterogeneous social environment. In this environment, the spread of knowledge is so fast that educational reform and change have become inevitable. The role of the school teacher has fundamentally changedno longer are they mere disseminators of traditional culture or existing knowledge, but communicators of social, economic, and cultural development. The work of the teacher not only affects educational function and achievement but, through molding the very values of students, is changing and consolidating social values and accelerating the speed of social progress. Based on this premise, this article studies the occupational prestige and professional image of teachers in Taiwan from the perspective of the teacher's changing role. On the one hand, through a collection of data, it provides concrete reference material for policymaking pertaining to the professional status of teachers of higher education, and, on the other, it makes a comparison with findings in our previous two surveys (1971 and 1979) to illustrate changes in the teacher's occupational prestige and professional image, thus providing reference material for raising the level of teachers and improving teacher education in the future.     

ePortfolios beyond pre-service teacher education: a new dawn?

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of using ePortfolios to enhance career skills for newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The context is the final phase of a longitudinal action research project investigating whether an ePortfolio, created as a pre-service teacher to evidence a digital story of developing professional identity, could transition into employability, i.e. the first year as an NQT. Thus, this paper focuses on a new area of ePortfolio-related research in teacher education; the transition from university into employment. The research findings indicate a changing purpose of the ePortfolio from training to the workplace, an increasing strength of ownership as part of the transition, and empowerment in becoming a teacher. Secondary findings demonstrate an increasing acceptance amongst head teachers regarding the usefulness of the ePortfolio in pre-service teacher education and in the continuing professional development of qualified teachers. Key outcomes are discussed and arguments are presented for an ePortfolio to support professional development from university to employment.     

改革开放以来我国中小学教师在职教育政策变迁之取向、走势和动因

改革开放30年来,我国中小学教师在职教育的基本取向经历了由注重学历补偿和适应向注重引导发展与改革、由重视学科知识掌握向重视教育能力提升、由依赖单一培训模式向倡导多元培训模式的转变,其大致走势是:从职前与在职二元分离走向系统观指导下的教师教育一体化,从数量应急走向终身教育理念引领下的教师自主专业发展,从工作关注走向人文精神观照下的对教师个性和生命的关怀,从职业提升走向基于生涯发展理论的教师生涯设计与经营。上述变化与走势的动因是:对我国社会经济政治变革的适应,对基础教育改革与发展的回应,对教师职业专业化大势的因应。     

TELPS: A method for analysing mathematics pre-service teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge

A pre-service teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and their personal constructs of teaching develop throughout their teacher education program. PCK integrates generic pedagogical knowledge, mathematical teaching methodology and knowledge of the discipline of mathematics and this paper reports on a survey that can be used to assess a pre-service teacher's PCK. TELPS (Teacher Education Lesson Plan Survey) was developed to determine the PCK of pre-service teachers during their teacher education program. TELPS is shown to analyse pre-service teachers' PCK with some indication that the pre-service teacher's development of PCK can be observed.     

Graduate feedback on a teacher education program and school district support: An argument for a continuum of professional learning

This phenomenological study aimed to explore how early career teachers were supported in their transition from teacher education to professional practice. It involved interviewing seven recent graduates from a post-degree teacher education program on their perceptions of both the program and their local school district in supporting them as early career teachers. Results involve numerous recommendations for supporting these teachers during their induction into the profession leading to the articulation of a continuum of lifelong professional learning that includes teacher education, induction and mentorship, and professional development. Key responsibilities for school districts, principals, and teacher education faculty are included.     

Bliss of Ignorance

Producing high-quality teachers should be a shared goal and a shared endeavor -between those who prepare teachers in universities and those who support teachers’ learning in schools. Yet, teacher education has been portrayed more as a dichotomy than a continuum of lifelong learning, beginning with the preservice teacher and continuing throughout an inservice teacher's career. When schools and universities work together, especially in professional development school -contexts, this goal can be actualized.     

Teacher Educators: hidden professionals?

The pace of change in today's society means that there is an ongoing need for teachers to learn, have new knowledge and use new pedagogical approaches to meet the needs of their pupils. For many teachers, this requires redefining their identity as teachers and what ‘teaching’ means in 21st century learning environments. These changes also require teachers to be supported in learning to ‘teach’ in different ways that are relevant to their own individual needs and to the contexts in which they work throughout their career. In this article, it is argued that a more integrated and collaborative approach to teacher education is needed with better understanding of those who take up the roles of teacher educator across a teacher's career. With a particular emphasis on ‘teacher educators’ working in school to support teachers' career-long professional learning it is argued that currently many do not recognise themselves as teacher educators nor are they recognised by those they work with as teacher educators. Drawing on an empirical study carried out with mentors in schools in Scotland, it is suggested that these teacher educators may be ‘unrecognised’ and remain ‘hidden professionals’ because of the identities they construct for themselves, the values and priorities that they or others attach to their roles or because of the institutional structures and cultures in which they work. It is concluded that it will be difficult to recognise and value these ‘hidden teacher educators’ and the distinctive contribution they can make to teachers' career-long professional learning without further clarification by them and others of the roles and responsibilities they hold.     

The role of personal practice theories in the professional development of a beginning high school chemistry teacher

The notion of deliberated teacher reflection as a means of improving professional teaching practice has become one of the most pervasive concepts to influence science teacher education during the past decade. In this case study, we use the notion of teacher reflection and Lytle and Cochran‐Smith's ( 1990 ) typology of teacher research to examine the relationships between a beginning high school chemistry teacher's articulated personal practice theories and his actions as demonstrated by his curricular decisions and instructional practices. In so doing, we describe the ways in which the formal articulations of this teacher's personal practice theories lent themselves to his development as a teacher/researcher and propose this development as a useful model of science teacher practitioner professionalism. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 408–441, 2001     

Articulating the Relationships Between Theory and Practice in Science Teaching: A model for teacher professional development

In-depth analysis of science teachers' idiosyncratic instructional behaviors combined with the notion of deliberated 'teacher reflection' as a means of improving professional teaching practice has become one of the most pervasive concepts to influence science teacher education during the past decade. Sweeney and coworkers have described how the notion of teacher reflection and Lytle and Cochran-Smith's typology of teacher research were utilised to examine the relationships between a beginning high school chemistry teacher's articulated personal practice theories and his actions as demonstrated by his curricular decisions and instructional practices. Using data drawn from the previous study, this report focuses on examining how the methodological approach taken in the investigation (explicit, deliberate articulation and analysis of a teacher's instructional behaviors and rationales within the context of a mentoring relationship) may serve as a useful model for teacher professional development across all areas of instruction.     

Pre-service teachers' reasons for choosing teaching as a career in Singapore

As the national teacher education institute in Singapore, the National Institute of Education (NIE) prepares all teachers seeking to be employed within the education service in Singapore. In the last decade, NIE's enrolment for initial teacher preparation programmes has grown significantly, with peaks in numbers during the recession years. There is also some evidence of attrition when beginning teachers complete their 3-year bond with the Ministry of Education, which sponsors their teacher education programme. It is thus important to determine empirically the reasons why pre-service teachers join the teaching profession, to see whether this can inform us about measures that can be taken to ensure they stay on in the profession. As part of a longitudinal study on beginning teachers' attitudes towards teaching and professional development, a research survey, the first of three data collections, was administered to whole cohorts of pre-service teachers entering NIE's three main teacher preparation programmes in July 2004. This paper presents the survey findings on pre-service teachers' reasons for choosing teaching as a career and discusses the differences between cohorts of different programmes. The implications of the study are discussed in terms of informing future policy and practice in the areas of teacher recruitment, retention and professional development.     

The Dynamics of Interaction During Post‐lesson Conferences and the Development of Professional Activity: Study of a pre‐service physical education teacher and her co‐operating teacher

The purpose of this study was to characterise the development of a preservice physical education teacher's professional activity over the course of training interactions with her co‐operating teacher. The student teacher's professional development was studied using a hermeneutic and inductive approach based on the analysis of data from observation and self‐confrontation interviews. The results showed that the preservice teacher's conceptions regarding her teaching developed despite communication difficulties with her co‐operating teacher and that she constructed new knowledge—at times without her co‐operating teacher's awareness—even when she disagreed with him. However, the student teacher's classroom activity did not always change as a result of this new knowledge. The self‐confrontation interviews revealed her construction of knowledge, as well as the reasons for disagreement and her resistance to changing her classroom action.     

美国PDS与教师专业化发展及其对我国的启示

美国在20世纪80—90年代逐步建立了一批PDS(Professional Development School，专业发展学校)。PDS是美国大学的教育学院与地方的公立中小学或学区合作成立的一种师资培训学校。这种学校融教师职前培养、在职培训和学校改革为一体，为大学教师和中小学教师提高自身素质，改善自身专业发展提供了一条有效可行的途径。教师专业化现已成为国际教师教育改革的一大趋势，研究PDS这一实现教师专业化发展的有效模式，对我国当今的教师教育改革仍具有重要的启示与借鉴价值。     

Provision of early field experiences for teacher candidates in Singapore and how it can contribute to teacher resilience and retention

While teacher retention is a pressing issue for many jurisdictions, Singapore has a relatively low teacher attrition rate. Drawing on the experiences of student teachers from the sole institute for pre-service teacher education in Singapore, this article argues that it is important to expose teacher candidates to a substantial period of school experience as part of the teacher recruitment process. Before they are officially enrolled into pre-service teacher education, the Ministry of Education in Singapore requires all teacher candidates in the Postgraduate Diploma of Education program to go through a compulsory school stint. The authors' research findings show that this exposure to the realities and complexities of teaching can be an important contributor to teacher retention in terms of assessing and promoting teacher candidates’ resilient qualities, such as passion for teaching, self-efficacy beliefs, and positive emotion. In other words, early field experiences can help teacher candidates understand themselves as teachers and assess their own suitability for a teaching career. This study sheds new light on the policies and practices of teacher retention and teacher recruitment strategies.     

Comments from the Editors

Second‐career individuals are entering the teaching profession in greater numbers. These older, mature individuals bring diffent experiences to teaching than do younger, traditional preservice and beginning teachers. Lyle, a second‐career teacher, began his first year of teaching in a junior high school, a setting that did not allow him to teach in ways that he believed he should. This paper presents a record of Lyle's struggles as he negotiates the role of teaching and his relationships with students. The conclusions examine some factors that mitigated against Lyles’ smooth transition into the teaching profession and suggest that second‐career teachers such as Lyle may be disadvantaged by traditional teacher education programs, the pressures under which they accept teaching positions, and their sometimes distant perspective of teachers, teacher's work, and students.     

实践知识：教师哲学智慧的基石

随着教师专业发展理论不断进步,教师实践知识的重要性不断显现,成为教师教育研究与实践的基本取向;实践知识具有学科知识深化、交际知识丰富、生活知识增扩和良好习惯养成等功能;需要构建包括专业实践、社会实践以及社区服务在内的实践课程体系,建构与完善职前教师实践知识体系。     

小学教师实践性知识发展的叙事研究

教师实践性知识研究已成为研究者关注的热点,运用教育叙事,以一位小学教师为个案,从自我知识、学科教学知识、学习者的知识和情境知识等方面展示其实践性知识发展的真实状况。个人的教育信念、原有的受教育背景和生活经验、教学反思的意识、学习方式的转变和学校文化的创设等是影响小学教师实践性知识形成与发展的深层次原因。研究启示,教师实践性知识的生成离不开日常教学生活、教学反思以及教师学习共同体的建立。     

“Everything goes smoothly”: A case study of an immigrant Chinese language teacher's personal practical knowledge

Much of teacher knowledge research in teacher education has focused on Western views of teacher knowledge. By reporting on a case study of an immigrant Chinese language teacher's personal practical knowledge in teaching secondary school students, this paper presents an Eastern view of teacher knowledge, and illustrates how knowledge and identity are entwined. The study found that an immigrant teacher's awareness of her identity and her cultural heritage had a profound influence on shaping her personal practical knowledge and teaching practice. The paper suggests that more cross-cultural studies be undertaken to further our understanding of teacher knowledge.