Assessing student teaching experiences: Teacher candidates’ perceptions of preparedness (original) (raw)

Variation in Teacher Preparation

Journal of Teacher Education, 2002

Does teacher education influence what teachers feel prepared to do when they enter the classroom? Are there differences in teachers' experiences of classroom teaching when they enter through different programs and pathways? This study examines data from a 1998 survey of nearly 3000 beginning teachers in New York City regarding their views of their preparation for teaching, their beliefs and practice, and their plans to remain in teaching. The findings indicate that teachers who were prepared in teacher education programs felt significantly better prepared across most dimensions of teaching than those who entered teaching through alternative programs or without preparation. Teachers' views of their preparation varied across individual programs, with some programs graduating teachers who felt markedly better prepared. Finally, the extent to which teachers felt well prepared when they entered teaching was significantly correlated with their sense of teaching efficacy, their sense of responsibility for student learning, and their plans to remain in teaching.

Preparedness of Teacher Candidates and Problems Faced by Teachers in the Beginning Years of Teaching

Journal of Education and Practice, 2018

This paper reports the preparedness and skills of teacher-candidates as instructors, managers, and supervisors. Framework of twenty-first skills by (Corpuz & Salandanan, 2012) was the founding principle to interpret the respondents’ beliefs towards their preparation to teach. All 256 respondents are expected to graduate in 2018 and their courses are coded as teacher candidate or TC1(51), TC2 (13), TC3 (29), TC4 (27), TC5 (26), TC6 (57), and TC7 (24). Categories of their skills and preparedness reported in the teacher-made questionnaire and open-ended questions underscore the “uncertainty” of respondents and “very strong agreement”. Answers of respondents towards their reported skills were matched with their knowledge and instructional practice. The paper ends with recommendations to address “uncertain” instructional practice and ultimately improve teacher education curriculum. In addition, the paper includes a report on problems faced by practicing teachers, graduates of Pampanga St...

You Gotta Believe: Teachers' Perceptions about Their Teacher Preparation

1991

The study described here was conducted to examine the impact of reforms made to an elementary education program which include broadened supervised practicums experience for all education methods courses thereby creating a link between theory and practice. Specific attention was given to prospective teachers' perceptions of the usefulness of their teacher preparation program before and after the student teaching experience. Upon completion of required professional coursework and practicums, and prior to and following student teaching, participants (N=41) were asked to complete a questionnaire (copy appended) developed to elicit information with respect to: beliefs about one's ability to teach elementary education subjects; use of various teaching strategies learned in methods, courses; and the impact of college coursework in learning to teach. Additional open-ended questions attempted to glean information with respect to perceived areas of strength, concern, and connectedness. Results indicated that teacher candidates with extensive practicums experience begin teaching with confidence and grow in confidence as a result of student teaching; methods courses are valued equally with practicums; and general education and introductory education courses were rated as having the least impact on learning to become teachers.

Student teacher perceptions of preparedness for teaching

The teaching profession has been described as "essentially conflictual…dilemma-ridden and… constrained by factors beyond an individual teacher's control" (Cains & Brown, 1998, p. 97). Consistent with this perspective, it is not surprising that teachers often suffer from emotional exhaustion and stress. What may be surprising however are recent reports that teachers appear to be experiencing burnout much earlier in their careers than expected. Goddard and O'Brien (2003) discovered that teachers were reporting symptoms of burnout as early as in their first year of employment. This clearly has significant implications for teachers and the teaching profession in general and is an issue that needs to be addressed. The current study aims to examine how well Universities prepare their students for the teaching profession. Final year Primary Teaching students will be followed as they make the transition form University study to the workforce. Their perceived level of prepa...

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of Preparedness: A Teacher Education Program's Transferability and Impact on The Secondary English/Language Arts Classroom

2010

A two-phase, sequential mixed-methods design was used to assess perceptions of Preparedness (28 items, alpha = .96) to differentiate instruction for N = 36 graduates from one MAT teacher preparation program. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and t-test procedures. A focus group with N = 10 purposively selected 2010 graduates and interviews with N = 2 graduates each from the 2008 and 2009 classes, and N = 2 faculty were conducted. The following areas presented challenges to teachers when attempting differentiation: pre-existing ideas of how to teach which contradict differentiation, misinformation regarding differentiation, and classroom management skills. This resulted in the unintentional implementation of surfacelevel differentiation, rather than deep-structure differentiation (Brighton, Hertberg, Moon, Tomlinson, & Callahan, 2005).

FACTORS AFFECTING THE IMPACT OF TEACHER EDUCATION COURSES ON TEACHER PREPAREDNESS

The OECD recently completed a major project in 25 countries called, Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers, which found that teacher education was high on the political agenda in many countries. The Synthesis Report for the project, Teachers Matter (OECD, 2004), identified a number of common concerns about teacher quality, such as supply, teacher education, the status of teaching, and the retention of quality teachers in schools, especially disadvantaged schools.

Readiness and Preparation of Pre-Service Teachers on the K to 12 Program

The study aimed to assess the level of readiness of pre-service teachers in teaching the K to 12 curriculums, propose and implement intervention programs/activities to improve the level of readiness in the different competencies. Total enumerations of 4th year teacher education students were employed. A survey questionnaire developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH measuring the 21 st century skills of effective teaching was utilized to determine the students' readiness and preparedness. Intervention activities were conducted after knowing the lower level of competencies. These include facilitating the development of learners' life and career skills; creating a conducive learning environment; facilitating learning; preparing appropriate lesson plans; developing higher order thinking skills; developing and utilizing teaching and learning resources; enhancing ethical and moral values; assessing and evaluating learners performance; and networking with stakeholders especially with parents. Mean and standard deviation were employed to evaluate up to what extent the skills were developed. T-test was utilized to determine the significant difference between their competencies before and after the intervention was conducted. The students were found out to have developed the different competencies to a high extent which means that they are ready to teach the K to 12 programs. However, among these competencies developing higher order thinking skills and assessing students learning got the lowest mean. Intervention in this aspect in form of seminar about K to 12 assessment strategies in both elementary and secondary levels was conducted. Significant difference on the extent of how this competency was developed before and after the seminar was observed specifically among Filipino and MAPEH major students. A continues monitoring and evaluation of students competencies needed in the 21 st century needs to be conducted and appropriate intervention programs need to be implemented.

Variation in teacher preparation: How well do different pathways prepare teachers to teach

2002

Abstract: Does teacher education influence what teachers feel prepared to do when they enter the classroom? Are there differences in teachers ’ experiences of when they enter through different programs and pathways? This study examines data from a 1998 survey of nearly 3000 beginning teachers in New York City regarding their views of their preparation for teaching, their beliefs and practice, and their plans to remain in teaching. The findings indicate that teachers who were prepared in teacher education programs felt significantly better prepared across most dimensions of teaching than those who entered teaching through alternative programs or without preparation. Teachers’ views of their preparation varied across individual programs, with some programs graduating teachers who felt markedly better prepared. Finally, the extent to which teachers felt well prepared when they entered teaching was significantly correlated with their sense of teaching efficacy, their sense of responsibi...