The present study was inspired by Human-Vogel and Dippenaar’s (2013) research, which examined pre-service teachers’ commitment to community engagement in their second year of study. Human-Vogel and Dippenaar 2013 found that personal justice beliefs were independent of the pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards service learning. These puzzling findings necessitated further investigation and formed the basis of the rationale for my study. I was furthermore intrigued by the number of mentions made of social justice in connection with community engagement, evoking my interest in this concept and the role that social justice plays in service learning. In the present study I explored pre-service teachers’ experience with social justice during their service learning activities, examining the ways in which they dealt with social justice issues during their interactions in the different settings. A qualitative research approach was applied guided by an interpretivist paradigm. I made use of an ex post facto instrumental case study design and four pre-service teachers were conveniently and purposively selected for the present the study. The criteria for selection was that the participants must have been involved in the Human-Vogel and Dippenaar’s (2013) research and were willing and available to participate in the present study. The data was collected through individual semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was utilized during the data analysis. In the present study five themes emerged as a result of the thematic analysis and interpretation. Firstly the pre-service teachers were able to provide their individual conceptualisation of justice. Under this theme they gave their individual definitions of personal and social justice and also provided examples of these concepts. Secondly, the pre-service teachers reported on their overall service learning experiences and these included the negative and positive aspects. Thirdly, there were barriers faced by the pre-service teachers during service learning activities. These included a lack of preparation and structure in the service learning activities, expectation versus reality of the service learning experiences, language barriers, lack of resources in the community, security concerns, and issues of stereo-types and assumptions. Fourthly, the pre-service teachers discussed issues of justice and social change. They were able to discuss issues related to social injustices experienced in the community, the availability and accessibility to justice structures as well as their being a voice to the voice-less. These aspects were discussed with the aim that such could be examined and used to bring about social change in the community. Lastly, the pre-service teachers provided recommendations in the form of Support structures needed by pre-service teachers in future service learning activities. They suggested that in future other pre-service teachers could benefit from preparation for the service learning module, monitoring of the service learning activities, guidelines and structure in the service learning and debriefing during and after the service learning. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of self-efficacy enhancement in building pre-service teacher resilience to prevent symptoms of burn-out in Swaziland; how engaging in reflective practices can act as a protective factor. Not much research focuses on pre-service teacher burn-out and how to mitigate its effects, and this creates a gap that this study sought to address. Through the interpretivist perspective, and employing participatory action research (PAR) and some elements of pre-test, post test design, seven pre-service teachers who were doing their final year of a three year teacher’s diploma programme; four males and three females were engaged in the study. Data were collected by using the resilience scale questionnaire, participants’ reflective journals, researcher’s diary and transcribed recordings from a focus group interview. Three themes emerged; (1) that pre-service teachers in Swaziland do experience symptoms of burn-out during teaching practice. Seven risk factors that contribute to the experience of burn-out were cited by participants; learners’ behavioural issues, heavy workloads, demanding supervisors, lack of support from colleagues, teaching learners who are high achievers, feelings of inadequacy and lack of prioritising. (2) Pre-service teachers were able to draw strength and possibly avert burn-out by mobilising external and internal protective sources. (3) Reflective practices proved to be a viable intervention that enhanced pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and helped promote resilient coping. Future research might look into other factors that predispose pre-service teachers to stress and how reflective practices may be infused in the curriculum for pre-service education. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

This scoping review examines studies on the instruction of early literacy practices to pre-service teachers in teacher education programs. The research questions for this scoping review are: a) What are the major themes in the literature surrounding instructional strategies for early literacy in Bachelor of Education programs? and b) Are there any gaps in the existing literature? Six major education databases were systematically searched, which resulted in 16 articles. After conducting a thematic analysis of these articles, three themes were identified in the literature: B.Ed. program have needs that should be addressed, there are gaps in knowledge and content, and perceptions of pre-service teachers. An unexpected theme appeared during the exclusion process, which was the lack of studies on what pre-service teachers learn in B.Ed. programs regarding early literacy practices, and the high number of articles which study pre-service teacher’s perceptions, opinions, feelings, and beliefs about what they learn in B.Ed. programs, regarding early literacy practices. This demonstrates a gap in the literature and the need for further research on early literacy instruction in B.Ed. programs.

Teacher education researchers and policy makers recognize field experience, particularly student teaching, as a critical component of pre-service teacher learning and development. The co-teaching model of student teaching, in which cooperating teachers and student teachers jointly plan and deliver instruction, has been adopted by university-based teacher education programs across the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between elements of the co-teaching model of student teaching and teacher efficacy outcomes for student teachers. Research suggests that teacher efficacy, a teacher’s beliefs in his or her capacity to affect student performance, is positively associated with teachers’ behaviors and commitment to teaching as well as student achievement and motivation. This quantitative study utilized multiple regression statistical analyses to examine the relationship between co-teaching overall and the relationship, communication, classroom applications, and knowledge base elements and teacher efficacy overall and the domains of efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies and efficacy in classroom management. Descriptive statistics indicated that the relationship and communication elements of student teaching were more prevalent than the classroom applications and knowledge base elements. Student teachers in the sample reported higher levels of efficacy in instructional strategies than efficacy in classroom management and efficacy in student engagement. A positive and statistically significant relationship between teacher efficacy overall, efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management and the co-teaching model of student teaching, after controlling for gender and credential program, was found. The findings of this study substantiate teacher education policy makers’ support for the co-teaching model of student teaching.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which six cognitive and attitudinal variables predicted pre-service elementary teachers' performance on line graphing. Predictors included Illinois teacher education basic skills sub-component scores in reading comprehension and mathematics, logical thinking performance scores, as well as measures of attitudes toward science, mathematics and graphing. This study also determined the strength of the relationship between each prospective predictor variable and the line graphing performance variable, as well as the extent to which measures of attitude towards science, mathematics and graphing mediated relationships between scores on mathematics, reading, logical thinking and line graphing. Ninety-four pre-service elementary education teachers enrolled in two different elementary science methods courses during the spring 2009 semester at Southern Illinois University Carbondale participated in this study. Each subject completed five different instruments designed to assess science, mathematics and graphing attitudes as well as logical thinking and graphing ability. Sixty subjects provided copies of primary basic skills score reports that listed subset scores for both reading comprehension and mathematics. The remaining scores were supplied by a faculty member who had access to a database from which the scores were drawn. Seven subjects, whose scores could not be found, were eliminated from final data analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in order to establish validity and reliability of the Questionnaire of Attitude Toward Line Graphs in Science (QALGS) instrument. CFA tested the statistical hypothesis that the five main factor structures within the Questionnaire of Attitude Toward Statistical Graphs (QASG) would be maintained in the revised QALGS. Stepwise Regression Analysis with backward elimination was conducted in order to generate a parsimonious and precise predictive model. This procedure allowed the researcher to explore the relationships among the affective and cognitive variables that were included in the regression analysis. The results for CFA indicated that the revised QALGS measure was sound in its psychometric properties when tested against the QASG. Reliability statistics indicated that the overall reliability for the 32 items in the QALGS was .90. The learning preferences construct had the lowest reliability (.67), while enjoyment (.89), confidence (.86) and usefulness (.77) constructs had moderate to high reliabilities. The first four measurement models fit the data well as indicated by the appropriate descriptive and statistical indices. However, the fifth measurement model did not fit the data well statistically, and only fit well with two descriptive indices. The results addressing the research question indicated that mathematical and logical thinking ability were significant predictors of line graph performance among the remaining group of variables. These predictors accounted for 41% of the total variability on the line graph performance variable. Partial correlation coefficients indicated that mathematics ability accounted for 20.5% of the variance on the line graphing performance variable when removing the effect of logical thinking. The logical thinking variable accounted for 4.7% of the variance on the line graphing performance variable when removing the effect of mathematics ability.

Research states that reflection is the foundation for improved teaching (Dewey, 1933). As a result, educators have used many methods to facilitate teacher reflections. Some of these methods include keeping reflective journals, conducting peer teaching sessions, providing written feedback, giving lesson critiques, conducting action research projects, and using reflective conferences (Cook, Young & Evenson, 2001). As video has become more accessible, educators have also become interested in using video analysis tools to facilitate teacher reflections. However, very little has been published on how the use of video analysis tools influences teacher reflections. If reflection is the foundation for improved teaching, it is important for educators and researchers to understand how the use of these tools impacts teacher reflections. Therefore, the focus of this study was to understand the experience of a supervisor and student teacher as they used a video analysis tool to reflect on teaching. The researcher included thick descriptions of participants' experiences, so researchers and educators interested in using video analysis tools to facilitate reflection will be able to transfer the findings to their individual circumstances. This study compared a student teacher's experience reflecting with a video analysis tool to her experience participating in her department's traditional reflection method, which was a post-lesson conference with her supervisor. The researcher investigated how these reflection methods influenced the student teacher's ability to collect data about her teaching, make judgments about her teaching, design intervention plans for future teaching situations, and evaluate her intervention plans. The participants indicated that both video analysis and the traditional reflection method were beneficial for reflection. Although both methods were beneficial, the student teacher felt that using video analysis to reflect was more useful than the department's traditional reflection method for helping her understand the changes she wanted to make in her teaching. The student teacher felt that video analysis was more useful than the traditional reflection method because it allowed her to notice things that she did not remember or attend to during her lesson, it helped her focus her reflections on specific aspects of her teaching, and the video clips provided evidence to support her discussions with her supervisor.

Research indicates that a proportion of elementary teachers are not comfortable teaching science to young children. These teachers are unaware of the best methods of approaching science and don't have the science background knowledge to support teaching through inquiry methods. This case study explores the role educative curriculum materials play in supporting pre-service early childhood education teachers' knowledge with science content and teaching practices. Specifically, I examine how educative materials impact pre-service teacher's content knowledge in science and their pedagogical content knowledge related to inquiry methods. Three pre-service early childhood teachers participated in this research. The teachers were initially interviewed about teaching science based upon three instruments: Views of Science Inquiry, Views of the Nature of Science and the Science Teachers Efficacy Beliefs Inventory. Each subject was observed teaching science in their internship site: the first lessons taught were guided or approved by their teachers and the next lessons were conducted using the support of educative curriculum materials. Finally, the initial instruments were once again administered along with an interview to obtain changes in teacher's knowledge, beliefs and understandings of science and science teaching. Results from this research indicate that educative curriculum was supportive of teachers in a variety of ways. Most importantly, this curriculum helped teachers to target more aspects of scientific inquiry during their science lessons than lessons without the use of educative curriculum. The important considerations regarding the effectiveness of the educative curriculum for these pre-service teachers were their underlying beliefs about how science should be taught, their uses of the curriculum materials and reflective practices regarding their own teaching. Results specifically related to early childhood educators include the level of inquiry implemented with young children and how children communicate their findings. Young children need support in their participation of inquiry learning. Successful implementation of guided inquiry practices occurred in this research. Also, the teachers in this research found insightful ways that directly supported young children in their communication of ideas. Implications for further research are also discussed. Educative materials could further support pre-service early childhood teachers if additional supports were used including accessible curricular rationales, support in classroom management and the specific use of guided inquiry.