This study examined the extent to which character education has a place in teacher education programs in Saskatchewan. Teacher educators (faculty and sessional lecturers) from two teacher education programs in Saskatchewan and new teachers (those with five years of teaching experience or less) from two urban school divisions in Saskatchewan were surveyed. The survey explored how participants felt about three facets of character education within teacher education programs: the teaching of character education methodology, the enhancement of pre-service teachers character, and the responsibility for character education. The results showed that both teachers and teacher educators felt that character education should be taught in publicly funded schools (K-12) and that character education methodology should be taught within teacher preparation programs. Survey results showed that even though the majority of participants felt that character education should be taught in public schools and that character education methodology should be taught within teacher education programs, pre-service teachers, for the most part, were not being given instruction in character education.

This study examined the extent to which character education has a place in teacher education programs in Saskatchewan. Teacher educators (faculty and sessional lecturers) from two teacher education programs in Saskatchewan and new teachers (those with five years of teaching experience or less) from two urban school divisions in Saskatchewan were surveyed. The survey explored how participants felt about three facets of character education within teacher education programs: the teaching of character education methodology, the enhancement of pre-service teachers character, and the responsibility for character education. The results showed that both teachers and teacher educators felt that character education should be taught in publicly funded schools (K-12) and that character education methodology should be taught within teacher preparation programs. Survey results showed that even though the majority of participants felt that character education should be taught in public schools and that character education methodology should be taught within teacher education programs, pre-service teachers, for the most part, were not being given instruction in character education.

In the past four decades considerable efforts have been taken by higher education to understand learner’s differences and learning. Learners have different levels of learning ability associated with their different learning motivations, attitudes and thoughts which are built through years of studying at university. The more the researchers understand the learner's differences the better results they will achieve in covering all levels of learning abilities providing the effective learning for learners. The focus of this study is about studying learning thoughts of academic learners which are scientifically called as the epistemological beliefs. Studying the epistemological beliefs from different angles is important to explore its vital role in learning development. The main aim of this study is to investigate the general and specific epistemological beliefs of undergraduates who study information literacy modules as part of information science. The study focuses on the influence of the independent variables (gender, major and academic level) and the interactions between the independent variables and information literacy on undergraduates’ epistemological beliefs. Two questionnaires are used to measure the general and specific epistemological beliefs of the undergraduates; the Schommer Epistemological-Beliefs Questionnaire (SEQ) and the Discipline-Focused Epistemological Belief Questionnaire (DFEBQ). The participants in the study are undergraduates from the College of Education at Kuwait University. SPSS is used to test the internal consistency of the data against the questionnaires. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used in order to analyse the data. The study confirms that undergraduates hold both general and specific-domain beliefs while they hold more general beliefs in their first year in the college they develop toward more specific domain beliefs in the fourth year. A final result shows that the undergraduates specific domain beliefs – rather than their general beliefs – are more affected by the variable of previous knowledge of information literacy, as well as a clear impact of the interaction between the independent variables but is not so clear on the general beliefs.

The demographics of the United States are rapidly changing, resulting in an increasingly diverse student population. Public school personnel must contend with the fact that a large number of students have limited English proficiency. These students deserve a quality education, yet often face impediments within the school system that hinder their academic progress. One means of helping English language learners is to offer bilingual or English as Second Language (ESL) instruction. Indeed, the demand for bilingual/ESL teachers is greater than the current supply. Teacher preparation programs have recognized this fact and have taken actions to increase the number of students attaining bilingual/ESL degrees and/or certifications. This study examines what strategies institutions of higher education in Texas are utilizing to recruit and retain bilingual/ESL teacher candidates. It also considers to what extent these institutions are effectively preparing their students to face linguistic issues in their future classrooms. Finally, the study describes the institutions of higher education in Texas that attract the highest number of bilingual/ESL teacher candidates and identifies the key factors in their successful efforts. The researcher used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to address the research questions. Data was generated via an electronically mailed questionnaire, sent to forty Deans or administrators of teacher preparation programs in Texas that offer bilingual and/or ESL education; thirty five of them responded. Descriptive statistic methods, including frequency counts, percentages, crosstabulation, and logistic regression, were used to analyzed the data. Information obtained from openended questions was checked for the recurrence of common themes. Five administrators at high enrollment institutions participated in follow-up interviews in order to provide more in-depth information. Findings from the study indicated that institutional commitment and funding levels were associated with high enrollments and with higher student scores on state-mandated bilingual and ESL certification exams. Recommendations include: making the programs a priority, expanding recruitment efforts, expanded advertising of programs and establishing university/public school liaisons. Bilingual/ESL student organizations, offering scholarships and financial advising, and establishing student/faculty mentoring programs should be used to assist teacher candidates during their academic careers so that they will be effective teachers when they graduate.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / One in five children in schools today are from immigrant families and speak a language other than English. Research reveals many teachers in urban schools feel inadequately prepared to meet the unique needs of these students. Teachers lack research- based knowledge about culturally relevant teaching and differentiated instructional strategies that benefit all learners. They do not understand issues such as ethnicity, poverty, racism, cultural and linguistic identities, and immigration. Few studies have described the nature of the learning experiences of English Language Learners (ELLs) and immigrants in urban high schools. Using identity, sociocultural, and self-efficacy conceptual frameworks (relevant immigrant pedagogy), this qualitative case study focused on classroom interactions and instructional efforts of two teachers in an English 10 class in an urban high school. The researcher observed class activities, took field notes, interviewed teachers and students, collected instructional planning documents, and photographed student artifacts and interactions. One teacher in the classroom had an English as a Second Language (ESL) certification and extensive professional development to increase her competency as a teacher of immigrants. The other teacher had English Language Arts certification. Findings indicated that relevant immigrant pedagogy was an expansive instructional framework which transformed ELLs and immigrants to grow in their construction of self and identity, self-efficacy, sociocultural consciousness, and academic rigor within a period of five months despite the prescriptive curriculum from vii the district in a restricted environment. The urban teachers displayed skills, zeal, and commitment to building a community of learners of all ability levels in class and bridged the gaps between immigrants and non-immigrants. All students grew together in their learning and socio emotional experiences and became advocates and helpers for one another, not competitors. The conclusions suggest that it is possible to improve the educational programs for immigrant students and English Language Learners through well-developed research-based instruction, and proposes a model for effective urban teacher education.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the observations of elementary school music teachers regarding the level of preparation of their most recent student teachers at the beginning of their student teaching experience. Twenty-seven elementary music teachers participated in a survey rating the preparedness of their student teacher in the areas of personal, teaching, and musical skills, and provided free-response feedback concerning the skills and abilities they observed as strong and weak. These responses were compared to the 1997 research completed by David Teachout, where preservice teachers and experienced teachers were asked to list what they felt were the forty most important skills necessary for success in regard to new music teachers. The results of the survey found a shift in emphasis in personal skills toward skills related to relationship quality with the students. Teaching skills surrounding Classroom Management were considered important but were the weaker of the demonstrated abilities. Musical skills showed the closest alignment between what was considered essential and demonstrated strength. Additional skills, both strong and weak were noted, and implications for the music teacher curriculum was discussed.

Owing to the influx of students with autism to the general education classroom, the role of the educator has drastically changed. Limited training and negative perceptions among teachers of students with autism are concerning. A qualitative case study, based on Bandura's theory of self-efficacy as a conceptual framework, was used to gather information based on the preservice training and personal classroom experiences from 7 general education teachers who were purposefully selected based on their licensure in the state of Ohio and experience in teaching students with autism. Research questions for this study examined the types of training teachers received, perceptions and attitudes regarding the inclusion of students with autism, and classroom strategies used by teachers. Semistructured interviews with open-ended questions were used to guide the interview process. Data were analyzed through reflection, coding, and identifying prevalent themes. Findings indicated that none of the participants initially felt adequately prepared to teach students with autism but attempted to convey positive attitudes and individualize teaching strategies for each child. Based on these findings, an online course regarding students with autism was developed for preservice teachers. Successful project implementation may increase the knowledge base among teacher candidates in research-based teaching strategies that could potentially improve general teacher perceptions and encourage successful inclusion of students with autism