This thesis reports research which employed quantitative data collection methods to investigate pre-service teacher perceptions of extended practicum learning environments of pre-service teachers at a Catholic university and their self-efficacy for future teaching. By drawing on learning environment research, practicum in teacher education literature, student teacher practicum evaluation data and stakeholder perceptions of dimensions of the ACU extended practicum learning environment, an instrument, a 72-item questionnaire, the Extended Practicum Learning Environment Inventory (EPLEI) was developed and validated. To establish relationships between student teacher perceptions of the extended practicum learning environment and their self-efficacy for future teaching, a Student Teacher Efficacy Instrument (STEI) was also developed. Data were collected from student teachers using the EPLEI and the STEI. In 2001, the total sample consisted of 64 students. Recognising that there are a number of dimensions to the learning environments of the extended practicum and to assess differences in student teacher and supervising teacher perceptions of the same extended practicum learning environment, supervising teachers responded to an analogous form of the EPLEI. In 2002, the sample consisted of 57 student teachers and their supervising teachers. Statistical analyses were performed on the quantitative data and revealed some statistically significant differences in the way student teachers and supervising teachers perceive the same environment. Statistical analyses also revealed significant differences in student teachers perceptions of extended practicum environments in relation to school type. Student teachers who participated in the extended practicum in Catholic schools perceived the learning environments more positively than student teachers in State and Other Christian schools. The analyses revealed significant associations between student teacher perceptions of the extended practicum learning environments and their self-efficacy for future teaching. This research clearly demonstrates that extended practicum experiences of student teachers at a Catholic university are affected by features at both classroom and school levels

This thesis explores the relationships between pre-service teacher training, peace education, anti-racism education, gender equity education and conflict resolution. Specifically, this study investigates the mandatory School and Society course within the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, to explore peace education training within the pre-service teacher education program. The methodology employed involves the combination of a curriculum analysis and reflective case study; both are utilized to illustrate the author’s experiences as a pre-service student, and the training received during this program. The findings illustrate that components of a peace education curriculum are observable in the Initial Teacher Education program. There is however, no formal requirement for delivering peace education within the program. As a result, this thesis offers recommendations for the development of formal peace education training in OISE/UT’s pre-service program.

The major purpose of this study is to explore the pre-service teacher in teaching practicum courses of preservice mentoring process. This study investigated a mentoring program to fifteen Chinese course pre-service training teachers at National Sun Yat-Sen University. It was based on scaffolding, reflective practice, and peer coaching that included series of the mentoring, modeling, practicing, reflecting and discussing activities. We analyzed whether the scaffolding strategies of this program in different stages was helpful to increase pre-service teachers¡¦ reflective and critical abilities of teaching. The program included of many activities in the¡urealization and clarification¡v,¡ucatching and reconstruction¡v and ¡upractice and reflection¡vstages, such as realizing and clarifying personal principles of teaching, experienced and intern teachers¡¦ interviews, the experienced teachers¡¦ teaching demonstration, developing the lesson plans, micro-teaching and teaching practices . Moreover, the issues about courses were also discussed on the internet. Document analysis and surveys were used to investigate the mentoring process, including pre-service teachers¡¦ works, discussion, and studying surveys. This study showed that all pre-service teachers affirmed that the mentoring program was helpful for them to realize, clarify, and even to reconstruct their principles of teaching. Besides, they also realized the current situations in the school. The findings also revealed that the pre-service teachers reconstructed their thinking of teaching, perceived the questions of teaching and changed their behavior of teaching by discussion, feedback, and resources sharing. Although the pre-service teachers perceived this program as helpful, this program was lack of scope and profundity in combining the theory and practice of teaching. This study suggested that more strategies promoted the pre-service teachers¡¦ reflective practice, such as estimating the pre-service teachers¡¦ teaching scheme, organizing a group of mentors and effective scaffolding. The study concluded with some recommendations for the teaching practicum courses of teacher¡¦s education and teaching practical training system.

This study explores one aspect of the professional preparation of students graduating from teacher education institutions. A case study of one of the University of Canterbury College of Education’s initial teacher education programmes (the BTchLn (Primary) qualification) is the focus for this study. The purpose of the study is to illustrate what school employers from the Canterbury region, and BTchLn (Primary) graduates and teacher educators from the University of Canterbury, consider as important practices when preparing graduating-year students for the beginning-teacher employment process. This study addresses the lack of systematic research into the employment of beginning teachers within a New Zealand setting. The study employs a case study approach and involves two stages of data gathering. Quantitative data is collected in Stage One to identify potential participants for the case study. More substantive qualitative data are collected in Stage Two through semi-structured interviews conducted with samples of school principals, graduates and initial teacher education lecturers from the Canterbury region. The findings suggest that the decentralised system of employment in operation in New Zealand has made the employment process complex for teachers entering the profession because schools have developed their own individual practices and preferences in the employment-related area and advertise their beginning-teacher positions while students are still completing their programme of study. The findings also suggest that lecturers at the University of Canterbury perform an important and valued function when they prepare their graduating-year students for employment, although there are both strengths and weaknesses in their current employment-related programme and practices. This case study will inform course and qualification reviews planned at the University of Canterbury, and will be of interest to other teacher education organisations in New Zealand that prepare their graduating-year students for employment.

The Education Lab is a specialized lab section of an Earth and Ocean Sciences introductory Geology lab that is geared towards teacher education candidates and uses a constructivist approach through the model of E-D-U (Explore, Discuss, Understand). The EOS120 Education Lab was started in 2005 by David Blades and Eileen Van der Flier-Keller and continues to the present. The goal of this study was to assess the lingering effects, if any, of the Education Lab on the pedagogy of those participants that had continued through their teacher education. Qualitative analysis shows that the lab has had a lasting impact on the participants of this study, including the use of hands-on inquiry and constructivist principles in their pedagogy as well as an increase in participant interest and positive attitudes towards Earth Science and science in general. / Graduate

This thesis explores the relationships between pre-service teacher training, peace education, anti-racism education, gender equity education and conflict resolution. Specifically, this study investigates the mandatory School and Society course within the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, to explore peace education training within the pre-service teacher education program. The methodology employed involves the combination of a curriculum analysis and reflective case study; both are utilized to illustrate the author’s experiences as a pre-service student, and the training received during this program. The findings illustrate that components of a peace education curriculum are observable in the Initial Teacher Education program. There is however, no formal requirement for delivering peace education within the program. As a result, this thesis offers recommendations for the development of formal peace education training in OISE/UT’s pre-service program.

It has been argued that teachers do not always teach in the ways their teacher education programs promoted. One cause of this problem has to do with teachers' conceptions about mathematics and ability being incompatible with the visions of mathematics that teacher educators promote. For example, teacher educators may emphasize the need for conceptual understanding but a teacher who equates understanding with being correct and fast will enact this goal differently from someone who expects students to be able to explain and communicate their understanding. The way a teacher understands what it means to do mathematics and be good at mathematics will influence their future teaching. Furthermore, the messages teachers send to their students about who they are as mathematical learners are full of messages about what it means to do and be good at mathematics. Additionally, these messages can have a long-term impact on how those students view themselves and the decisions they make for their future. This study uses qualitative methods to better understand pre-service teacher (PST) talk, how their talk relates, and how their talk changes over time. I describe PST talk as it relates to mathematics (M), ability (A), and themselves as mathematical learners (P) (the three components of the MAP framework). This study took place with the PSTs in two sections of a mathematical content course for elementary school teachers taught by the researcher. First, using grounded theory, I developed codes to understand how these PSTs talked in regards to the three components and applied these codes to written reflections at the beginning and end of our course. After analyzing the data I selected and interviewed 14 PSTs one year after our course. Again, I applied the same codes to their talk in the interview to see how their talk continued to change. Select interview PSTs were then chosen to represent common and uncommon examples of PST talk. Findings from this study show that talk across the MAP framework was related and that this talk became more standards-aligned by the end of the content course. However, the findings also provide a much more nuanced insight into different relationships and changes in talk. One finding shows that when variations in PST talk existed between framework components it was most commonly due to PSTs talking about mathematics in a more traditional way than when they talked about ability or themselves as mathematical learners. Another finding shows that during the interviews (one year after our course) PSTs continued to talk about themselves and abilities in mostly standards-aligned ways but reverted towards more traditional talk when discussing mathematics and how someone demonstrates their mathematical understanding. These findings have important implications for future research and for teacher educators. First, the relationships between the components of the MAP framework suggest that addressing PSTs conceptions of mathematics and their conceptions of ability may affect how they talk about individuals as mathematical learners. Second, the findings show which aspects in the MAP framework PSTs more readily talk about in standards-aligned ways. This provides insights into which areas teacher educators may want to emphasize more in trying to promote changes in PST talk. Lastly, these findings also show which aspects of PST talk maintain over a longer time frame and which aspects need a greater sustained emphasis. All of this is necessary as we support PSTs to think and talk about mathematics and mathematical abilities in standards-aligned ways that are truly supportive of all students.

The rapid growth of technology undoubtedly has an impact on the education system and on the way knowledge is imparted to students. Teachers need to have sufficient knowledge and skills to integrate technology in a lesson. A challenge which pre-service teachers face is not having sufficient knowledge and skills to integrate technology in their teaching practice. This is due to their lack of exposure to electronic resources as well as skills and opportunities to experiment hands-on with educational technology. This study is a module analysis, regarding the preparation of pre-service teachers’ for educational technology integration in their teaching practice, at a university. Data was collected through an open ended survey which students had to answer based on their experiences of the module as well as a focus group interview conducted with the lecturers of the module regarding the management of the module. The study is based on the model, Synthesis of Qualitative Data: Preparing pre-service teachers for technology use, utilising the proposals of Jo Tondeur and Johan van Braak. The model states the various factors which need to be taken into consideration when designing a training plan for preparing pre-service teachers for technology use in the classroom. These factors include authentic experience, feedback, role model, reflection, instructional design, collaboration, training staff, access to resources, technology planning and leadership and cooperation within/between institutions. Each of these factors was reviewed, and premises were identified. The results demonstrated that for these factors to be successful, the premises need to be considered. The premises include teaching strategies, peer assessment, resources available, student learning, lifelong learners, technology challenges and learning about technology integration among others. The themes of the conceptual framework paired with the premises were utilized to establish guidelines. These guidelines were be split into two sections, namely; planning a module and preparing preservice teachers for technology use. These guidelines may be adapted to apply to other modules. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

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This research study examined the most salient experiences that facilitated the multicultural understanding, development, and practices of effective teachers of diverse students. Field notes collected during four months of participant observation in addition to teacher and student interviews provided the data for this study. Critical race theory was used as a framework for exploring the factors influencing the teachers' educational philosophies and pedagogical practices. The data for this study were analyzed according to emerging themes, depicting each teacher's background experiences, instructional philosophies and practices, and their recommendations for pre-service teacher teacher education. The following themes emerged from the data analysis and interpretations: (1) Teachers' background experiences provoked an awareness of societal influences on race; (2) Teachers' understanding of the sociocultural factors of race influenced their pedagogical decisions; (3) Teachers' critical awareness promoted a comprehensive view of students and their behaviors. The implications from this study suggest that opportunities to critically examine society promote an understanding of how societal messages both implicit and explicit influence thinking which in turn affects how teachers and students participate in the process of "schooling." / Ph. D.