Using Video of Peer Teaching to Examine Grades 6–12 Preservice Teachers’ Noticing

Teachers often claim that they learn more from teaching experience than from course work. In this qualitative study, the author explored the value that six preservice teachers attributed to peer teaching, early field experiences, student teaching, and self-arranged teaching experiences engaged in during their university education. Consistent with Dewey’s theory of experience, as the participants interacted with their teaching experiences, they each created continuity among and derived their own meanings from them. This individualized aspect of learning was enriched as they also experienced the value of learning within a community of educators. Meaningful learning from all types of teaching experience appeared to be fostered by a balance between doing (action) and undergoing (reflection), both individually and in community. Dewey’s theory of experience proved useful in illuminating possible reasons for similarities and differences in the teaching experiences that each participant valued.

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An Adapted Measure of Teacher Self-Efficacy for Preservice Teachers: Exploring its Validity Across two Countries

Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie ◽

10.1024/1010-0652/a000125 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 83-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Franziska Pfitzner-Eden ◽

Felicitas Thiel ◽

Jenny Horsley

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

3 Dimensional ◽

Multiple Group ◽

Three Samples ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Teacher Self Efficacy ◽

Dimensional Assessment ◽

Metric Measurement

Teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is an important construct in the prediction of positive student and teacher outcomes. However, problems with its measurement have persisted, often through confounding TSE with other constructs. This research introduces an adapted TSE instrument for preservice teachers, which is closely aligned with self-efficacy experts' recommendations for measuring self-efficacy, and based on a widely used measure of TSE. We provide first evidence of construct validity for this instrument. Participants were 851 preservice teachers in three samples from Germany and New Zealand. Results of the multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses showed a uniform 3-factor solution for all samples, metric measurement invariance, and a consistent and moderate correlation between TSE and a measure of general self-efficacy across all samples. Despite limitations to this study, there is some first evidence that this measure allows for a valid 3-dimensional assessment of TSE in preservice teachers.

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