scholarly journals SELF EFFICACY CHANGES IN COLLABORATIVE COURSE FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PRESERVICE TEACHERS

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88
Author(s):  
Pujaningsih Pujaningsih ◽  
Unik Ambarwati

The number of inclusive schools improves significantly in the last 10 years in Indonesia. However, there is a lack of effort to prepare future teachers so they have inadequate knowledge, skills, and experiences to provide education services for diverse students including students with special needs. This research examines the changes of Indonesian preservice teachers’ self-efficacy belief after being enrolled in a collaborative course that integrates between special education content and elementary education content. This study employed a mixed method approach for the analysis of questionnaire data from 34 preservice teachers and qualitative data of open-ended questions. The findings revealed that after being enrolled in a collaborative course, preservice teachers’ self-efficacy changed significantly (t34 = -2.16; p < .05), especially in efficacy for instructional strategies (t34 = -2.73; p < .05). The qualitative data also supported this finding based on three cases of preservice teachers who have different genders, previous experiences, and attitudes toward students with learning problems. Several recommendations for future collaborative courses and a new direction for the teacher preparation programs are discussed.

Author(s):  
Jamie L. Metsala ◽  
Mary Jane Harkins

Teachers’ self-efficacy and beliefs are important to classroom practices and student success. In this study, the authors examine preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and beliefs related to inclusive education. One hundred seventy-nine preservice teachers enrolled in secondary or elementary education programs participated in this study. Overall, participants in elementary versus secondary programs felt more responsible for students with disabilities and more efficacious with inclusive practices. At the same time, preservice teachers in the secondary program and those in their second (vs. first) year rated themselves higher on negative beliefs about inclusive education and viewed ability as more of a fixed and stable trait. Preservice teachers with a history of reading difficulty had higher teacher self-efficacy than those without this history. The factors examined in this study accounted for about a third of the variance in each of preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for inclusive instructional practices and in their negative beliefs about inclusive education. Epistemological beliefs about ability emerged as a strong predictor of preservice teachers’ negative beliefs about inclusive education. The results from this study are discussed within the context of preparing teachers for the inclusive classroom.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 50-60
Author(s):  
Eric Rubenstein ◽  
James Scott

With the implementation of the supervised agricultural experience (SAE) within school-based agricultural education (SBAE), hands-on learning has changed how students learn in the classroom. SAE programs, a key component of agricultural education, are an example of experiential learning within the SBAE model. The implementation of SAE experiences has been often viewed as difficult for many teachers, and many new agricultural educators struggle with implementing SAE into their classroom instruction. Therefore, this study sought to determine the self-efficacy of preservice agriculture teachers towards the American Association for Agricultural Education-Supervised Agricultural Experience (AAAE) SAE competencies. Results indicated that a majority of preservice teachers considered SAE an important aspect of the SBAE model. However, results indicated that few competencies showed significant differences between pre- and post-completion of the agricultural program, and gender differences did not indicate much significance in self-efficacy. Data indicates that teacher preparation programs have been successful in preparing students to develop, implement, and supervise SAE programs during student teaching. The researchers recommend that further research should examine additional agricultural teacher preparation programs and determine the self-efficacy of cooperating teachers in the classroom.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Erickson ◽  
Kerry A. Dunne ◽  
Christopher C. Martell

PurposeThis article presents the social studies practices continuum, which is a tool that supports social studies teachers in implementing inquiry-based practices in their classrooms. It was designed by the authors based on similar instruments found in science education and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies Standards.Design/methodology/approachThe article describes the instrument's creation and describes its use with preservice teachers in teacher preparation programs, inservice teachers during district-based professional development.FindingsThe continuum has been used as a reflective tool for teachers and curriculum developers, and as a tool for instructional coaches and administrators to improve teaching practices.Originality/valueThis article offers a new tool for teachers and supervisors to use in improving instruction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Candace Figg ◽  
Anjali Khirwadkar ◽  
Shannon Welbourn

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university professors are challenged to re-envision mathematics learning environments for virtual delivery. Those of us teaching in elementary teacher preparation programs are exploring different learning environments that not only promote meaningful learning but also foster positive attitudes about mathematics teaching. One learning environment that has been shown to be effective for introducing preservice teachers to the creative side of mathematics—the mathematics makerspace—promotes computational thinking and pedagogical understandings about teaching mathematics, but the collaborative, hands-on nature of such a learning environment is difficult to simulate in virtual delivery. This article describes the research-based design decisions for the re-envisioned virtual mathematics makerspace.


Author(s):  
Hatice Leblebici ◽  
Azmi Türkan

In this study, teacher candidates’ attitudes, self-efficacy perceptions towards inclusive education, and their situation towards in-class practices were determined. A total of a hundred thirty three pre-service teachers participated in the research voluntarily. The study was designed according to the parallel mixed methods research in which both quantitative and qualitative data (QUAN + QUAL) were used together. As data collection tools, “Attitude Scale towards Inclusive Education”, “Self-Efficacy Scale for Inclusive Education” and “In-class Practice Scale for Inclusive Education” were used. In addition, during the collection of qualitative data, teacher candidates were asked to complete the statement, “In my opinion, inclusive education is like…. because….” To determine their metaphorical perceptions. When the results of the study were examined, teacher candidates, it was determined that the perceptions of self-efficacy towards inclusive education and the concern for personal equipment differ in terms of various variables. In addition, the participants chose the positive metaphors that they produced for inclusive education. Among these metaphors, respect for differences, acceptance of diversity is expressed as coexistence due to the structure of inclusive education that unites society.


Author(s):  
Katie Peterson-Hernandez ◽  
Steven S. Fletcher

This chapter documents the development of critical thinking skills in preservice teachers as they engaged in practicum settings in a teacher education program. Qualitative data helps illustrate the shifts in thinking that correlated with particular experiences in the program. Data is used to illustrate strategies that teacher preparation programs might draw on to help teacher education students develop critical thinking skills related to pedagogies and practices. The authors conclude by theorizing a relationship between the structure and strategies employed within a literacy methods course and the expansion of preservice teachers understanding of literacy, teaching, and learning.


1997 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Delany-Barmann ◽  
Greg Prater ◽  
Sam Minner

Twelve Navajo preservice teachers in the Rural Special Education Project on the Navajo Nation in Kayenta, Arizona, shared their perceptions regarding the factors which enabled them and constrained them as they completed a special education teacher preparation program. Several themes emerged during the process of interviewing the students including the importance of cultural teachings and family support; the influence of language factors, financial constraints, and cultural responsibilities; and the lack of availability of educational opportunities on the Navajo Nation. Each of these factors is discussed in this article and recommendations are made for others interested in establishing successful teacher preparation programs for Native American students.


2020 ◽  
pp. 016264342091833
Author(s):  
Beth A. Jones ◽  
Maria Peterson-Ahmad ◽  
Melanie Fields ◽  
Nichole Williams

Understanding how to appropriately choose, implement, and utilize assistive technology (AT) for students on an individualized education program (IEP) is imperative to success within a school setting and has been shown to improve with preservice teachers’ (PST) training. This study investigated the impact that a training session in which PST were exposed to a variety of AT devices/software in one university’s AT lab and given direct instruction in the Student Environment Tasks Tools (SETT) framework for selecting appropriate AT by working through a training case study would have on PST knowledge of AT and its selection. Sixty-eight PST participated in this study, and the results demonstrate that the training increased their ability to name specific AT items on a presurvey ( M = 3.56, SD = 14.88) compared to the postsurvey ( M = 9.57, SD = 25.14). The increase of number of devices and software named pre- and postsurvey was significantly greater than chance, t(67) = −7.64, p < .01). Most notably, participants could name the components of SETT on the postsurvey (94.12%) and apply the SETT framework to a hypothetical student, improving the quality and quantity of recommendations for the student. This study provides further evidence for inclusion of AT in teacher preparation programs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Scheer ◽  
Markus Scholz ◽  
Astrid Rank ◽  
Christian Donie

This survey aims to investigate the beliefs and self-efficacy of preservice teachers in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, concerning inclusive education. There were 491 people who participated in the study. The future teachers responded to a slightly modified questionnaire by Kopp (2009) using case descriptions of pupils with different educational needs to assess attitudes toward inclusion and self-efficacy in inclusive classroom settings. Results show a general effect of the intended type of school on inclusive beliefs and self-efficacy with significant differences between future teachers. Preservice teachers for special needs school rated highest in inclusive beliefs, and self-efficacy secondary school teachers and academic high school teachers lowest. The intended profession also plays a role in rating the readiness for inclusion of the presented case examples. In the eyes of future teachers, children with intellectual disabilities and complex special needs should be educated in special needs schools.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Thuthukile Jita ◽  
Paul Nwati Munje

Mentor teachers are instrumental in teacher preparation programs during the teaching practice of preservice teachers that involves mentor-mentee relationships. This qualitative paper reports on the mentoring experiences of preservice teachers during eight weeks of teaching practice in 2020 using Gibbs’ experimental learning as a conceptual framework. Forty-five preservice teachers participated in a reflective exercise, sharing their stories through reflective essays guided by open-ended questions. A thematic approach was used in data analysis. Findings indicated that mentors’ experiences and personal characteristics, and abilities to create opportunities for growth influenced the preservice teachers’ experiences during teaching practice. The mentees’ perceptions toward mentor-mentee relationships also influenced their experience. Based on the findings, it is important to upskill mentors to equip them with professional and mentorship ethics to enable preservice teachers to acquire the requisite skills that will better prepare them as future professional teachers. The findings of this study can be useful in the process of developing professional development of mentors prior to teaching practice.


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