scholarly journals Preservice teachers’ perceptions of science integration into secondary agriculture classrooms

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Nathan Conner ◽  
Christopher Stripling ◽  
Jamie Loizzo

After completing a 40-hour field experience course, 26 preservice teachers participated in interviews about their experiences observing science integration in secondary agriculture classrooms. Based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, researchers analyzed interview transcripts for preservice teachers’ descriptions of perceived preparedness to integrate science into agricultural education programs based on personal, environmental, and behavioral determinants. Findings indicated the integration of science concepts were reliant upon participants’ perceived integration ability, importance of science knowledge, consequences of science integration, application of hands-on learning, practical application of science in agriculture, and the influence of colleague collaboration on the learning environment. From their observations, preservice teachers cited specific instances of academic science concepts relating to agriculture, which they perceived as an applied science. While natural ties to biology and chemistry appeared in classroom lessons, preservice teachers held a belief that agricultural education is a unique practical context for learning and integration of science, but too much science integration is seen as a threat to agricultural education. Many preservice teachers noted the environment surrounding their future agricultural classrooms will play a large role in how they integrate science. Future research should further investigate how behavioral, personal, and environmental factors influence science integration.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanmei Dong ◽  
Pekka Mertala

This study reports Chinese preservice teachers’ perceptions of appropriate technology use in early childhood education (ECE). China provides an interesting but understudied research context as research into technology use in the early years is western‐centric and the contemporary Chinese ECE is characterized as a hybrid combining traditional Chinese values and Western influences which differ from each other in a rather fundamental manner. Interpretive analysis of qualitative interviews with eight purposefully selected preservice teachers revealed three intertwining determinants as appropriate technology use: objective, time and context. Both, Chinese cultural traditions and Western educational ideas were evident in shaping the participants’ perceptions of appropriate technology use, with the former being the major influence in restraining the preservice teachers’ vision and understanding of technology integration. Implications for teacher education, educational policies and future research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Dale H. Schunk ◽  
Ellen L. Usher

Social cognitive theory is a theory of human behavior that emphasizes learning from the social environment. This chapter focuses on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which postulates reciprocal interactions among personal, behavioral, and social/environmental factors. Persons use various vicarious, symbolic, and self-regulatory processes as they strive to develop a sense of agency in their lives. Key motivational processes are goals and self-evaluations of progress, outcome expectations, values, social comparisons, and self-efficacy. People set goals and evaluate their goal progress. The perception of progress sustains self-efficacy and motivation. Individuals act in accordance with their values and strive for outcomes they desire. Social comparisons with others provide further information on their learning and goal attainment. Self-efficacy is a critical influence on motivation and affects task choices, effort, persistence, and achievement. Recommendations are made for future research.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002248712093954
Author(s):  
Karl W. Kosko ◽  
Richard E. Ferdig ◽  
Maryam Zolfaghari

Use of video as a representation of practice in teacher education is commonplace. The current study explored the use of a new format (360 video) in the context of preservice teachers’ professional noticing. Findings suggest that preservice teachers viewing 360 videos attended to more student actions than their peers viewing standard video. In addition, using a virtual reality headset to view the 360 videos led to different patterns in where preservice teachers looked in the recorded classroom, and to increased specificity of mathematics content from the scenario. Thus, findings and results support the use of 360 video in teacher education to facilitate teacher noticing. However, future research is needed to further explore this novel technology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-77
Author(s):  
Erin Hurley ◽  
Timo Dietrich ◽  
Sharyn Rundle-Thiele

Co-design empowers people, giving them a voice in social marketing program design; however, approaches have mostly excluded expert knowledge. An abductive approach to co-design allows for inclusion of expert knowledge, providing theoretical guidance while simultaneously investigating user views and ideas extending understanding beyond known effective approaches. We use the seven-step co-design framework and outline how an abductive inference can be applied to co-design. Social cognitive theory constructs were integrated into the seven-step co-design process. The abductive approach to co-design was tested in two co-design sessions involving 40 participants. Findings demonstrate that theory can be successfully integrated into the seven-step co-design process through utilization of theory-mapped activity cards. This article provides guidance on how theory can be incorporated into ideation and insight generation. Limitations and future research recommendations are provided.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Potter

The purpose of this pretest-posttest study was to investigate elementary preservice teachers’ perceptions of and level of comfort with music in the elementary classroom after enrolling in an online music integration course. Participants were preservice elementary teachers ( N = 93) enrolled in three sections of an online music integration course at a large university in Southern California. Results showed significant differences in participants’ agreement with aspects of music teaching, comfort with music, and music integration. Findings also indicated significant differences in participants’ rankings of musical outcomes in an elementary setting. There were no significant differences found among participants’ ranking of music and other subjects in the elementary classroom.


2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Michael A. Gottfried ◽  
J. Jacob Kirksey ◽  
Ethan Hutt

Background Though policy makers are beginning to hold schools accountable for reducing chronic absenteeism, little attention has been paid to the role of teachers. No known study has examined whether rising cohorts of new teachers feel prepared to address this challenge. This is particularly problematic given that teachers with less experience tend to be less efficacious at reducing students’ absences. Research Questions (1) Do newly graduating teachers feel as if they have sufficient knowledge about chronic absenteeism? (2) Do newly graduating teachers feel prepared to address absenteeism? (3) Do these perceptions differ by elementary versus secondary preservice graduates? Subjects Our study collected survey data from the 2017–2018 graduating cohort of general education teacher candidates from a statewide university system in California. This system prepares, on average, 800 teaching candidates a year, and all general education candidates participate in teacher licensure. We surveyed the teaching candidates in the 2017–2018 graduating cohort from these campuses and had a response rate of 60%. Survey measures included teacher background data and perceptions of the effectiveness of their preparation programs, knowledge of absenteeism, and perceived ability to address absenteeism. Research Design We began with a baseline model in which our outcome measures (knowledge and ability to address absenteeism) were regressed on teachers’ background characteristics and perceptions of the efficacy of their preparation programs. We augmented this model by including university fixed effects, such that we only explore variation within program rather than across universities. Results Our findings suggest that preservice teachers who found their programs to be helpful, who felt supported by supervisors, and who found usefulness in their field placements also felt as though they had greater knowledge about chronic absenteeism and how to address it. The results were differentiated by elementary versus secondary candidates. Conclusions Given our students’ extreme rate of missing school days, it is of immediate importance to determine if we are preparing our nation's newest teachers to help address the current crisis. Our study fills this gap by looking at the influence that teacher education programs (specifically teacher licensure requirements) might have in contributing to teachers’ perceptions of being prepared to graduate and attend to attendance.


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