Section archive - Preservice Teachers

The current study examined perceptions of future teachers as to the degree to which their teacher preparation program emphasized the idea of stewarding schools. In addition this article outlines specific emerging aspects of the stewardship construct that can be integrated into teacher education curricula. With a theoretical foundation that initial teacher preparation provides the foundation for teacher beliefs and practices, gaining insight how teacher preparation emphasizes the stewardship of schools provides a better understanding of the current milieu in schools.

This article has tried to describe the general perceptions of student teachers regarding four major dimensions of their teaching practice: (i) learning and supervision; (ii) professional and institutional socialisation; (iii) emotional and physical impact; and (iv) career aspects. The findings reveal that the participants perceive teaching practice is perceived as a particularly stressful and demanding period, which involves considerable amounts of distress, changes in psycho-physiological patterns and an increasing sense of weariness and ‘vulnerability’. Despite these difficulties, data also reveal student teachers’ positive perceptions regarding their growing knowledge and skilfulness, their increasing sense of efficacy, flexibility and spontaneity in their performance and interactions, as well as the awareness of having achieved reasonable levels of acceptance and recognition amongst the school community.

This research inquires into the values held by the students of the Free Teacher Education (FTE) program which piloted in the top normal universities in China. This study is based on in-depth interviews with 19 students enrolled in the FTE program. The findings exhibit a value conflict between the students’ educational purposes and the goals of the FTE program. While the program aims at educational equality, the majority of the respondents are driven to join the program and to make their career choices primarily by the goal of upward social mobility.

This study examines student teacher’s perceptions of the causes and levels of stress during the student teaching practicum for students in the Concurrent Bachelor of Education Program at Laurentian University. The findings reveal that the students indicated a moderate to low level of stress during their practicums. Lesson planning was identified as the greatest cause of stress for student teachers because of its time-consuming nature. The author argues that the prepracticum experiences of these student teachers may have lessened the stress levels reported during the practicum.