Section archive - Preservice Teachers

This research study explored student teachers’ perceptions of rural teaching from a qualitative research paradigm. The findings revealed that the participants failed to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the uniqueness and consequences of teaching in a rural area. For some of the participants, the rural teaching offered a unique opportunity for the realization of an idealistic mission for their country. However, other participants were particularly fearful of adjusting to an unfamiliar rural context.

The present study reports the impact of different cultural values on the teacher education of Chinese teacher trainees. The findings have implications for teacher educators working with trainees from different cultural backgrounds, since there is a need to improve cross-cultural competence to avoid culture bumps and lead to a more effective TP review pedagogy.

The study outlined in this article used the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) to explore the views of scientists held by preservice students in science methods classes at both the elementary and secondary levels. The findings revealed that the students with greater previous science experience at both the secondary and post-secondary level would create visual representations of scientist that were significantly less stereotypical than representations created by students with lesser previous science experience. However, results indicated statistically significant differences in stereotypical components of representations of scientists depending on preservice teachers’ program and previous science experiences.

In this article, the authors focus on the coexisting discourses of academic achievement circulating within in the participants’ teaching credential preparation experience. Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ transcripts revealed the presence of two separate, distinct discourses, both of which shared the name academic achievement. The first notion, called “academic progress”, reflects a developmental viewpoint. In this perspective, students are understood to have experienced academic achievement when they demonstrate levels of skill and knowledge more advanced than they held previously. The second notion, called “academic success”, reflects a mastery orientation. In this perspective, students are understood to be achieving academically when they master the knowledge and skills designated for their grade level at an appropriate pace.