10. Teacher Education Research
Paper
Teacher Training for Sustainable Development: Knowledge, Competencies and Educational Experiences of Higher Education Students
Diego Gavilán Martín, Gladys Merma-Molina, Mayra Urrea-Solano, María José Hernández-Amorós
University of Alicante, Spain
Presenting Author: Gavilán Martín, Diego;
Merma-Molina, Gladys
Quality education is crucial to improving the lives of citizens and fostering sustainable development (Annan-Diab & Molinari, 2017; Leal-Filho et al., 2019). Experts agree that one of the cornerstones of this education is the teacher.
Currently, teacher education in Spain faces several challenges. One of them is to promote professional training to the characteristics and needs of 21st-century society. In this sense, experts agree that to solve global problems such as poverty, inequalities and environmental degradation; teachers must have specific skills, such as systems thinking, anticipatory, normative, strategic, collaborative, critical thinking, self-awareness and problem-solving skills (Bautista-Cerro & Díaz, 2017; Filho & Dahms, 2018; Merma-Molina et al., 2022; UNESCO, 2017). Therefore, from a holistic approach, Brandt and co-workers (2019) assess the development of competencies of student teachers for Sustainable Development. They show the importance of pedagogical knowledge, motivation and changes in beliefs and attitudes and call for learning models that facilitate authentic, real-world encounters and problem-oriented tasks. Furthermore, Timmand and Barth (2021) and Solís-Espallargas et al. (2019) have referred that teachers, to contribute to sustainability, must promote change both at the micro level, i.e. in the classroom and school, and at the macro level, i.e. in society.
Based on the above, it is possible to state that incorporating Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into initial teacher education requires a new pedagogical approach and the redesign of curricula. In this regard, experts have a broad consensus that education for sustainability requires active, participatory and experiential learning methods that engage the learner and promote understanding, complex thinking and the ability to act (UNESCO, 2017). Such methods include role-plays and simulations, group discussions and dialogues, stimulus activities, debates, critical incidents, case studies, reflective storytelling, personal development planning, critical reading and writing, problem-based learning and fieldwork. To this list can be added vision, research, proactivity, values and action research. For their part, it is crucial that teacher curricula: (1) systematically and regularly include the eight critical competencies for sustainability, (2) strengthen the link between university and school to develop immersion experiences for future teachers to put these competencies into practice, and (3) use innovative and context-specific pedagogical approaches (Chinedu et al., 2018).
Within this framework of considerations, the objectives of the study were:
- To identify the sustainability-related competencies of students studying undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Education in Spain.
- To identify their basic knowledge of sustainable development.
- To inquire about the type of sustainability training they have received.
- To find out their opinions on the usefulness of the SDGs in their personal and professional lives.
In order to guide the study, the following questions were asked: What SDG-related competencies do students have, what is their knowledge of basic sustainable development terminology, what are their educational experiences on sustainability, and how do they perceive the usefulness of the SDGs in their personal and professional lives?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn order to achieve the objectives set out, a quantitative methodological approach and a non-experimental design were adopted. The study was descriptive and exploratory. A total of 586 university students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Alicante (Spain) participated. The sample selection procedure was non-probabilistic, using random sampling (Mayorga & Ruiz, 2002). 72.3% of the students ranged between 18 and 25 years, 17.9% between 26 and 33 years, 6% between 34 and 41 years, 3.4% between 42 and 49 years and 0.5% were over 50 years old. Most of the participants were studying for a degree in Early Childhood Education (30.45), a degree in Physical Activity Sciences (23.3%) and a Master's degree in Secondary Education Teaching (27.7%).
This instrument aims to identify the sustainability-related competencies of teachers and the education and training they have received in this regard. The data was collected using the questionnaire on competencies and integration of the SDGs in teacher training (CISODS-FD). The questionnaire has five dimensions:
1. SDG knowledge (one qualitative question).
2. Student competencies linked to SDGs (20 quantitative items with values from one to five).
3. Integration of SDGs in initial training (5 quantitative items).
4. Perceptions of the usefulness of the SDGs and relevance of the SDGs in their professional t
training (19 quantitative multiple-choice items).
5. Perceptions of their contribution to the achievement of the SDGs (two questions: a qualitative
question to find out whether the SDGs are relevant to their profession and a quantitative
question to find out whether they consider that they could contribute to achieving the SDGs).
This study discusses the dimensions of competencies, university training experiences in relation to the SDGs and students' perceptions of the SDGs' usefulness.
The quantitative questions were asked on a five-point ordinal rating scale, with one being the lowest and five the highest. Cronbach's alpha statistic was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire. According to this, the instrument has a high-reliability index (α=.929). In order to facilitate its dissemination among students, the questionnaire was developed online using Google Forms. This tool's choice was due to its possibilities for survey administration, such as ease of use, low cost and automatic storage capacity (Sandhya et al., 2020).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe most salient findings show that, in general, students have a mastery of the competencies inherent to their professional profile; for example, positively valuing the diversity of other cultures and races (4.52), and working collaboratively (4.19). However, they have less developed other complex competencies necessary to face current problems, such as being enterprising (3), recognising and understanding relationships, analysing complex systems (3.34), and inferring conclusions (3.42).
Regarding their knowledge of the SDGs, they highlight elements that have already been addressed in Spain for over two decades. Thus, they recognise the significance of gender equality (4.28), and climate change (4.02). However, they need to gain better knowledge about other terms strictly linked to sustainability; for example, Agenda 2030 (2.52). These findings are consistent with the university's inadequate and insufficient training on sustainability, as almost half of the student body (44.7%) stated that they had not received any instruction on the subject. Furthermore, only 3.9% of those who had had training experiences reported that sustainability had been addressed in a cross-cutting manner in a subject, i.e. in the activities, content, and assessment process.
When asked about the usefulness of the SDGs, they pointed out that they contribute to a greater awareness of the most widespread global issues of environmental damage and to a realisation of personal commitment to provide solutions. However, although with a lower presence, it is alarming that 8.4% of participants did not know any use of the SDGs, and 1.4% thought they were not helpful.
In sum, it is concluded that students are not sufficiently educated about sustainability and that the university needs to promote this education adequately. Curricula should systematically and gradually incorporate SDGs and critical competencies in initial and in-service teacher training using sustainability pedagogies (Evans & Ferreira, 2020; Howlett et al., 2016; Rieckmann, 2018; Qablan, 2018).
ReferencesChinedu, C. C., Wan-Mohamed, W. A., & Ogbonnia, A. A. (2018). A systematic review on education for sustainable development: Enhancing TVE teacher training programme. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 10(1), 109-12.
Evans, N., & Ferreira, J. A. (2020). What does the research evidence base tell us about the use and impact of sustainability pedagogies in initial teacher education?. Environmental Education Research, 26(1), 27-42.
Filho, W. L., & Dahms, L.-M. (2018). Incorporating sustainable development issues in teaching practice. En W. Filho (Ed.), Implementing Sustainability in the Curriculum of Universities, World Sustainability Series (pp. 323-330). Springer.
Howlett, C., Ferreira, J. A., & Blomfield, J. (2016). Teaching sustainable development in higher education: building critical, reflective thinkers through an interdisciplinary approach. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 17(3), 305-321.
Leal-Filho, W., Shiel, C., Paço, A., Mifsud, M., Ávila, L. V., ... & Caeiro, S. (2019). Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 232, 285-294.
Mayorga, M. J., & Ruiz, V. M. (2002). Muestreos utilizados en investigación educativa en España. RELIEVE - Revista Electrónica de Investigación y Evaluación Educativa, 8(2), 159–165.
Merma-Molina, G., Gavilán-Martín, D., Baena-Morales, S., & Urrea-Solano, M. (2022). Critical Thinking and Effective Personality in the Framework of Education for Sustainable Development. Education Sciences, 12(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12010028
Qablan, A. (2018). Building capacities of educators and trainers. In A. Leicht, J. Heiss, & W. J. Byun (Eds.), Issues and trends in education for Sustainable Development. Education on the Move (pp. 111-132). UNESCO.
Rieckmann, M. (2018). Learning to transform the world: key competencies in education for sustainable development. In A. Leicht, J. Heiss, & W. J. Byun (Eds.), Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development (pp. 39-59). UNESCO.
Sandhya, S., Koppad, S. H., Kumar, S. A., Dharani, A., Uma, B. V., & Subramanya, K. N. (2020). Adoption of Google Forms for enhancing collaborative stakeholder engagement in higher education. JEET Journal of Engineering Education Transformations, 33, 283–289.
Solís-Espallargas, C., Ruiz-Morales, J., Limón-Domínguez, D., & Valderrama-Hernández, R. (2019). Sustainability in the university: A study of its presence in curricula, teachers and students of education. Sustainability, 11(23), 6620.
Timm, J. M., & Barth, M. (2021). Making education for sustainable development happen in elementary schools: the role of teachers. Environmental Education Research, 27(1), 50-60.
UNESCO (2017). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives. The Global Education 2030 Agenda. UNESCO.
10. Teacher Education Research
Paper
Lessons from a System-Level Health-Check of Initial Teacher Education
Aileen Kennedy1, Mark Carver2, Paul Adams1
1University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom; 2University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
Presenting Author: Kennedy, Aileen;
Carver, Mark
Across and beyond Europe there remains significant pressure to improve the quality of teacher education. Set within a global meta-narrative driven in part by the OECD (2005), the message is that ‘Teachers matter’. This meta-narrative, played out in an increasingly neo-liberal context, has led governments across the globe to focus more keenly on ways of measuring and accounting for the quality of initial teacher education (ITE). In many national contexts, this drive to measure and account for quality, underpinned by what Lewis et al., (2020, p. 737) call ‘alarmist rhetoric’, has often engendered the imposition of simplistic ‘standards-based’ approaches, increasing surveillance of teacher education (in the US, England and Australia in particular (Murray et al., 2019) and a move towards highly regulated and specified content (e.g. the ITT Core Content Framework in England (DfE, 2019)).
It is against this global policy context that the Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education (MQuITE) project emerged in Scotland. At the time of its inception (2017) a ‘crisis narrative’ was beginning to take hold, stemming from a parliamentary review of ITE which concluded that standards of student teachers’ literacy and numeracy needed to be higher. Additionally, it posited that ITE programmes needed to do a better and a more consistent job of supporting student teachers to work with pupils with additional support needs (ASN) (Scottish Parliament, 2017). At the same time, the Scottish Government was holding education to account via its ‘National Improvement Framework’, and there emerged a need for greater evidence of quality in ITE across the Scottish system. The MQuITE project was established to support this evidential drive. Running for six years from January 2017 to December 2022, funded by Scottish Government, and supported by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), MQuITE included investigators from all 11 Scottish ITE providers. This collaborative venture provided a unique opportunity for teacher educators to ‘speak back to narratives of crisis’ (Churchward & Willis, 2019, p. 260).
The project had two key questions:
- How can quality in ITE be measured in a Scottish, context appropriate way?
- What does this measuring tell us about aspects of quality across different ITE routes in Scotland?
Following an extensive literature review (Rauschenberger, Adams & Kennedy, 2017), the project team developed a contextually appropriate framework (Kennedy et al., 2021) which acknowledged the need to interpret Scottish political, cultural, social and educational contexts within global meta-narratives. This meant eschewing performative, top-down, imposed, and narrow measurements of individual teachers and programmes, instead proposing a nuanced framework containing a number of different ways to identify quality.
Importantly, the project sought to identify system-level quality, rather than measure individual programmes or providers which might potentially create divisive league tables of provision. We approached the project through a ‘vernacular globalisation’ lens, sensitive and sympathetic to local policy and culture (see Kennedy et al. 2021). The project was thus oriented as a research and development opportunity, rather than purely as a means to gather empirical data in a de-contextualised way.
This paper looks at the outcome of that system-level health-check, in terms of both substantive and procedural learning. We learned lessons not only about the health of ITE in Scotland, but also about how engaging in a project such as MQuITE could enable productive dialogues between and across the range of stakeholders involved in teacher education. Broadly speaking, therefore, this paper answers the question ‘what key learning has emerged from the MQuITE project’, with a view to identifying system-level learning that we anticipate will be of use to other countries seeking to explore the quality of their own ITE systems.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedOur approach was framed, broadly, by a desire to engage explicitly in vernacular globalisation (Appadurai, 1996), that is, to mediate global narratives with due regard to local context. This approach was enacted through the creation of a contextually appropriate framework, based on the work of Feuer et al (2013). This guided the direction for data collection which was primarily through an annual survey of 2018 and 2019 ITE graduates (1551 responses from 572 individuals across the 5 years of data collection). This was supplemented by a survey of school-based (n=229) and university-based (n=150) teacher educators in 2018 and nominal group technique interviews with school leaders and mentors in 2022.
Here we report key findings from analysis of the entire data set. We also report on key learning about the process as charted in the final report to the Scottish Government. This paper includes insight into how we made decisions to adapt and amend the project in line with the ever-changing policy context, and how we consciously (and sometimes unconsciously) impacted on policy and practice as findings emerged. Key here is the belief that across-country research needs to be more than a simple gathering of data: key to development here is the generation and identification of participant learning so that ongoing shifts in the quality of ITE might not simply sit as distant to teacher-educators but is instead embedded in their working and professional lives, developed through ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsAnalysis of the entire dataset suggest that at system-level, ITE in Scotland is in good health. Using the health analogy, the findings point to a need to move from a deficit model of ITE (that is, ITE is ‘unwell’ and in need of treatment) to a health promotion perspective which seeks systemic enhancement and improvement. Despite the 2017 crisis narrative, our research suggests that there are no particular areas of weakness: original political messaging about deficiencies in new teachers’ ability to teach literacy and numeracy have been debunked as levels of competence and confidence in teaching both are high.
Over the five-year survey period, responses stay remarkably similar across graduates’ early careers. In the survey of school-based and university-based teacher educators, we conclude that there’s still work to be done in conceptualising and operationalising effective partnership working. However, despite the range of providers and institutional philosophies in evidence, views on school- and university-based learning suggest much more consistency than we might have assumed.
In process terms, the annual confirmation of funding and associated work-packages facilitated dialogue between the project team and funders. This allowed for ongoing identification of policy and research priorities, and tweaking of data collection tools to ensure maximum relevance in an ever-changing context. Essentially, this was more than a research project; it was very much a research and development project, where impact statements from co-investigators provided evidence of ongoing programme developments and staff learning in individual institutions.
The MQuITE project identifies a need to move away from individualised and institutionalised offerings and evaluations towards systemic operationalisation. The lessons learned from this system-level health-check, both substantive and procedural, as well as the resulting toolkit (available on www.mquite.scot) should be of interest to other national contexts considering engaging in contextually-appropriate measurement of their own ITE systems.
ReferencesAppadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: cultural dimensions of globalization. Minneapolis, MA: University of Minnesota Press.
Churchward, P. & Willis, J. (2019). The pursuit of teacher quality: identifying some of the multiple discourses of quality that impact the work of teacher educators. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 47(3), 251-264, DOI: 10.1080/1359866X.2018.1555792
Department for Education (2019). Initial teacher training Core content framework. Department for Education, UK.
Feuer, M. J., Floden, R. E., Chudowsky, N., and Ahn, J. (2013). Evaluation of teacher preparation programs: Purposes, methods, and policy options. National Academy of Education.
Kennedy, A., Beck, A. & Shanks, R. (2021). ‘Developing a context-appropriate framework for measuring quality in initial teacher education’. Scottish Educational Review, 53(1), 3-25.
Lewis, S., Savage, G.C. & Holloway, J. (2020). Standards without standardisation? Assembling standards-based reforms in Australian and US schooling. Journal of Education Policy, 35(6), 737-764, DOI: 10.1080/02680939.2019.1636140
OECD(2005). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. OECD Publishing.
Murray, J., Swennen, A., Kosnik, C. (2019). International Policy Perspectives on Change in Teacher Education. In: Murray, J., Swennen, A., Kosnik, C. (eds) International Research, Policy and Practice in Teacher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01612-8_1
Rauschenberger, E. Adams, P. & Kennedy, A. (2017). Measuring quality in initial teacher education: A literature review for Scotland’s MQuITE Study. Scottish Council of Deans of Education. Available at www.mquite.scot
Scottish Parliament (2017). Teacher workforce planning for Scotland's schools. Edinburgh: Scottish Parliament.
10. Teacher Education Research
Paper
Factors of Choice of Teaching as a Second Career: Results from a Transnational Project
Daniela Frison1, Donna J. Dawkins2, André Bresges3
1University of Florence, Italy; 2University of Birmingham, UK; 3University of Koeln, Germany
Presenting Author: Frison, Daniela
Nowadays, in the field of Teacher Education, many countries are facing teacher shortages and the problem of recruiting the required number of qualified teachers (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2018). Teacher recruitment together with the ageing teacher population are reported by international literature as serious problems for many educational systems around the world (McInerney, Ganotice, King, Marsh, & Morin, 2015). To deal with this common scenario, countries are looking at developing alternative certification programs (ACPs) to access the teaching profession (Ruitenburg, & Tigchelaar, 2021). Those who seek an alternative fast-track program are often so-called Second-Career Teachers (SCTs): non-teaching professionals joining the classrooms after spending time in different career backgrounds (Castro & Bauml, 2009) and after working within a prior profession unrelated to education (Hunter-Johnson, 2015). Despite some research regarding SCTs, most international literature addresses first-career teachers; there is limited recent research on second-career teachers’ induction processes, professional development, perspectives related to their career transition, and the identification of factors for choosing teaching as a second career (Nielsen, 2016). Although the literature on First-Career Teachers, i.e. those who enter teaching as their first career, is particularly developed also in the pedagogical field (Balduzzi, Del Gobbo, & Perla, 2018), life, working conditions and motivations for choosing the profession are studied above all in the sociology of education and the economics of education without, however, specific references to teaching as a second career (Argentin, 2018; Cavalli & Argentin, 2010). Furthermore, these studies, where present, are limited to the countries that offer alternative pathways for SCTs (Skilbeck & Connell, 2004).
Therefore, the extent of the phenomenon is not clearly defined, neither in its quantitative scale (% of SCTs among the teaching population) nor in its qualitative one, particularly with reference to SCTs’ previous experiences, factors of choice of teaching and challenges related to the transition.
With the aim of exploring the phenomenon, the SecWell Project - Second Career Teachers Well-being: toward non-traditional professional development strategies was funded by the Seed Funding Call 3 launched by the EUniWell - European University of Well-being Universities Alliance, proposed by the University of Florence, Birmingham, and Cologne. SecWell intends to define the state of the art on the topic of lateral entry to the teaching profession focusing on frameworks and strategies of alternative pathways or fast-track programs but also pathways that could be defined as “non-traditional” (e.g. adult students that start or complete an Initial Teacher Education program later in their life and career after previous academic background and/or careers) with a specific focus on the partner countries (England, Germany, and Italy). Furthermore, SecWell intends to identify training and support needs of future SCTs. The purpose is to guide the design of programs that can be offered by Higher Education institutions in the field of teaching and education focused on non-traditional learners studying teaching as a second career.
Specifically, the research questions were formulated as follows: To what extent did the phenomenon of SCT spread within the SecWell countries? What are the choice factors in selecting teaching as a second career?What strategies could support future SCT and in-service SCTs’ well-being (during the ITE phase as well as the induction phase)?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe research design started with a literature overview and a documental analysis based on regulations and reports referred to the partner countries as well as the reference to teaching careers in Europe concerning access, progression, and support (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2018) to define the state of the art of educational research on the topic of “lateral entry” to the teaching profession and reach a first definition of the phenomenon and related factors in choosing teaching as second career, and mapping of non-traditional pathways to the teaching profession with reference to the involved countries.
A Qualitative Research Design was followed to explore the phenomenon starting from the identification of a convenience sample of non-traditional students who intend to approach teaching as a second career and currently working second career teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, addressed to non-traditional students (Italy), students involved in lateral entry programs (Germany and UK), and in-service second-career teachers, identified via a snowball sample technique.
28 students and 27 SCTs (England: Students=8, SCTs=6; Germany: Students=11, SCTs=10; Italy: Students=9, SCTs=11) were involved in the study. Semi-structured interviews explored: motivation toward the change of career and factors in choosing teaching as a second career; the transition phase and the support strategies during the Initial Teacher Education and the induction phases; the recognition of prior knowledge and skills acquired in the first career and identification of skill gaps; professional identity; wellbeing.
The analysis of the 55 transcribed interviews is in progress, employing qualitative data analysis and the research software Atlas.ti. Texts were uploaded into the software as primary documents (PDocs) made up of 3 different Projects (England, Germany, Italy) and two Document Groups per project (Students and SCTs), a sort of container of PDocs, quotations, codes, and code groups. The coding process is in progress through the assignment of codes to the texts and, furthermore, through the aggregation in code groups.
A final discussion table on gathered data will be arranged with a sample of students and SCTs belonging to the involved Universities to discuss the results and formulate recommendations and proposals to be addressed to the HEIs. The executive design of support strategies and actions focused on future second career teachers will followed.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsFrom the analysis of English and Italian students and SCTs, already concluded, a lack of initial acknowledgement of transferable skill and knowledge in the teaching career emerged. The interviews also highlight that the motivation to become a teacher may have been present for some time, but crucial life events and opportunities enabled the transition to becoming SCTs. Both students and SCTs underline that support structures and strategies matter to SCTs particularly in the initial phase of training together with the guidance process at university and support strategies during the induction phase to manage the transition. The most represented code-groups referred to the SCTs background, mentioned by both students and SCTs (with reference to knowledge and skills acquired in the first career), motivation and choice factors.
The paper will present the overview of the results focusing on the three Countries involved.
ReferencesArgentin, G. (2018). Gli insegnanti nella scuola italiana Ricerche e prospettive di intervento. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Balduzzi, L., Del Gobbo, G., & Perla, L. (2018). Working in the school as a complex organization. Theoretical perspectives, models, professionalism for the Secondary School. Form@re - Open Journal Per La Formazione in Rete, 18(2), 1-8.
Castro, A. J., & Bauml, M. (2009). Why now? Factors associated with choosing teaching as a second career and their implications for teacher education programs. Teacher Education Quarterly, 36(3), 113-126.
Cavalli, A., & Argentin, G. (Eds.). (2010). Gli insegnanti italiani: come cambia il modo di fare scuola Terza indagine dell'Istituto IARD sulle condizioni di vita e di lavoro nella scuola italiana. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Chambers, D. (2002). The real world and the classroom: Second career teachers. The Clearinghouse, 75(4), 212–217.
Department for Education. (2021) School workforce in England, Department for Education, England. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england
Department for Education. (2022). Initial teacher training (ITT) Criteria and supporting advice, Department for Education, England. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria/initial-teacher-training-itt-criteria-and-supporting-advice
European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2018. Teaching Careers in Europe: Access, Progression and Support. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2021. Teachers in Europe: Careers, Development and Well-being. Eurydice report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Hazzan, O., Heyd-Metzuyanim, E., Even-Zahav, A., Tal, T., & Dori, Y. J. (2018). STEM Teachers’ SWOT analysis of STEM education: The bureaucratic–professional Conflict. In Application of Management Theories for STEM Education (pp. 1-23). Springer, Cham.
Hunter-Johnson, Y. (2015). Demystifying the mystery of second career teachers' motivation to teach. The Qualitative Report, 20(8), 1359.
Ministry of Interior North Rhine-Westphalia (2016). Verordnung über den Zugang zum nordrhein-westfälischen Vorbereitungsdienst für Lehrämter an Schulen und Voraussetzungen bundesweiter Mobilität (Lehramtszugangsverordnung - LZV) vom 25. April 2016. https://recht.nrw.de/lmi/owa/br_bes_text?sg=0&menu=1&bes_id=34604&aufgehoben=N&anw_nr=2
Nielsen, A. (2016). Second career teachers and (mis) recognitions of professional identities. School Leadership & Management, 36(2), 221-245.
OCDE (2003). Education at a Glance. Paris: OCDE.
Paniagua, A., & S´anchez-Martín, A. (2018). Early career teachers: Pioneers triggering innovation or compliant professionals?. OECD Education Working Papers, 190. https://doi.org/10.1787/19939019
Ruitenburg, S. K., & Tigchelaar, A. E. (2021). Longing for recognition: A literature review of second-career teachers’ induction experiences in secondary education. Educational Research Review, 33, 100389.
Shwartz, G., & Dori, Y. J. (2020). Transition into Teaching: second career teachers’ professional identity. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(11), em1891.
10. Teacher Education Research
Paper
Influences on Career Choices of the Prospective Teachers: The Micro-Agentic Explanation
Inci Ozturk Erkocak
Ankara University, Ankara
Presenting Author: Ozturk Erkocak, Inci
Career choices are shaped by individual factors such as education and family background, as well as external factors such as labour market and the state of the economy. In other words, career choice can be described as a complex game between the individual and the social system (Agarwala, 2008). According to Özbilgin et al. (2005), micro-agentic, meso-institutional, and macro-structural conditions are prominent influences on young individuals’ career choices. At the micro level individual agency, dispositions, and different forms of capital such as economic, social, cultural, and symbolic capital are the key influences of one’s career decision. Forms of capital are the main factors that define the positions and possibilities of the various actors in any field. Economic capital consists of economic possessions that increase the actor’s capacities in the society (Siisiäinen, 2000). Economic capital is directly convertible into money and is related to the property rights of one (Bourdieu, 1986). Social capital is a quality produced by the connections between actors. Voluntary associations, trade unions, and political parties are examples of social capital (Siisiäinen, 2000). In certain conditions, social capital may be converted into economic capital and be institutionalized as a title of nobility (Bourdieu, 1986). Cultural capital is the stock of cultural value embodied in an asset in a tangible (e.g. artworks) or an intangible form (e.g. the set of ideas, practices, beliefs, traditions, and values) which may contribute to the production of future goods and/or services (Throsby, 1999). Objective differences between groups or classes need to be transformed into symbolic differences and classifications that make possible symbolic recognition and distinction. Therefore, symbolic capital is a key factor that enables economic, cultural, and social capital to legitimize. In order words, economic and cultural capital have their modes of existence such as money, exams, and diplomas; whereas symbolic capital exists only in the eyes of other people (Siisiäinen, 2000). The meso level is understood best through the explanation of Bourdieu’s (1990) habitus notion. The notion of habitus is more basically seen as the dispositions that internalize one’s social location and orient one’s actions. For example, some high-end brands have been stuck in the minds of people as bourgeois items with the image of the aristocracy (Noble & Watkins, 2003). At the macro level, structural constraints such as sex, age, and ethnicity inhibit or enhance career choice (Özbilgin, Küskü, & Erdoğmuş, 2005). Briefly, forms of capital and structural constraints are expected to affect the career choices of young individuals. In this regard, teachers play a central role in supporting young people in their efforts to direct their career choices and in influencing their identity (Gushue & Whitson, 2006). When it comes to prospective teachers’ career choices and professional identity, the teacher training process becomes important. The teacher training process provides prospective teachers to reflect on the teaching profession itself, and themselves as teachers in the context of teacher identity (Walkington, 2005).
This research aims to reveal the views of the undergraduates of a faculty of educational sciences regarding career decisions. The inclusion of micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis allows us to read the individual career choice as a negotiated process, which is socially and historically situated. This layered approach to the phenomenon enables us to see the social reality within its complexity. Research on the career choice of candidate teachers from different backgrounds may contribute to their professional integration into the teaching profession and the development of better career counselling. Considering that European countries are faced with immigration, education shareholders are required to manage multicultural education settings and support whole students to navigate their career choices.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn this study, a qualitative research method has been used to examine prospective teachers’ opinions about their career choices, as future teachers, concerning the teaching profession. The purpose of qualitative research is to improve an understanding of the social world through the interpretation of that world by its participants (Neubauer et al., 2019). In this regard, I adopted the phenomenological method, which is a form of qualitative research focusing on the study of individuals’ experiences within their world. The phenomenological design aims to reveal commonalities in how people perceive and interpret similar experiences (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2006). These commonalities are defined as the core of the participants’ experiences, referring to the joint ground of experience among people (Patton, 2002). Within this context, this study aims to reach the core of a range of experiences regarding the career choices of prospective teachers. It is expected that students who have received teacher education should give their opinions and express their lived experiences about their career choices (Yavuz Tabak et al., 2020). For that purpose, I asked them to write about their ideal profession, whether the teaching profession is compatible with the lifestyle they prefer, whether or not they are satisfied with the teaching profession, how they decided to choose the teaching profession, their 5-year career plan, and their probable career barriers. The study group of this research consists of 139 undergraduates who had been studying at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of Ankara University. I reached 139 students in total, 46 undergraduates from Computer and Instructional Technologies program and 93 students from the Primary Education program. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample the participants strategically because of the participants’ relevance to the research questions. According to the purposive sampling technique, particular participants may hold a variety of important views about their thoughts in question (Campbell et al., 2020). Specifically, opportunistic sampling was employed to capitalize on opportunities to collect data from certain individuals in a short time (Bryman, 2014). I developed 10 open-ended questions within Career Decision Questionnaire to gather research data, benefiting from the work of Özbilgin et al. (2005). Descriptive analysis technique was used which includes coding data, finding themes, organizing codes and themes, and identifying and interpreting findings (Wertz, 2011). Trustworthiness strategies were applied to the research to provide a true picture of the phenomenon under scrutiny (Shenton, 2004).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsFindings related to the first theme, an ideal life, show the most frequently expressed answer as a regular life with an income. According to the ideal job theme, the job that makes oneself happy is the ideal job. Answers to the question of whether the teaching profession is compatible with prospective teachers’ lifestyles which they prefer are mostly expressed as compatible because they tend to explain things and teach their proximal environment. The response to the question of whether or not they are satisfied with the teaching profession is that they feel satisfaction with the teaching profession. However, they indicated that if they are not satisfied with the teaching profession one day, they won’t practice it and quit the job. Another notable finding in the fifth theme related to the alternative career plan of prospective teachers’ is to become academic faculty in higher education institutions. The answer to the question of how they decided to choose the profession is based on the modelling of their past teachers. Another notable theme, information resources on their career choice, shows the most frequently expressed answer as both the teachers at high school and the family. According to the 5-year career plan theme, jumping into university as an academic faculty after performing the teaching profession for just a few years is one of the prominent responses. In the ninth theme related to the probable career barrier, the inability to get high scores from Public Personnel Selection Exam is one of the most expressed challenges. Lastly, the matter the prospective teachers are likely to compromise is their social life. In other words, they tend to deprive themselves of their social activities in the pursuit of entering the teaching profession. Overall, the students report micro influences in their career choices rather than meso or macro influences.
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