Conference Agenda

Research on teacher education shows that programme quality depends not only on curriculum content, but also on the clarity of programme vision, the coherence of learning experiences, and the extent to which programmes are grounded in practice. A clear and shared vision of good teaching within a programme provides direction for teacher learning, coherence supports alignment across coursework and field experiences, and connections to practice enable student teachers to enact theoretical ideas in classroom contexts (Darling-Hammond et al., 2005; Hammerness, 2014). Without such integration, student teachers often struggle to connect theory and practice and may revert to traditional models of teaching from their own schooling.

Over the past decades, research from the United States and Europe has highlighted that high-quality teacher preparation requires sustained opportunities for practice-based learning that are closely connected to the work of teaching (Ball & Cohen, 1999, Grossman et al., 2009; Jenset et al., 2018). When teacher education is deliberately grounded in practice, student teachers are more likely to enact ambitious instructional practices and support student learning (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Feiman-Nemser, 2001). Conversely, when programmes prioritise reading and discussion about teaching over opportunities to practise and enact teaching, this may limit the extent to which programme visions are realised in classroom practic.

Teacher education in Iceland has undergone substantial reform, including the introduction of a five-year master’s degree, course-based master’s routes, and a paid internship, all intended to strengthen connections between theory and practice. Yet little empirical research has examined how these ambitions are experienced across institutional roles.

The objective of this study is to examine how programme vision and coherence are a enacted in Icelandic teacher education, and how these features shape opportunities to connect theory and practice, from the perspectives of both student teachers and teacher educators. The following questions guided the study:

1. To what degree do student teachers, teacher educators, and programme leaders report clarity of programme vision?
2. To what degree and how do they perceive their programmes as coherent and grounded in practice?

Despite the growing prominence of interdisciplinary education in international debates related to twenty-first-century skills (Scott, 2015; UNESCO, 2022), curriculum structures (Dussel, 2020), and teacher professionalism (McGrath, 2023), research on initial teacher education (ITE) remains fragmented in explaining how future teachers are prepared for interdisciplinary work. While existing studies and reviews have documented benefits, challenges, competences, and curricular approaches associated with interdisciplinarity (Bourke et al., 2022; Tonnetti & Lentillon-Kaestner, 2023; Wang & Sang, 2024), less attention has been paid to the formative mechanisms through which these orientations are produced, mediated, and sustained within teacher education programs. This gap is particularly salient in secondary education, where ITE faces the challenge of preparing future teachers for interdisciplinary work within training contexts shaped by a strongly disciplinary organization of knowledge (Flores, 2016; Bourke et al., 2022). By synthesizing empirical research through a systematic literature review, this study reframes the field by shifting the analytical focus from outcomes and models to the mechanisms that structure interdisciplinary preparation in ITE.

The literature has documented persistent tensions between interdisciplinary goals and existing formative structures. Recent systematic reviews depict that interdisciplinary initiatives frequently encounter obstacles such as teachers’ insecurity when working beyond disciplinary boundaries, difficulties in establishing shared goals, and assessing integrated learning outcomes, and limited opportunities for sustained collaboration across subject areas (Tonnetti & Lentillon-Kaestner, 2023). These challenges are not confined to school contexts, but also emerge within initial teacher education (ITE), where programs often reproduce discipline-centered logics, offering limited integrative experiences and weak orientations toward collaborative work (Imbernón, 2019).

Beyond documenting these challenges, recent reviews have contributed to systematizing different approaches to interdisciplinary education and curriculum integration, albeit with a partial focus on ITE. Tonnetti and Lentillon-Kaestner (2023) primarily examine school-level practices; Bourke et al. (2022) identify integrated curricular approaches within ITE programs; Wang and Sang (2024) synthesize research on teachers’ interdisciplinary competences; and Agudelo Rodríguez et al. (2024) characterize models of integration in STEM teacher education. Taken together, these reviews tend to emphasize outcomes, competences, or models, rather than systematically examining the formative mechanisms through which ITE programs configure opportunities for interdisciplinary preparation. As a result, the field lacks an integrated understanding of how such preparation is produced and mediated within teacher education, limiting both theoretical accumulation and the development of more coherent policy and programmatic responses.

To contribute to this discussion, the question framing this literature review is: What mechanisms have been adopted by initial teacher education programs to prepare future secondary school teachers for interdisciplinary teaching? The concept of mechanism is used here as an analytical category to identify the factors, processes, and conditions that mediate professional teacher learning (Sims et al., 2021). This notion allows ITE to move beyond the description of isolated practices and analyze how these opportunities are configured in specific institutional contexts.

From a theoretical perspective, this review brings together two complementary approaches. On the one hand, it draws on contributions from the field of educational interdisciplinarity, which conceptualize the integration of knowledge as a process that goes beyond thematic juxtaposition and requires the reorganization of disciplinary knowledge for pedagogical and curricular purposes (Klein, 2017). On the other hand, it draws on Bernstein’s theory of pedagogical recontextualization (2000), which conceives ITE as a space where academic knowledge is selected, transformed, and hierarchized in accordance with institutional purposes. This articulation is particularly relevant in contexts where teacher education is shaped by global reform dynamics that reconfigure curricular structures and professional expectations.

The educational landscape has increasingly emphasized inclusive and culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices. The diversity of student populations requires teachers to adopt methods that reflect students’ cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. In this context, self-efficacy is key: teachers’ belief in their ability to influence student outcomes. Outcome expectancy, teachers’ expectations about their teaching, predicts educational success (Bandura, 1997). The link between these two factors may not be direct. Teachers’ readiness to engage in CRT may mediate the relationship between CRT and teacher efficacy. Self-efficacy can influence readiness, which in turn affects outcome expectancy.

Self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to perform a specific task, is essential in shaping teaching practices. Teachers’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE) influences their confidence in classroom management and their ability to apply diverse teaching strategies. Culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy (CRTOE) is closely linked to teachers' beliefs about the outcomes of their efforts. Mediation means CRTSE may first shape a teacher’s readiness (CRTR) to apply CRT. This increased readiness then leads to stronger beliefs in positive student outcomes. Thus, the relationship between CRTSE and CRTOE may be transmitted through CRTR. CRTR reflects a teacher's preparedness to implement CRT practices effectively in diverse classrooms (Gay, 2010).

In the Philippines, the Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 32, series of 2017, established a Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) also stresses gender and cultural awareness in teacher training (CMO #01, s. of 2015). These policies prepare teachers for diverse classrooms.

This study aimed to determine the following: (a) preservice teachers’ CRTSE beliefs, (b) their CRTOE beliefs, (c) their CRTR levels, (d) if significant links exist among CRTR, CRTSE, and CRTOE, and (e) how CRTR mediates the CRTSE-CRTOE relationship.

This research views the self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997) and CRT pedagogy (Gay, 2000). Bandura’s self-efficacy, rooted in social learning theory, is crucial for understanding teacher beliefs (Malo-Juvera et al., 2018). Teacher self-efficacy is the confidence teachers have in their ability to promote student achievement, to overcome teaching challenges, and to build resilience (Gibson & Dembo, 1984).

Effective teaching requires knowledge, skills, and belief in one’s ability to apply them. Teacher self-efficacy predicts how preservice teachers implement culturally responsive practices after coursework (Bandura, 1997). Research shows that higher teacher self-efficacy leads to better decisions for engaging challenging students (Malo-Juvera et al., 2018).

Fostering self-efficacy in specific domains, such as CRT, enables preservice teachers (PSTs) to enhance their competencies (Cruz et al., 2020). They need to understand what builds self-efficacy. Bandura (1997) identified four main sources of self-efficacy: physiological and emotional states, vicarious experiences, mastery experiences, and verbal or social persuasion. Actual teaching experiences in small- and whole-group settings matter (Clark, 2020). These allow preservice teachers to evaluate their effectiveness. Observing student progress further boosts teachers' confidence in their teaching success.

Likewise, Bandura (1997) highlights the collaborative nature of verbal and social persuasion. PSTs build community and self-efficacy through feedback from mentors, cooperating teachers, supervisors, and peers during field experiences (Clark, 2020). Understanding these sources will guide the analysis of interviews. This will help identify what participants see as integral to their sense of community and to their growth in self-efficacy.

Despite a strong theory, a gap persists in research on CRT readiness as a mediating variable. This gap is evident in the Philippine context. Existing literature mainly examines Western or urbanized Asian settings. Questions remain about how CRT readiness influences teaching effectiveness in other environments. This study addressed that gap by exploring the mediating role of CRT readiness among preservice teachers in Philippine sectarian schools. In these settings, cultural values are integral to the educational mission.

Reflective writing is an essential component of the pre-service teacher preparation process as they transition into the teaching profession. Reflection enables pre-service teachers to identify their strengths, recognize areas for improvement, and develop professionally (Cohen-Sayag & Fischl, 2012; Boud, 2001; Dumlao & Pinatacan, 2019). Reflective writing in teacher education is most beneficial when it reaches deeper levels of thinking and engages the highest forms of critical reflection, using reflection-based interpretations to planfuture actions (Mezirow, 1990). Research has shown that reflective writing often becomes merely a descriptive account of events, lacking depth and critical judgment (Chen et al., 2016). Students may struggle to clearly articulate what they have learned, fail to think critically, and neglect to evaluate their experiences(Spaulding and Wilson, 2002).

Deep reflection can be achieved through dialogues based on questions. Ghaye (2010, p. 42) calls this type of dialogues “reflective conversations,” which may lead to teachers to learn from their own educational experience and question existing educational values. In reflective conversations, the one who asks questions plays a crucial part. According to Pendlebury (1995) this person is ‘dialogical other’, and his or her role is to elicit the practical arguments and ‘theories’ that underpin the teacher’s work (Cited in Ghaye, 2010).The ‘dialogical other’ is supportive and adds structure to the reflective conversation; he/she does not necessarily focus on weakness but ensure balance in judgement and strengthen the positive things. In Bain et al. (1999) study with dialogue reflections 66% of the subjects improved their reflections from reporting to reasoning.

Since the emergence of ChatGPT, AI has revolutionized education; it has been used to produce learning materials, assess, give feedback, and act as a virtual conversation assistant in higher education (Dempereet al., 2023; Essel et al. 2022; Wang et al., 2017). Most research on ChatGPT focuses on lesson planning, personalized learning, feedback, and content creation, but little is known about its role in reflective writing. It is unclear how interacting with ChatGPT affects pre-service teachers’ reflective writing. This study will explore this gap.

This study is grounded in reflective practice theory. ChatGPT is viewed as a dialogical other (Pendlebury, 1995 cited in Ghaye, 2010) that supports reflection through asking questions, providing feedback, and dialogue. ChatGPT serves as a scaffold that helps pre-service teachers express their thoughts, deepen metacognitive awareness, which aligns with guided reflective dialogue models. Combining the potential of ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas into reflective writing, can address the challenges in reflective thinking.

This study explores ChatGPT’s potential to support pre-service teachers in developing their reflective writing by generating ideas, offering personalized assistance, and providing feedback. Our study aims to contribute to the growing understanding of how AI can enhance reflective practices in teacher education. Specifically, the study investigates how ChatGPT influences pre-service teachers’ reflective writing and their vocabulary use. The research questions are as follows:

RQ1: How do pre-service teachers communicate with ChatGPT for reflective writing?

RQ2: How does this interaction with ChatGPT as a writing assistant influence the content and structure of their reflective writing?

These research findings provide insight into the use of ChatGPT in the reflective writing process, as well as its potential for future development and practical application. For researchers, the findings can serve as a foundation for further studies and experimentation. The results may benefit teacher education programs; program coordinators and educators may consider integrating ChatGPT into pre-service teachers’ reflective practice to enhance their level of reflection and focus. Additionally, the results could be interesting for AI developers to create special AI tools for reflective writing.