Outcome-based education (OBE) is a current initiative in Hong Kong universities, with widespread backing by governments and standards bodies. However, study of students' perceptions of OBE and validation of understanding these perceptions are lacking. This paper reports on the validation of an OBE-specific instrument and resulting preliminary…

This paper reports on the Teacher Education Research Network (TERN) initiative, which piloted a model for research capacity building in teacher education in the North West of England with the aim of providing early and mid career researchers from seven regional universities with opportunities for professional learning and development. It explores…

To gain a clear sense of teacher educators at work, we need to look closely at the context in which they practice. Any attempt to address the questions of what works and the nature of evidence must be situated in the macro-political context that constrains the work of teacher educators struggling for legitimacy and identity within both the…

Over the past decade in Australia, a neo-liberal political climate has delivered to universities and schools increasing expectations concerning accountability and conformity within professional standards frameworks. This has contributed to growing pressure around Professional Experience programs within teacher education. In light of such…

The article proposes that the proper status for teacher education, both historically and in terms of its research-demonstrated importance, is one of full professionalism alongside other professional training regimes in universities. It proposes furthermore that the many reviews and reports of the past quarter-century have been attempting to move…

Many teacher educators have recently implemented inquiry based instructional practices into their programs (Crawford & Deer, 1993 ; Foss & Kleinsasser, 1996 ; Klein, 1996 , 1997 , 1998 , 2001 ; Schuck, 1996 ; Tillema & Knol, 1997). In mathematics education the promise has been that pre-service teachers' socialization into new interactive…

This study examines the interaction between indigenous culture and modern religious practices of teaching and learning, and how this contributes towards shaping the preconceptions of teaching, learning, a teacher's role(s), students as learners, and knowledge of three secondary school pre-service teachers who were just commencing their teacher…

In the context of escalating criticism of university-based teacher education across the world, a clear need exists for informed defence of the field and the profession as well as critical evaluation of both teacher education and schooling. This paper takes up the issue of the 'outcomes question' in this regard, arguing the case for a strong focus…

This paper explores assumptions about essential knowledge in degree programs that have traditionally prepared teachers of physical education, and discusses the question of what sort of teacher education is necessary or desirable to prepare teachers for the new Health & Physical Education (HPE) key learning area. I argue that the curriculum of the…

While there has been widespread take-up of the concept 'flexible learning' within various educational environments--and equally frequent references to the flexible 'natures' of the computer and communication technologies that often underpin flexible learning initiatives--the relationship between technologies and flexibility is not a simple one. In…

Examined a process for unifying two teacher self-efficacy scales, providing a common metric for communicating and comparing results. Data from 118 education students indicated that items from the two scales defined a unidimensional construct. Correlations between person measures from the two scales demonstrated their strengths for measuring…

Investigates the implementation of a project for fostering information and communication technology (ICT)-based integrated learning environments in Hong Kong schools. Overall, effective ICT integration requires substantial thinking about curricular practice and appropriate teacher training. ICT must provide students with varied experiences and…

This year-long study exposed preservice elementary teachers in Fiji to pedagogy based on a constructivist view of learning in order to improve their content knowledge and provide them with greater confidence to teach science. Qualitative and quantitative analysis indicated that the constructivist-based teaching approach led to improved learning,…

Reviews the context of Canadian teacher education, highlighting changes in the educational landscape, in the population (e.g., the multicultural nature of society and shifting urban/rural trends), and in how people think about professional education and discussing the professional development of in-service teachers. An overview of formal and…

Addresses the past four decades of Quebec's teacher education reform, noting the resulting interplay between university-based teacher educators and school-based practitioners. The paper highlights four historical periods, explaining that even at the oldest North American French-speaking university, the evolving forces at play within teacher…