We discuss an investigation into the understandings of trainee teachers about government policy, using, as an example, the UK government's "Every Child Matters" (ECM). We discuss the research methods used to gather and analyse data from 197 initial teacher education trainees in three institutions in England drawn from six subject areas. The…

The research reported in this paper is based on an exploration of the ways in which student teachers learn about the issues and concerns that shape their own professional learning. Shulman's process of pedagogical reasoning and action was used as a conceptual framework to systematically elucidate different critical incidents that student teachers…

In this study, two data collection instruments were used to examine how Dutch secondary school teachers learn in the workplace. Firstly, they completed a questionnaire on their preferences for learning activities on two occasions. Secondly, during the intermediate period, they reported learning experiences in digital logs. Results of both…

The increasing importance attributed to the cultural dimension of foreign language (FL) education has entailed new demands for teachers and teacher educators. This paper explores the cultural agenda in Finnish language teacher education from a student teacher perspective. The focus is on the students' perceptions regarding how effectively cultural…

The Internet has become one of the most common instructional tools because of recent developments in telecommunications and Internet technology. Accordingly, educators increasingly support the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service elementary teachers' beliefs about the…

This study investigates the challenges that non-native pre-service English teachers (Haluk, Gaye, Selin, Oznur and Serkan) experience in their target language use when they do their practicum in actual language classrooms. This study found that the common difficulties the student teachers encounter related to certain grammatical structures,…

The teacher educator is always also a teacher, and as a role model may have an important impact on student teachers' views on teaching. However, what is the impact of these teacher educator's own role models on their teaching views and practices? Do teacher educators simply imitate the positive role models and reject the bad? It is already clear…

The study reported on in this paper is set in the context of a national programme of professional development for primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland which has been in operation since 1999 and finished in 2008. The paper explores the acquisition and interpretation by teachers of the elements of the reform. The authors consider the extent…

Teacher education all over Europe is increasingly becoming school-based oriented. This implies new roles for those who support student teachers learning in school. This article describes the way four school-based teacher educators fulfill their role as educators of student teachers who learn how to teach while participating in the workplace. Based…

Most industrialised countries have adopted training strategies for pre-service teachers that place experienced teacher guidance centre stage, particularly within the context of regular pre-service field training sessions. In this article, after analysing the data taken from a longitudinal survey on the computer skills and attitudes of students…

This study attempted to gain a better understanding of teachers' perceptions about their ethical dilemmas and roles. Qualitative data were collected by interviewing 32 teachers in seven schools. Interviewees were asked to provide detailed descriptions of ethical dilemmas they had encountered. The coding process focused on critical incidents…

The aim of this article is to clarify the university teacher roles and competencies in online learning environments, with a view to assisting in the design of professional development activities. This referential framework results from an extensive review of the literature and from analysing professional development designed in different European…

In recent years, Finnish research-based teaching, according to international surveys, has been shown to lead to excellent results. Previous research has demonstrated that teacher education has often had difficulties in incorporating theory into practice, and that the effects of teacher education on the prior beliefs and views on teaching and…

It is important for teachers of mathematics to know how pupils react to certain mathematical situations and what these reactions imply, in order to design more effective instructional environments based on their learning needs. This study reports the development processes of a digital learning tool (Learning Tool for Elementary School Teachers…

The induction of beginning teachers continues to occupy a significant position on educational policy agendas as a crucial dimension in the formation of a teacher and one upon which an emergent career is built. Whilst there is growing impetus to establish an induction model that constitutes a relevant, fulfilling experience, current arrangements…