ERIC Number: EJ1233284
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2382-0373
EISSN: N/A
The Influence of an Intentional Sustained Practicum in a Low-Decile Primary School on Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge of Teaching Priority Learners
Grudnoff, Lexie; Haigh, Mavis
Waikato Journal of Education, v22 n3 p9-20 2017
New Zealand has a persistent problem of inequitable educational outcomes between different student groups, which has led to New Zealand being designated a high achievement-low equity country. A key policy lever in the quest to lift educational achievement for priority learners, identified by the Ministry of Education as Maori, Pasifika, students with special learning needs, and students from low socio-economic communities, is improving teacher quality. Hence there has been a renewed policy focus on improving the quality of initial teacher education. The context for this study is an innovative Master of Teaching primary programme that includes an intentional practicum placement in partner schools with a high proportion of priority learners. This paper reports a qualitative study of how this practicum enhanced pre-service teachers' knowledge of teaching, particularly the teaching of priority learners. A general thematic analysis of post-practicum reflective statements written by two cohorts of Master of Teaching students immediately following their practicum (n=41 [25+16]) indicated four major themes' Difference, Diversity, Differentiation, and Difficulty. A directed thematic analysis of the reflective statements was then carried out. Overall, the findings indicated that the intentional placement in a school with a high proportion of priority learners disrupted the pre-service teachers' prior beliefs about such schools and their expectations of priority learners.
Descriptors: Practicums, Elementary Schools, Preservice Teachers, Knowledge Level, Equal Education, Special Needs Students, Pacific Islanders, Masters Programs, Program Effectiveness, Teacher Education Programs, Intention, Attitude Change, Teacher Expectations of Students, Foreign Countries, Program Length, Student Diversity, Individualized Instruction, Difficulty Level, Disadvantaged Schools, Socioeconomic Status, Community Characteristics
Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research. Division of Education, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand. Tel: +64-7-858-5171; Fax: +64-7-838-4712; e-mail: wmier@waikato.ac.nz; Web site: https://wje.org.nz/index.php/WJE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A