A comparative study of Teachers "teaching" in primary schools: Is the type of university important?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 teacher

2 Elementary Education Department, Nasibeh Faculty, Farhangian University

3 University of Farhangian

Abstract

This article is conducted as a "comparative study" of the teaching of three groups of new teachers in Iranian primary schools who were active in the city of Maragheh in the academic year of 2017-2018. These teachers were employed in three ways: 1) studied in the four-year teacher education course at teacher training university; 2) studied in other universities and participated in contract employment and passing the one-year teacher education course and; 3) having three years of teaching activity in the school temporarily.
The research question was whether the method of entering the teaching profession and the type of university where person study has an effect on teaching. The research approach was quantitative. A "questionnaire" was used to collect the necessary data. The research population included primary education teachers, among whom, first, the teachers of Maragheh city were selected and then a sample of 97 people was selected to obtain the data. Through stratified sampling method, the sample for each group was selected and the questionnaire was distributed in their workplace and received in person. The data analysis was performed using frequency, percentage and mean scores and to compare groups, analysis of variance test was performed.
The results showed that "teaching" newcomers to primary schools in different ways did not make a significant difference. That is, new-teachers who have completed a four-year or one-year teacher education course were the same as teachers who have not completed formal teacher education courses. This means that the establishment of a special teacher education university has not been able to achieve more than other universities that teach the relevant field.
The quantitative research may face some limitations on comprehensiveness and validity. Despite some limitations of this research, what has been achieved reveals a kind of skepticism about the efficiency of special teacher education universities. In Iran, these universities select their students after completing their secondary education and would employ them in educational system. Therefore, this type of training is associated with an early choice of job and payment of tuition fees. Both increase tuition fees. Therefore, the question is whether it is still possible to defend the four-year teacher education course at teacher training university by employing from the beginning of education? Has teacher training university performed effectively? The obtained field data show that the success of a four-year teacher education course is not enough to earn a job in primary education.

Keywords

References

Avalos, B. (2011): "Teacher professional development in Teaching and Teacher Education over ten years", Teaching and Teacher Education, 27 (1) (2011), pp. 10-20.
Bakkenes, I., Vermount, J. D. & Wubbels, T. (2010). "Teacher learning in the context of educational innovation: learning activities and learning outcomes of experienced teachers", Learning and Instruction, 20, 533-548.
Ben-Peretz, M. (2011). "Teacher knowledge: what is it? How do we uncover it? What are its implications for schooling?", Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 3-9.
Csapó, B. Funke, J.: (2017); the nature of problem solving: Using research to inspire 21st century learning, OECD Publishing, Paris.
Chaharbashloo, Hossein, (2016): Identifying the Teachers’ Practical Knowledge Factors and its Effect on the Implementation of Curriculum, PhD Thesis in curriculum planning, Kharazmi University.
Darling-Hammond, L.; Burns, D.; Campbell, C.; Goodwin, A.L.; Hammerness, K.; Low, E.L. & et al. (2017): Empowered educators: How high performing systems shape teaching quality around the world, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.
Engeström, Y. (2011); "from design experiments to formative interventions", Theory & Psychology, 21 (5) (2011), pp. 598-628.
Elbaz, F. (1983). Teacher thinking: a study of practical knowledge. NewYork: Nichol. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books.
Fathi, M., Saedipour, E., Ebrahimi Ghavam, S., Delavar, A. (2018). "The Success Teacher Training University Curriculum for Improving the Professional Competencies of Teachers". Journal of Curriculum Studies, 13(50), 143-170.
Fensterrmacher, G. D. (1994). "The knower and the known: the nature of knowledge in research on teaching", Review of Research in Education, 20(1), 3-56.
Haapasaari, A., Engeström, Y. & Kerosuo, H. (2016): "The emergence of learners' transformative agency in a change laboratory intervention", Journal of Education and Work, 29 (2) (2016), pp. 232-262.
Hammerness, K. & Klette, K. (2015): "Indicators of quality in teacher education: Looking at features of teacher education from an international perspective", in: G.K. LeTendre, A.W. Wiseman (Eds.), Promoting and sustaining a quality teaching workforce, Emerald Press, Bingley, England, pp. 239-278.
Jenset, I.S., Klette, K. & Hammerness, K. (2017): "Grounding teacher education in practice around the world: An examination of teacher education coursework in teacher education programs in Finland, Norway, and the United States", Journal of Teacher Education, 69 (2) (2017), pp. 184-197.
Lillejord, S., Børte, K., Nesje, K., & Rud, E. (2018): Learning and teaching with technology in higher education – a systematic review; Knowledge Centre for Education, Oslo, Norway.
Lund, A. & Eriksen, T.M. (2016): "Teacher education as transformation: Some lessons learned from a center for excellence in education"; Acta Didactica Norge, 10 (2) (2016), pp. 53-72.
Mehdizadeh Tehrani, A., Assareh, A., Mehrmohammadi, M., Mmamjomeh, M. (2018). "Design of the Expected Competencies Framework for art teachers (Elementary and secondary Grade) in Bachelor of Arts Education". Journal of Curriculum Studies, 13(50), 109-142.
MehrMohammadi, Mahmoud & Fazeli, Ahmad Reza. (2015): "The Nature of Teaching Knowledge and Teacher Knowledge: A Comparison of Schulman's and Fenstermacher's Viewpoints", Journal of the Foundation of Education, 5 (1): 30-46.  
Mercer, N. (2004): "Sociocultural discourse analysis: analysing classroom talk as a social mode of thinking"; Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1 (2) (2004), pp. 137-168.
Mousapour, N. (2019): "Unification of Two Approaches to Teacher Training in Iran: A Critical Review of Farhangiyan University’s Charter", QJOE, 35(2): 13-38.
Rastegari, N., Mosapour, N., Nateghi, F. (2018). "A Structural Analysis of the Components of Clinical Education in Educating and Preparing Students at Teacher Education University". Journal of Curriculum Studies, 13(50), 171-200.
Sannino, A. (2010): "Teachers' talk of experiencing: Conflict, resistance and agency"; Teaching and Teacher Education, 26 (4) (2010), pp. 838-844.
Schon, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.
Schwab, J. J. (1978). "The practical: A language for curriculum". In I. Westbury & N. J. Wilkof (Eds.). Science, Curriculum, and Liberal Education: Selected Essays (pp. 287-321). Chicago: University of Chicago.
Shulman, L. S. (1986). "Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching". Educational researcher, 15(2), 4-14.
Shulman, L. (1987). "Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform". Harvard educational review, 57(1), 1-23.
Zarghani, A. Amin Khandaghi, M. Shabani Varaki, B. & Mousapour, N. (2016): "The New Mathematic Curriculum: What the teachers do?"  Journal of Theory & Practice in Curriculum, Vol.8 (4); 2016, 51-84.
Zarghani, A. (2015): Explaining how teachers' theoretical and practical knowledge changes in the implementation of new elementary mathematics curriculum and its implications for in-service curriculum, PhD Thesis in curriculum planning, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.
UNESCO (2011): ICT Competency framework for teachers, unesco.org/images/0021/002134/213475.pdf

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 05 December 2019
  • Revise Date: 29 February 2020
  • Accept Date: 04 April 2020

Share

How to cite

Statistics