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This study focuses on pre-service teachers' views of the conditions that foster their participatory action research practices in secondary schools and on how these conditions can inform the development of a teacher education program for a participatory approach. By using the Theory of Practice Architectures as an analytical lens, eight cases of participatory action research projects were studied at two interrelated sites of pre-service teachers' learning: the teacher education institute and the internship school. Findings shed light on the conditions for fostering participatory action research practices in a teacher education context in terms of three kinds of arrangements, i.e. cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political. Based on the findings, a set of 17 principles for supporting participatory research practices is presented that can be used to assess the viability of preservice teachers' participatory action research within a teacher education program, and that also supports a well-aligned institute-school collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the teacher shortage in the Netherlands and Flanders, it is not only important to increase the intake and outflow of students in teacher education programmes, but also to increase job satisfaction of in-service teachers. Satisfied teachers in school will lead to higher retention of teachers in the profession. Based on secondary analyses of TALIS 2018 data from primary and secondary school teachers in the Netherlands and Flanders, work and school conditions and their job satisfaction have been examined. Regression analyses show that feelings of distress, perceived stress in teaching and classroom management and perceived barriers to professional development show a negative relationship with job satisfaction. Moreover, a safe learning and working climate in school and school satisfaction in general are positively related to teachers' job satisfaction. The results are discussed in the light of findings from other research on teachers' job satisfaction and research of TALIS data, in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The school context has the potential to hinder or stimulate teachers' motivation to attend Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs. The present study investigated the relationship between workplace conditions in schools and teachers'autonomous motivation to participate in CPD. A questionnaire was completed by 472 teachers in 13 schools in China. The results show that four school condition variables are related to teachers'autonomous motivation for CPD. The more support teachers report to receive from their school principals and the more work pressure they experience, the more they are motivated for CPD. In contrast, the more teachers report to be supported by their colleagues and the more emotional pressure they receive, the less they are motivated for CPD. In addition, support from colleagues and levels of perceived task autonomy moderate the relationship between teachers'personal factors and their motivation for CPD. Implications are presented for school leaders and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novice–expert interaction plays an important role in teacher professional development for Chinese vocational education and training (VET). Both Chinese and international research shows that expert-teachers' support is associated with the improvement of novice-teachers' teaching. However, insights into how exactly novice teachers learn with the help of expert teachers are lacking. The learning processes of four novice VET teachers were explored in the context of a professional development project. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews with novice teachers and recordings of novice–expert interactions. A learning model was constructed based on the interconnected model of professional growth. The results showed that novice teachers internalised comments from expert teachers by active reflection and practice. Moreover, this study suggests that teachers' professional development is a complicated long-term process, and that during their development the support from expert teachers is an important external source for novice-teachers. Expert-teachers' support not only provides feedback and suggestions for alternative teaching methods, but also encourages and maintains novice-teachers' learning. The results are discussed in relation to the cultural (Chinese) and educational context (VET) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher education is a symbolic entry point into the teaching profession and the identification of specific teacher education aspects that enhance commitment to teaching is important. A thematic literature review was carried out to identify these themes within teacher education. The review included 22 peer-reviewed articles. Eleven themes were extracted that can influence student teachers' commitment to teaching, which were related to student teachers' campus-based experiences, their school-based experiences, and the connection between theory and practical components of the course. Conclusively, implications for teacher education emphasise student teachers' commitment enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research indicates that supportive school leadership is a key condition of collaborative teacher learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a typology of how school leaders foster collaborative teacher learning. We adopted an integrative perspective on leadership by examining both learning-centred leadership and distributed leadership practices that are supportive of collaborative teacher learning. Data were gathered by means of interviews with ten school leaders and a questionnaire that was completed by 39 teachers from six secondary schools in the Netherlands. The aim of the interviews was to identify to what extent school leaders applied learning-centred leadership and distributed leadership practices. The questionnaire measured teachers' perceptions of the role of school leaders in teacher learning. As an outcome of this study, we constructed a typology that provides insights into how school leaders foster collaborative teacher learning. Four types of school leaders were distinguished: (a) integrators of teacher learning, (b) facilitators of teacher learning, (c) managers of teacher learning, and (d) managers of daily school practice. Our findings suggest that integration of learning-centred leadership and distributed leadership practices can help school leaders to support collaborative teacher learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently developed technology of 360° video provides opportunities for teachers and teacher candidates to explore both the classroom environment and the teaching and learning process. In this paper, a systematic review has been conducted to better understand the use of 360° videos in teacher education. The study focuses on the reasons why and how 360° videos are used, as well as the impacts on the noticing abilities of teacher trainees. The review demonstrates how 360° videos are a preferred method of overcoming the limitations of standard video as they are able to provide a more realistic and authentic experience. The review employs a variety of videos of different duration that explore various research domains. It was concluded that 360° videos better support various skills, including teacher candidates' noticing, when used in a virtual reality (VR) environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group learning activities (GLAs) are commonly used curriculum activities in teacher education. The aim of this study was to determine which components of GLAs students perceive as significant for their learning. Student teachers from six Dutch universities of applied sciences completed a survey about GLAs they participated in. Findings show that students' evaluations of task characteristics and group constellation are related to their perceived increase in domain knowledge. Furthermore task characteristics and guidance are related to students' perceived development as primary school teachers. Verbal interaction and engagement partially and fully mediate several relationships between GLA components and learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding student-teachers’ decisions to enter and stay in the teaching profession after graduation could help teacher educators to find appropriate procedures to enhance commitment to teaching. This study classified student-teachers based on their levels of commitment to teaching, and described these types based on student-teachers’ motivation to enter the teaching profession and their perceptions of the teaching profession and environmental aspects e.g. school condition and significant others. Thirty-seven undergraduate student-teachers from the Dar es salaam University College of Education in Tanzania were interviewed. Four student-teacher types from our results were identified: (1) committed passionate, (2) committed compromisers, (3) undecided and (4) uncommitted. Implications from the findings include the importance of designing teacher education curriculum in a way that caters for the needs of student-teachers in each type in order to enhance their commitment to teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Low commitment to teaching amongst teachers is a problem facing the teaching profession in many countries. Gender might be an important factor in explaining what kinds of prospective teachers are attracted to teaching. This empirical study examined the relationship between student-teachers' gender, gender roles and commitment to teaching within the context of a large, university-based teacher education program in Tanzania. A self-report questionnaire was administered, comprising commitment to teaching items, gender as a demographic variable and items from Bem sex role inventory (BSRI). Cluster analysis on the masculine and feminine scale of the BSRI indicated three clusters: (1) highly androgynous students with high scores on both masculine and feminine scales, (2) medium androgynous students with relatively high scores on both masculine and feminine scales, and (3) low androgynous students with low scores in relation to the other two groups on both masculine and feminine scales of the BSRI. More female than male student-teachers reported to be highly androgynous. Covariance analysis showed that gender roles were significantly related to commitment to teaching and to intention to enter the teaching profession. Highly androgynous student-teachers reported significantly more commitment to teaching and higher intentions to enter the teaching profession compared to medium and low androgynous student-teachers. No significant relationships were found between gender, on the one hand, and commitment to teaching and the intention to enter the teaching profession, on the other hand. Findings are discussed in the context of teacher and teacher education in Tanzania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In teacher education programmes, written portfolios or text-based self-evaluations are generally used to document the development of student teachers’ competence. However, such approaches do no justice to the complex nature of teaching as they tend to lead to evidence in which teacher competencies are disconnected and removed from the actual teaching practice. In one postgraduate teacher education programme, video narratives were evaluated as a valid way to assess student teachers’ teaching competencies, promoting connections amongst different competencies, situating these in practice and showing their development over time. Data were gathered from self-reports of both teacher educators and student teachers as well as student teachers’ completed video narratives. Most student teachers succeeded in meeting the set criteria for the video narrative assignment with connected video clips and text frames. However, student teachers also came up with only a few video episodes and loosely connected clips, reflections and other sources. Although most of the students during the programme did explicitly reflect upon their personal development towards becoming a teacher, almost none of them explicitly connected these ideas to their long-term development. We conclude that video narratives show potential to be used as a valid assessment of student teachers’ teaching competence. Yet, structured guidance as well as ill-structured assignments are needed in framing assessment of student teachers in teacher preparation: the former to clarify the aims, format and criteria and the latter to enable student teachers to reflect on their teaching in a personally, meaningful way. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Web-based video is one of the technologies which can support meaningful learning from practice – in addition to practical benefits such as accessibility of practices, flexibility in updating information, and incorporating video into multimedia resources. A multiple case study was set up on the use of a web-based video learning environment in two post-graduate teacher education programmes and two university Bachelor programmes. The later analysis of practice was reported by students to be the most valuable aspect. Teacher feedback was perceived as more helpful than peer feedback, characterising most peer feedback as pep-talk. Direct video observation is suggested to be insufficient for students’ reflection on conceptual questions and on a more general level of practical experience. Implications for the preparation for professional practice in the university context are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The richness and complexity of video portfolios endanger both the reliability and validity of the assessment of teacher competencies. In a post-graduate teacher education program, the assessment of video portfolios was evaluated for its reliability, construct validity, and consequential validity. Although video portfolio facilitated a reliable and valid assessment of teacher competencies, procedures to improve assessment quality were also revealed and are therefore discussed: more explicit grounding of assessment results in the data, peer debriefing, prolonged engagement with the assessment data, cross-checking to find confirmatory or counter examples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The growth of online learning environments entails understanding of how to promote collaborative knowledge construction processes and create learning environments that support meaningful student engagement and interactions. Asynchronous online discussion forums are intended to support knowledge construction and higher-order thinking and are becoming even more appealing for their predictive relationship with learning. This paper describes a study that explored the complex dynamics of knowledge construction in pre-service teacher education through examining student teachers' cognitive presence in online discussion forums and their academic performance. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that certain levels of cognitive presence were associated with students' academic performance. In addition, network analysis of discussion forums revealed that student centrality within their learning networks moderated the association between the highest level of cognitive presence and academic performance. The paper concludes with discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. • Online discourse reflects the level of cognitive engagement in teacher education courses. • Engagement in integration and resolution significantly predicts academic performance. • Centrality moderates the relationship between resolution and learner academic performance. • Analysis of learner interactions enhances understanding of knowledge building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated approaches to knowledge co-construction in teacher learning groups (TLGs), changes in teaching and understanding of teaching perceived by TLG participants, and supportive and inhibiting conditions for knowledge co-construction in TLGs. Interviews with 39 teachers revealed three approaches to knowledge co-construction in TLGs based on the knowledge source used: practice-based, research-informed, and research-based. All teachers reported changes in teaching and understanding of teaching. Participation in research-informed and research-based teacher learning groups seemed to affect teachers' teaching and understanding of teaching more deeply than participation in practice-based groups. Supportive school leadership appeared as a key condition for teachers' knowledge co-construction. • Approaches for knowledge co-construction in teacher learning groups: practice-based, research-informed, or research-based. • Participation in teacher learning groups changes teachers' teaching and understanding of teaching. • Supportive school leadership is suggested as a key factor for knowledge co-construction in teacher learning groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory action research can prepare preservice teachers for collaborating with school students in research projects. In the current study, principles for pre-service teachers' participatory action research are examined based on teacher educators' views and actions while they implement participatory action research in a teacher education program. Across three dimensions (cultural-discursive, material-economic, social-political), the findings shed light on how student participation and participatory action research can be implemented in a teacher education program and how preservice teachers can be prepared for and supported in collaborating with their school students. • Participatory action research is promising for strengthening democracy in education. • Manifestations of principles for participatory action research are examined. • Recognition, clarity, and coherence are the main principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher collaboration in secondary schools can form a fruitful context for teacher professional learning. The aim of this study is to understand collaboration in teacher groups given their teacher characteristics and school context. Using a cross case design, we study different teacher groups in multiple contexts. The findings confirm results of other studies on teacher collaboration, which argue that short-term collaboration initiatives are depending on the prior existence of collaborative cultures. Deprivatisation of practice provides opportunities to support professional learning in teacher groups, although more support is needed, especially when this is new to teachers. • Short-term teacher collaboration initiatives depend on the prior existence of collaborative cultures. • Depending on teachers' learning needs, both more and less intensive forms of collaboration are relevant. • When internal or external support is lacking, teacher collaboration can enforce traditional views about teaching. • To encourage their professional learning, teachers need to be supported in collegial collaboration. • Opening up teachers' practice initiates meaningful professional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is focused on exploring novice teachers' appraisal of expert feedback in a professional development programme for vocational schoolteachers. Twelve novice teachers in different school subjects were interviewed after the programme. An appraisal framework with 4 domains and 12 appraisal categories was built based on coding and analysing interview transcripts. The most frequently occurring appraisal categories and the differences between Chinese language teachers and vocational subject teachers were also analysed qualitatively. The findings revealed novice teachers' concerns and expectations for expert feedback, as well as provided an appraisal framework for future studies on feedback in teacher professional development. • A framework was built to appraise expert feedback in a TPD programme. • The most frequently mentioned appraisal domains refer to teacher characteristics and educational context. • The most frequently mentioned appraisal categories are feedback benefit, teachers' expertise and students' characteristics. • Novice teachers hold a pragmatic attitude towards expert feedback. • Novice teachers in different school subjects appraise expert feedback differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]