ICT Pre-service Teachers’ Opinions about the Contribution of Initial Teacher Training to Teaching Practice

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how well initial teacher training in ICT prepare pre-service teachers to teaching profession. Eight pre-service teachers attending to the “School Experience” course from the Computer Education and Instructional Technology Department at the Middle East Technical University took part in this case study. Observation and interview methods were employed to gather data. Moreover, pre-service teachers’ lesson plans prepared for teaching activity were analyzed. The results showed that initial teacher training courses provided several affective teaching skills such as developing awareness about the importance of being well-prepared for each class, being calm for unexpected situations, and understanding the reasons of students’ misbehaviors in the class. However, according to ICT pre-service teachers, practical aspect of these courses was not enough. Most of them stated that they could not apply different strategies in different contexts. In addition, due to the lack of experience on classroom management they had difficulty in completing subjects although they left extra time for each activity in their lesson plans.

Keywords

• Teaching practice, Initial teacher training, Case study, ICT pre-service teachers.

Kaynakça

1. Bogdan, R. C. & Biklen, S. K. (1998). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
2. Collins, K.M.T., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Jiao, Q. G. (2006). Prevalence of mixed-methods sampling designs in social science research. Evaluation and Research in Education, 19(2), 83-101.
3. Draper, J., O’Brien, J., & Christie, F. (2004). First impressions: the new teacher induction arrangements in Scotland. Journal of In-Service Education, 30(2), 201-223.
4. Freiberg, H. J. (2002). Essential skills for new teachers. Educational Leadership, 59(6), 56-60.
5. Featherstone, H. (1993). Learning from the first years of classroom teaching: The journey in, the journey out. Teachers College Record, 95(1), 93-112.
6. Korthagen, F. A. J. & Kessels, P. A. M. (1999). Linking theory and practice: Changing the pedagogy of teacher education. Educational Researcher, 28(4), 4-17.
7. Korthagen, F. A. J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: Towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(1), 77–97
8. Loughran, J. & Northfield, J. (1998). A framework for the development of self-study practice. In M. L. Hamilton (Ed), Reconceptualizing teaching practice, self-study in teacher education (pp.7- 18). New York: Corwin.

9. Maxwell, J. A. (1996). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. London: Sage.
10. Mellado, V. (1998). The classroom practice of preservice teachers and their conceptions of teaching and learning science. Science Teacher Education, 82(2), 197-214.
11. Miles M. B. & Huberman A. M. (1984). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
12. Orungbemi, O. (2009). Awareness and use of teaching skills among primary school social studies teachers. Sustainable Human Development Review, 1(3), 127-138.
13. Smaldino, E. S., Lowther, L., D., & Russell, D. J., (2007). Instructional technology and media for learning. New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
14. Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Waterhouse, F. (1999). Relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning. Higher Education,37(1), 57-70.
15. Willis, S. (2002). Creating a knowledge base for teaching. Educational Leadership, 59(6), 6-11.
16. Correspondence: Hatice Sancar Tokmak, Instructor, Department of Computer Education and
17. Instructional Technologies, Faculty of Education, Mersin University, Yenisehir Campus, Mersin, Turkey