Masoume Ahmadi; Nasser Sabourianzadeh; Mobina Nazari
Abstract
Reciprocal learning, nurtured within a community of practice, is a cornerstone of teacher professional development. Despite extensive research on mentor-led support for student teacher (ST) professional development, the reciprocal potential of STs to transform and shape mentor teachers' (MTs) practices ...
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Reciprocal learning, nurtured within a community of practice, is a cornerstone of teacher professional development. Despite extensive research on mentor-led support for student teacher (ST) professional development, the reciprocal potential of STs to transform and shape mentor teachers' (MTs) practices remains largely unexplored. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the distinct perspectives of practicum students (PSs) concerning their ability to empower and support in-service teachers, exploring the impact of STs on the professional development of their MTs. A maximum variation sampling technique was employed to recruit 57 Iranian STs from diverse majors at Farhangian University. All participants had completed a minimum of 10 weeks of supervised teaching practice sessions at schools. In-depth focus group interviews were conducted to collect data, and the thematic analysis approach was adopted to analyze the data using NVivo software version 10. The results demonstrated how the STs, armed with new insights and pedagogical expertise, were invaluable collaborators in accelerating the professional development of their MTs. This collaboration was particularly evident in essential teaching competencies, such as communication, planning and organization, assessment, classroom management, and specialized knowledge and skills in the subject matter and technology. The findings reinforce the effectiveness of practicum placements in developing higher-quality in-service teacher training programs. Policymakers and authorities are encouraged to consider these findings to improve the impact of STs in practicum courses, thus promoting the overall quality of teacher education and teaching practices.
Abolfazl Khodamoradi; Mojtaba Maghsoudi; Seyed Hassan Talebi
Abstract
Classroom is an environment where teachers and students as inhabitants of different worlds are supposed to experience some sort of daily give-and-take. Such inherent discrepancies between these two groups of interlocutors might be among the untouched areas of research. Therefore, this study aimed to ...
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Classroom is an environment where teachers and students as inhabitants of different worlds are supposed to experience some sort of daily give-and-take. Such inherent discrepancies between these two groups of interlocutors might be among the untouched areas of research. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the cords and discords between first-year student teachers’ and their educators’ perceptions of educator interpersonal behavior. The sample of the study included 4 EFL educators and 102 student teachers majoring in TEFL at two branches of Iranian Teacher Education University. Data were collected with the Australian version of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) that was validated and modified into four formats for measuring the participants’ perceptions of the actual educators and an ideal educator interpersonal behavior. The results indicated that although both groups perceived an ideal educator interpersonal behavior in the same way, the educators generally overestimated their cooperative behaviors (Leadership and Students responsibility) but underestimate their oppositional ones (Uncertain) in comparison to what their student teachers perceived. The results also indicated that male and female student teachers perceived some cooperative behaviors in the educators from the opposite gender more significantly. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that there are some perceptual mismatches between student teachers’ and educators’ perceptions of actual educator interpersonal behavior. Therefore, the findings imply that educators should take some measures to locate these perceptual mismatches and eliminate them gradually.