Student experiences of learning how to teach primary physical education during the Covid-19 pandemic

This paper offers a snapshot into the unexpected and yet positive results of a small-scale survey about learning to teach Physical Education within initial teacher education and school-based settings. It shares data from four institutions about how pre-service teachers explained their learning and teaching experiences within Physical Education during the COVID-19 pandemic, often working within a number of social and physical restrictions and teaching within enforced bubbles. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Education for Teaching is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Challenges in science education: Global perspectives for the future

This edited volume focuses on challenges facing science education across three areas: curriculum, teacher education, and pedagogy. Integrating a diverse range of perspectives from both emerging and established scholars in the field, chapters consider the need for measured responses to issues in society that have become pronounced in recent years, including lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, the environment, and persisting challenges in STEM teaching and learning. In doing so, the editors and their authors chart a potential course for existing and future possibilities and probabilities for science education. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

An Online Laboratory School research on pre-service mathematics teachers' experiences and mathematics teaching anxiety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we founded an Online Laboratory School (OLS) under the roof of a university in Turkey to support students from public schools that were not technologically prepared for an online education and to provide an opportunity for our pre-service teachers (PSTs) to continue their internship by teaching online. The purpose of this research, consisting of two studies, was to examine experiences of 43 PSTs (first-, third- and fourth-years) during the OLS period of 8 weeks and how the OLS affected their mathematics teaching anxiety during Fall 2020. In the first study, we administered a survey to inquire into PSTs' views on their experiences at the OLS, and in the second study we examined their mathematics teaching anxiety before and after the OLS experience using another survey. One main result was that the OLS experience served as an effective introduction to the profession for first-year PSTs and fourth- and third-year PSTs reported learning in-depth about online teaching in terms of the planning, teaching, and reflecting cycle. Another main result was that PSTs had mathematics teaching anxiety from "a little" to "a moderate amount" before the OLS and their teaching anxiety did not significantly change during the OLS period of 8 weeks. PSTs experienced highest mathematics teaching anxiety when they were observed and evaluated by supervisors during their teaching. The implications of these findings are discussed for teacher education programs.

Teaching practicum in a pandemic context- challenges and solutions in the opinion of pre-service Romanian teachers

An essential component of the initial training of pre-service teachers, Teaching Practicum took place, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in special conditions, adapted to new realities in the field of interpersonal relationships and in the school world. The present study aims to inventory the positive / negative elements that pre-service Romanian teachers (students of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iasi, Romania) have identified in Teaching Practicum in primary school, in the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 and in the two semesters of the academic year 2020-2021. This analysis allows both the diagnosis of the period and the difficulties encountered and the identification of solutions, opportunities to improve Teaching Practicum in different contexts.

The Development and Implementation of Online Video-based Simulation Training on Strengthening Pre-service Teachers' Competence in Bullying Intervention

COVID-19 has severely impacted the world since December 2019, and because of its highly infectious nature, many countries around the world have taken lockdown measures to prevent the virus from spreading unchecked, resulting in ramifications for higher education as many institutions have been forced to implement distance education. The question of how to develop a teaching method suitable for teacher education programs that place particular importance on practice in classroom settings warrants particular concern. Online video-based simulation training (OVST) as a teacher training method holds promise for addressing this issue by allowing learners to increase their opportunities to apply theory-based knowledge in real educational practice, reducing the theory-practice gap. OVST can also be distributed through online learning environments that offer easily repeated large-scale usage at lower cost to a variety of introvert/extravert learners through individual learning trajectories. In this vein, this study aims to introduce a method for developing OVST used to enhance pre-service teacher competence (by immediately intervening during school bullying, or CIISB) and clarifying the efficacy of types of OVST (with and without debriefing) on strengthening pre-service teachers' CIISB skills. A total of 98 pre-service teachers from four Taiwanese universities and colleges participated in this study that adopted a quasi-experimental design approach. Each of these pre-service teachers was assigned to one of three groups: OVST with debriefing, OVST without debriefing, and an OVST control condition, with a video-based instrument used to map pre-service teachers' CIISB-related perception, interpretation, and decision-making skills (PID skills). The results of a mixed-model two-way ANOVA analysis indicated that both types of OVST were more effective than the control condition in improving pre-service teachers' CIISB. OVST with debriefing was also more effective than the OVST without debriefing, suggesting that OVST with debriefing is a promising way to develop pre-service teachers' clinical competencies, while also offering a valuable resource for teacher education training methods, particularly when conducted under pandemic conditions.

The Integration of Digital Technologies into Practicum Classrooms by Smartphone-Savvy Pre-Service Teachers in Indonesia

The Indonesian government has declared a strong commitment to information and communication technology (ICT) education reform but has made meager progress due to inconsistent education policies, fragmentary technological infrastructure, and ill-prepared teachers. Despite these obstacles, young people in Indonesia have embraced smartphones and related technologies as important means of maintaining their socially integrated lifestyles. This project sought to measure the adoption of smartphone technologies among pre-service teachers as part of their broader ICT consciousness and teaching. We examined the ICT competencies of 220 pre-service teachers at two state universities in western Indonesia. A questionnaire was distributed to the participants toward the end of the students' final practicum during the COVID-19 closure of the schools. Results showed very high use of smartphones in private contexts, infrequent use of laptops and desktop computers, a strong rejection of institutionally available (or often unavailable) devices and services, and a skewing of ICT skills toward tools available on smartphones, especially those accessible through social media platforms. © 2023 The Author(s). Open Access - This article is under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Teacher Candidates' Perception of Their First Week School Placement: Comparison between Online and Face-To-Face Practicum Learnings and Challenges

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the pre-service teachers' education system because the need for social distancing forced pedagogies to shift the mode of practicum from face-to-face to online spaces. It was noticed that studies highlighting the differences in the pre-service teachers' perceptions about the online and face-to-face modes of practicum are rare in the UAE context. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the differences between learning outcomes and challenges of pre-service teachers, who have enrolled in face-to-face practicum and those who did online practicum. Study participants and methods. After obtaining the written informed consent, a sample of 20 preservice teachers (10 from online and 10 face-to-face practicum) from the UAE was selected. The data was collected from the participants in the form of qualitative answers in essay format, after the first week of the practicum. The data analysis was performed using the thematic analysis method. Results. The findings show that face-to-face practicum is superior to online practicum in terms of observation and practice-based learnings for skills like classroom management, student-engagement and teaching customization and differentiation. This superiority was mainly due to the lack of proper tools in online classroom management and to achieve person-to-person interactions. The curriculum plan was also more suited to face-to-face teaching. The non-cooperation of the mentors is the common challenge faced by pre-service teachers from both face-to-face and online groups. This study highlights the need for developing proper tools to enhance the online practicum and to improve the personal interactions. Need for improving the mentors' involvement in practicum is also underscored. Practical significance. This study explored the differences in efficacy between the online and face-to-face practicum and the challenges faced by the pre-service teachers during the first week of their practicum in the UAE context. The results of this study highlight the areas of concern in both online and face-to-face mode, which can be used by the policy makers in the UAE to improve the teacher education programs. © 2022 LLC Ecological Help. All rights reserved.

The effects of a prosper-based intervention on well-being among pre-service preschool teachers during the covid-19 pandemic: A randomized control trial

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of an intervention program based on the PROSPER, a comprehensive framework which emphasises the importance of positivity, relationships, outcome, strength, purpose, engagement, and resilience in pre-service teachers' well-being in Hong Kong. Participants were pre-service pre-school teachers (N = 77) who participated in a 1-month randomised control trial with four intervention workshops. They were randomly assigned to either intervention (n = 40) or wait-list control conditions (n = 37). A survey with measures that assessed PROSPER well-being components was administered to participants before and after the intervention. Findings of repeated measures MANCOVA revealed no significant time x group interaction effect, Wilks' Lambda F(7, 50) = 1.66, p = .14, eta 2 = .19. Results of univariate analyses showed that a significant time x group interaction effect existed in relationship component (eta 2 = .08), indicating that the intervention was effective in facilitating pre-service pre-school teachers' positive relationships with their peers. Findings underscore the potential benefits of designing positive psychological interventions for teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Integrated STEAM approach in outdoor trails with elementary school pre-service teachers

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was impossible to carry out on-campus teaching and examinations as planned for the first-year elementary school Bachelor's degree teacher training courses during the summer term of 2019/2020. Therefore, we moved our on-campus STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) related courses to schooling at home. For their course examination, students designed outdoor trails in groups with the educational technology MathCityMap based on an integrated STEAM approach. Hence, they combined STEAM with real-world situations (e.g., monuments, marketplaces, playgrounds). The tasks within the trails required the use of technologies such as augmented reality (AR), digital modelling (e.g., GeoGebra 3D Graphing Calculator), and GPS. Analogue measuring tools (e.g., triangle ruler) were also used in the task designs. We collected data from 21 trails with 259 tasks from 49 pre-service teachers to analyse the effects on professional growth in STEAM education. Through hierarchical cluster analysis we identified three different clusters with patterns regarding STEAM in outdoor trails. This paper will describe a pedagogical framework for the integrated STEAM approach to designing and evaluating outdoor trails. Furthermore, we will explain patterns pre-service teachers developed during this professional development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Pre-service teacher perceptions of teaching health education online

Purpose: The forced shift to online teaching delivery during COVID-19 suppression measures in 2020 was a complex challenge for Australian teachers. Teachers were given very little time to prepare online content and very little professional development to teach online. Their experiences prompted discussion about the abilities of pre-service teachers (PST) to adapt content to online delivery if another pandemic occurred while they were teaching in the future. Design/methodology/approach: PST majoring in Health and Physical Education were required to adapt a 4-weeks high school health education unit for online delivery. This study analysed data from PST personal reflections and focus groups to gain a better understanding of their perceptions about teaching health education online and their confidence to adapt tasks and activities from face-to-face delivery or develop unique online tasks. Findings: PST reported varied confidence and competence to plan for and engage in online health education teaching. PST were concerned about student learning and engagement online, and unsure how to best differentiate activities to ensure all student could meet the intended outcomes. Originality/value: Little is known about the confidence and competence of PST to deliver fully online school health education. It is important to know more about this phenomenon to inform teacher education and teacher professional development to ensure teachers are better prepared for online delivery in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

"The show must go on”: Lessons learned from English pre-service teachers in an online teaching practicum during Covid-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

This study explored opportunities, challenges and ways to cope, and lessons learned from an online teaching practicum. Seven pre-service teachers participated in this study after they had completed the online teaching practicum. Using a case study design, the data gathered from a set of questions delivered via WhatsApp and follow-up interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The findings indicated that the online teaching practicum provides opportunities for the PSTs for professional growth as their technological, empathy on students' difficulties, and extracurricular participation improved. The PSTs put effort into ensuring the students engaged in learning. Sharing teaching materials from YouTube and providing PowerPoint, communication using WhatsApp group and personal chats were provided to cope with the difficulty of teaching material delivery. This study implies that teaching practicum programs should be well-planned and well-designed to meet online teaching and learning and to still be able to generate prospective professional teachers. Previously, teaching practicum programs were conducted in a school setting, and recently in an online mode. Therefore, they might possibly be completed in blended learning in the future, which requires Initial Teacher Education (ITE) to anticipate this alternative way of teaching practicum. © 2023 Kasetsart University.

Collaborative identity development during a global pandemic: exploring teacher identity through the experiences of pre-service high school teachers in England

Since early 2020, COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on teacher education. We consider novel aspects of how pre-service teachers have collaboratively developed their professional identities during the pandemic. Drawing on findings from forty-five interviews with pre-service high school teachers working in England during September 2020 – June 2021, we share how collaborative identity development was central and occurred in a variety of spaces, communities and modes. Collaborative identity development featured in how pre-service teachers saw themselves making a positive contribution to society through education and, in strong subject connections. Reflection that is collaborative, personalised, iterative, and separate from notions of formal progression enables positive identity work. Notions of identity are absent from international policy initiatives in ITE (Initial Teacher Education). This case study provides insights for policy makers in and beyond England who aim to support teachers at the beginning of their career so that they are retained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Journal of Teacher Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Asynchronous Pre-Service Teaching Practicum and Work-Integrated Learning amid COVID-19 Pandemic

In South Africa – as is also the case worldwide – schools are closed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic but learning is open. Hence, in a bid to avoid disruption to the academic calendar – which may result in postponing or cancelling teaching practicums – institutions of higher learning, particularly those running teacher education programmes (TEPs), have embraced the idea of conducting teaching practice (TP) online. Pre-service teachers – who usually visit schools for their TP in order to gain work experience – have, therefore, been forced to conduct their teaching practicums not only online but asynchronously. The following questions arose: Is there any link between the asynchronous pre-service teaching practicum, characterised by lack of engagement between the teacher and the learner, and the tenets of work-integrated learning (WIL)? And what is the implication for teacher education programme developers? The authors sought to investigate the impact of the asynchronous model of TP adopted in South African TEPs on adequately preparing pre-service teachers for future teaching practice. The authors also investigated the contribution of this teaching model to the realisation of WIL objectives – particularly preparing pre-service teachers for authentic classroom teaching experiences. Underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative research approach, narrative inquiry as research design, was followed. Moreover, purposive sampling was employed. The data were collected by means of reflective narrative essays and documentary evidence. The main findings revealed that there is a mismatch between the asynchronous teaching model and WIL. The findings also showed that the asynchronous model of teaching practicum was beneficial to TEPs, as it helped to keep learning open;however, it did not provide the required experience and serious engagements for authentic classroom teaching and learning experiences.

Well-Being Profiles of Pre-service Teachers in Hong Kong: Associations with Teachers' Self-Efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The present study aims to (1) identify the profiles of subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) in a sample of pre-service teachers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, and (2) explore how different profiles are linked with teachers' self-efficacy. Participants were 291 pre-service teachers (Mage = 21.295, SD = 2.812, female = 89.903%) who were invited to complete self-report measures of SWB, PWB, and teachers' self-efficacy. Latent profile analysis with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted to identify well-being profiles that emerged in this sample. The results suggested a 3-class model with a high, moderate, and low well-being group. The findings also revealed that the pre-service teachers' well-being profiles as reflected by SWB and PWB indicators were consistent. Moreover, the pre-service teachers in the higher well-being group reported higher teaching self-efficacy than those in the lower well-being group. Findings highlighted the benefits of supporting pre-service teachers' well-being (i.e., SWB and PWB) to maintain their teachers' self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic when teacher education and practicum are significantly disrupted. Interventions targeting various positive psychological skills (e.g., mindfulness, self-compassion, and positive reappraisal) are warranted. Future investigation is needed to examine the longitudinal relationship between pre-service teachers' well-being and self-efficacy.

Distance learning in science and mathematics - Advantages and disadvantages based on pre-service teachers’ experience

The rapid transition to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic occurred without an in-depth examination of its characteristics and implications on science and mathematics teaching and learning. Pre-service science and mathematics teachers completed a questionnaire designed to reveal their preferences of synchronous and asynchronous distance learning compared to frontal learning. Findings indicate a clear preference for frontal learning while synchronous learning was least preferred. The main disadvantages of synchronous learning noted were understanding the content, technical problems, interacting with the lecturer, and means of illustration. Preferences were also examined with respect to mother tongue, year of college, and discipline grade-point average.

Exploring the Usability of Virtual Robotics Programming Curriculum for Robotics Programming Teaching

This study aims to explore the usability of the virtual robotics programming curriculum (VRP-C) for robotics programming teaching. Pre-service computer science (CS) teachers were trained for robotics programming teaching by using VRP-C in a scientific education activity. After training, views of the participants were revealed by using a scale and an evaluation form consisting of open-ended questions. Results show that VRP-C is compatible with the curriculum for robotics programming teaching in schools, and pre-service CS teachers tend to use VRP-C in their courses. They think that VRP-C will be beneficial for robotics programming teaching in terms of content, functionality, and cost. Compatibility, visual design, feedback, time management, fiction, gamification, and cost are the characteristics that increase the usability of VRP-C. VRP-C can be used as an online tool for robotics programming training due to the necessity of transition to distance education because of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Vilnius University, ETH Zürich

Self-Assessment and Pre-Service Teachers’ Self-Regulated Learning in a School Organisation Course in Hybrid Learning

The lack of autonomy of university students is a current problem in higher education, being considered a skill that students must acquire. To meet the objectives of higher education, students, especially those enrolled in bachelor’s degree programmes, must be assisted in achieving a greater capacity for self-regulation, for which teachers must find an effective balance between guidance and self-regulated learning. We worked with 39 undergraduate students of the Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education programme at the University of Salamanca (Spain) who were enrolled in a subject about school organisation, in the context of a hybrid learning mode due to the COVID-19 crisis. The pre-service teachers measured their progress weekly and self-assessed their performance in implementing the subject group work using a digitised rating scale through a questionnaire. The results showed that the students who best self-regulated their learning were more realistic in their self-assessment of their work, although they were not the highest achievers in some cases in terms of the final assessment of the assignment. In addition, the students valued the experience as positive, noting particularly that using the digital questionnaire to reflect on the quality of their work had helped them to improve the final assignment. Based on the results, teachers in the university where the study was implemented are considering continuing this practice and even applying it to other subjects, such as the Final Degree Project, where students have a more autonomous role in their learning and where good self-regulation can have very positive results. © 2022 The Author(s).

Distance Education among Italian Teachers: Differences and Experiences.

The successful integration of technology in teaching is a key component of education. Although prior research highlighted factors fostering the use of technology by teachers, few studies focused on whether these factors vary among teachers of different grade levels and subjects. Moreover, no studies have investigated personal experiences related to distance education among a large sample of teachers. To address these gaps, the present mixed-method study sought to examine whether factors promoting distance education varied among Italian teachers of different grade levels and subjects. A further aim was to explore experiences of teachers using distance education. The sample involved 357 Italian teachers and preservice teachers who completed an online questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic that also contained open-ended questions. Findings indicated that teaching self-efficacy was greater in pre-service and primary teachers, while facilitating conditions were greater in humanities and science secondary teachers. The perceived ease of use of technology and technology for pedagogy skills were more pronounced among science secondary teachers. Advanced technology skills were lower in humanities secondary teachers while the behavioural intention to use technology was greatest among pre-service teachers. Four themes emerged from the qualitative study of teachers' insights. These included positive and negative aspects of using technology, the relationship with students, the versatility of distance education, and the quality of lessons. This study underscores the need to address training based on different teachers' grade levels and subjects, and to focus on the emerging themes to better integrate the use of technology in schools.

‘Destroying barriers to critical thinking’ to surge the effect of self-leadership skills on electronic learning styles

A good deal of data-driven results of current research supported the importance of fostering critical thinking skills of teachers and students. Particularly, there has been a debate about how to handle the barriers to critical thinking. To cope with critical thinking barriers, we comfortably argue that self-leadership skills of teacher candidates can be empowered at the first stage and then their electronic learning styles can be cultivated and improved. Missing from the literature is a structural equation model testing the empirical rationality of three salient subjects and yet their interrelated links. To that end, this research aimed to examine the relationships between self-leadership skills, critical thinking barriers, and electronic learning styles among teacher candidates in an electronic-based education setting adjusted after the outbreak of COVID-19. This correlational study tested a literature-based hypothetic model. The data were gathered from 476 teacher candidates. 365 of these were females and 111 were males. Participants selected from those who have previously participated in electronic learning activities provided by the faculty. Descriptive, correlational, and inferential statistics were resorted to analyse the data. As a result, the study revealed that self-leadership positively predicted electronic learning styles, whereas in fact it negatively predicted critical thinking barriers. Critical thinking barriers negatively predicted electronic learning styles. In closing, for advancing teacher candidates’ skills in getting rid of barriers to critical thinking, attention should be given to promote them to find their accurate learning styles through practicing self-leadership. This study can provide evidence for advancing and understanding both policies and theories of self-leadership, electronic learning styles, and critical thinking barriers.

Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Social Studies in the Context of COVID-19 in Oman

Education in Omani schools switched to online learning in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Within this context, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore pre-service social studies teachers' perceptions of some aspects of teaching social studies. In particular, the study explored pre-service social studies teachers' perceptions of the positive and challenging aspects of teaching social studies, ways of integrating COVID-19 into social studies instruction, the importance of social studies, and suggestions for improving social studies. The participants were a cohort of 16 pre-service social studies teachers participating in the practicum for one semester. The data were collected using open-ended online surveys, semi-structured interviews, and portfolios. Overall, the participants were positive in their perceptions of social studies and their teaching experiences. The most positive aspects of teaching social studies were the integration of technology, diversity of teaching approaches, and collegial support received. On the other hand, the most challenging aspects were related to weak Internet networks, a lack of communication, difficulty in implementing assessments, a lack of instructional time, and difficulty in executing hands-on activities. The findings of the study have important implications for social studies and efforts to improve pre-service teacher education in Oman.