Students’ voice: The hopes and fears of student-teacher candidates

Shirli Shoyer, Shosh Leshem

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

It is widely claimed that learners interpret new information and experiences through their existing network of knowledge, experience, and beliefs. Research on professional identities of teachers highlight the impact of biographical factors such as teachers schooling experiences, motivations for entering teacher education programs, their initial teacher education experiences and contexts of professional practice, as influential of “construction, deconstruction and reconstruction” of teachers’ professional identities and the kind of teachers they become. The study investigates teacher education candidates’ hopes and fears concerning their future career as teachers. An open-ended questionnaire was distributed to 90 candidates in a teacher education college. The qualitative analysis identifies the domains of candidates’ hope and fears. The findings reveal that candidates expressed more hopes then fears. Their hopes and fears correspond with qualities of the “good teacher” and effective teaching. The study can support the development of prospective teachers towards expertise in teaching and assist program designers and educators in strengthening education programs by catering for students’ needs, taking into consideration their hopes and concerns.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1139438
JournalCogent Education
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Future orientation
  • Hopes and fears
  • Teacher education

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education

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