Voices from the Field

Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers in the Transition from Theory to Practice

United Voices, Executive Summary

Authors: Yvonne H. Cannon, Ph.D. & Pamela Beck, Ed. D.

Background:

According to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the North Dakota Educational Standards and Practices Board, the teaching shortage in North Dakota has reached critical levels. NDDPI has indicated that shortages stem from enrollment growth, teachers leaving the profession, fewer young people entering the profession, stress factors from COVID-19, and concerns about school safety. Educator Preparation Programs are also concerned about this shortage and are implementing initiatives to recruit and retain pre-service teachers. As pre-service teachers move through the rigors of university teaching programs, they experience many stressors that mirror those of their licensed counterparts. The question is, how do we identify gaps in programming and provide the various supports needed by pre-service teachers to help raise their levels of confidence and selfefficacy as they transition from theory to practice?

Recent research has heightened the awareness of various stressors that impact pre-service teachers as they prepare to transition from coursework to fieldwork. According to Melnick and Meister (as cited by Nahal, 2010), first-year teachers’ expectations differ from the realities they encounter, and the education profession is more complex than anticipated. Collaborative efforts between Educator Preparation Programs and practicing teachers have become increasingly important to prepare the pre-service teacher for the realities of the profession, confirmation of career choice, overall job satisfaction, and retention. This cooperation is essential to identify current programming gaps and create additional support as pre-service teachers transition from coursework to fieldwork.

The following information summarizes a primarily phenomenological mixed-methods study in which pre-service teachers completed a self-efficacy survey and semi-structured interviews to better understand the lived experiences of pre-service teachers as they begin to prepare for student teaching. The sample included a group of pre-service teachers enrolled in universities across the state of North Dakota and were completing their final semester of coursework before the student teaching experience. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to identify emerging themes for Educator Preparation Programs to reflect and respond to pre-service teacher needs. The second was to share the findings with PreK-12 stakeholders as a collaborative effort to support preservice teachers’ transition from theory to practice.

Literature Review:

A review of the current literature suggests that those who become teachers are predisposed to the profession because of how they view the role of the teacher and their love for ongoing learning. However, there is a disparity between what preservice teachers conceptualize about the profession in their coursework to the profession’s realities they encounter in their field experiences. The locus of this research is the perception of self-efficacy of the pre-service teacher. The literature links the perception of self-efficacy to mental well-being, stress, anxiety, teaching dispositions, resilience, grit, and the ability to problem solve.

Beliefs of self-efficacy directly relate to confidence levels. High perceptions of self-efficacy equal high confidence levels, whereas the opposite is also true. The literature noted that those with low confidence levels often experienced imposter syndrome, which has been linked to feelings of stress and anxiety as pre-service teachers may feel unprepared to carry out knowledge, skills, and dispositions (KSDs) provided in their courses. As pre-service teachers navigate the educator preparation program, they may experience ongoing stress or anxiety that can interfere with their teaching performance. In contrast, there are strong ties between teaching success and longevity to the presence of resilience, perseverance, grit, and the ability to implement mental well-being and self-care practices. Resilience and self-care practices taught within EPPs can help pre-service teachers learn coping methods before issues with anxiety and mental health begin. The literature also suggests partnerships with cooperating schools are important in creating a sense of belonging and providing pre-service teachers incremental opportunities to be in the classroom with a mentor.

Summary of Findings:

The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Survey reported descriptive statistics across the areas of Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, and Classroom Management. There was a total of 8 questions per category on the survey. The mean for each category is as follows: Student Engagement-6.47; Instructional Strategies-6.62; and Classroom Management-6.36. The overall combined mean was 6.49, indicating a confidence rating on the TSES slightly above a neutral ranking of 5 on the scale.

The interviews provided rich descriptions that highlighted complexities that pre-service teachers encounter and the importance of self-efficacy perceptions and confidence levels as essential to success in the transition from theory to practice. An analysis of the interviews identified six themes that portrayed the lived experience of the preservice teacher. These perceptions include the following: feelings, dispositions, relationships, teaching expectations, teaching strategies, and confidence levels. Some of these themes overlapped with one another and perceptions of self-efficacy and confidence levels were weaved throughout the responses of the participants.

Yvonne H. Cannon, Ph.D.

Pamela Beck, Ed. D.

Feelings

Interviewees indicated both positive and negative feelings about their experiences. Those who discussed positive feelings detailed strong connections to the profession based on happiness and excitement. They

indicated that the students were the main reason for continued motivation. When their students were happy, they were happy. When their students were successful, they felt successful. Interview responses showed a correlation between positive student interactions and feelings of ongoing motivation, determination, and perseverance.

Interview participants also recognized negative feelings associated with their introductory and practicum fieldwork. The descriptors provided a lens that associated negative feelings with social-emotional well-being, including themes such as stress, anxiety, nervousness, feeling emotionally drained, fatigue, and frustration. From the analysis, negative feelings were linked to both student behaviors and the unknowns and rigor of both academic and emotional teaching expectations.

Relationships

​Interviewees identified key relationships that affected their transition to beginning field experiences. These field experiences were broken down into two categories: introductory and practicum experiences. Primary roles of support came from the cooperating mentor teacher and the university supervisor. Students in the classrooms played a special role in pre-service teacher growth and learning. Other relationship roles mentioned were secondary in nature and included administration, support professionals, specialists, other teachers, and university cohorts. All relationships were identified as critical in the pre-service teacher self-reflection process and provided multiple opportunities to view the connection between teaching and learning through various perspectives. Interviewees indicated that strong relationships created a sense of belonging and strengthened confidence.

Dispositions/Teaching Expectations

​Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) expect pre-service teachers to achieve competencies in knowledge, skills, and dispositions (KSDs). Interviewees identified the following professional behaviors as benchmarks for the teaching profession: positive image/appearance, appropriate communication skills, punctuality, flexibility, collaborative skills, respect for others, attending to diverse needs, prioritizing/organizing, self-reflection, and self-regulation. Mentor teachers, in collaboration with university supervisors, assist students in understanding teacher expectations through modeling and critical conversations, creating a climate of trust and the ability to take appropriate actions when faced with various scenarios during field experiences.

Pedagogy/Teaching Strategies

​The results from the survey indicated moderately low levels of selfconfidence across the constructs of student engagement, classroom management, and instructional strategies. The interviews confirmed the results from the survey, reporting that very few students felt they were effective in transitioning skill sets from these three areas into their pre-service fieldwork. Interviewees highlighted classroom management as a critical area needing attention. Participants indicated that safe classroom spaces required keen attention to routines, schedules, and behavior management and that they felt underprepared for handling various difficult situations they encountered in their beginning field experiences.

Student Teaching Readiness

​Interview questions asked participants their thoughts about overall readiness for student teaching. The analysis of the responses uncovered a wide range of self-efficacy perceptions.

Interviewees who obtained their subbing license had higher levels of confidence than those who only participated in introductory and practicum field experiences. Also, participants indicated nervousness about the basic process of student teaching, such as length, how placements are made, what supports they will have, if their mentor teacher will like them, and overall expectations for completion. One interviewee stated that it would be helpful to have these conversations in stages along the various coursework to mentally prepare for the student teaching experience.

Conclusions and Implications:

​The results of this study indicate there are disparities between what pre-service teachers are learning in coursework to what they experience in practice and demonstrate the need for Educator Preparation Programs to further explore considerations for reframing current programming. One suggestion is to further extend opportunities for innovative collaborations. Building innovative collaborations with K-12 schools can offer pre-service teachers ongoing opportunities to have stability during the introductory and practicum experiences with relationships, environment, and procedures. A second is to use the collaborations in tandem with specific training in EPP coursework to provide pre-service teachers with specific training to handle complex behaviors. Pre-service teachers would also benefit from attending professional development opportunities that would target trauma-sensitive training, social emotional-behavioral learning, character development, and working with students with exceptionalities. This type of programming can assist pre-service teachers to connect coursework to authentic professional issues that will help close the disconnect between theory and practice. Finally, innovative collaborations can assist with preparation for the realities of the profession. Merging what practicing teachers encounter in real-time with the opportunity to ask questions and have critical conversations can help prepare pre-service teachers for the mental load associated with teaching. Providing university mental health support with professional resources for licensed teachers allows for a proactive stance in navigating challenges and helping to maintain a work-life balance.

​The study highlighted the dual role of the pre-service teacher, answering to the university’s and the cooperating school’s expectations. Long-term collaborative mentorships may increase perceptions of self-efficacy, improve confidence levels, raise resilience, and assist in affirmation of teaching as a career choice.

Sources:

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. (2021, December 7). Where have all the teachers gone? https://www.nd.gov/ dpi/news/where-have-all-teachers-gone

North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board. (n.d.) Critical shortage. https://www.nd.gov/espb/critical-shortage

*Note: A full list of references is located in the comprehensive research article.