Pre-service Social Sciences Teachers’ Reflections on a Teacher Preparation Program

Abstract

The need for quality education in South Africa and beyond encourages research that interrogates the preparation of pre-service teachers and their ability to teach in the classroom after graduation. This qualitative paper focuses on the reflections of final year pre-service Social Sciences teachers in a South African public university. Gibbs’ reflective cycle is used as a lens. We used open-ended questions to gather data from 19 pre service Social Sciences teachers to explore their preparedness and readiness to teach in future. The research process constituted two phases. Phase one was implemented from 10 February 2020 to 9 March 2020 and phase two occurred in July 2020. Phase two was necessitated by the negative educational implications of COVID-19. Findings indicated that the participants faced challenges pertaining to content knowledge, which was aggravated by the introduction of online learning due to COVID-19. Despite these challenges, participants remained resilient and optimistic toward the teaching profession. Deducing from their voices, we recommend clarification of content in Social Sciences core subjects of History and Geography. Balanced tuition for content knowledge and pedagogy is recommended. Ongoing professional development is needed for academic advisors concerning subject specifications and for lecturers to empower them about remote teaching, communication, and technological skills to improve teaching and learning. Regular monitoring by the teaching and learning unit in the faculty is required to identify challenges and to intervene where necessary. The varied challenges of online learning also warrant the equipping of students with the necessary resources to facilitate learning.

Problem-solving performance and subject preference: Math avoidance among Filipino elementary preservice teachers

“…In addition, the literature argues for preservice teachers' preparedness for the teaching profession. Preservice training and preparation do not effectively prepare future teachers with limited knowledge, experiences, and exposure (Freeman et al, 2013;Nganga et al, 2020;Nwati & Thuthukile, 2021), and this hits teacher education institutions with various criticisms (Naylor et al, 2015). As such, it is imperative to look at the preservice teachers' preparation, especially in mathematical problemsolving, where limited local studies have been found.…”

“…The worldwide demand for high-quality education emphasizes preservice teachers' attributes (Nwati & Thuthukile, 2021). Despite being hopeful that EPTs will enter the profession with a positive attitude toward mathematics teaching and learning (Ibañez & Pentang, 2021;Ray & Herron, 2021), the reports above prompted this study on the problem-solving performance of EPTs.…”

Pre-service Teachers’ Reflections on Prior Experiences of Learning Social Studies

“…It has been argued that prior learning experience influences preservice teachers' beliefs, views, and practices (e.g., Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009;Martin, 2008). Pre-service teachers who enter teacher education programs possess a range of perceptions and beliefs about teaching and learning and in this context, http://ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter reflection is considered to be a key component in teacher education programs (Hatton & Smith, 1995;Nwati & Thuthukile, 2021). It is defined as "a deliberate thinking about action with a view to its improvement" (Hatton & Smith, 1995, p. 35).…”

“…Consequently, it is necessary to explore pre-service teachers' reflections on their own learning and practice to inform future practice. Adequate preparation influences how pre-service teachers view themselves as professional educators and the way they teach their students (Nwati & Thuthukile, 2021). Within the Omani context, there has been a growing move towards enhancing pre-service teacher education in recent years, particularly in the areas of teaching experience and practical skills (Al-Nofli, 2022;The Education Council, 2018).…”