A comparison of perceptions of preparedness in teacher education
Abstract
This study assessed the perceived levels of preparedness to teach in the K-12 grades by comparing the perceptions of persons who completed a teacher education program and those who began teaching without specific teacher education instruction. The two groups were asked to identify their perceived level of preparedness to deal with like issues. They were: (a) knowledge of content, (b) addressing the different learning styles of students, (c) ability to understand and apply of a variety of teaching methods, (d) interaction with parents, (e) ability to formulate lesson plans, (f) classroom management, (g) interaction with school officials, and (h) knowledge of legal rights and responsibilities of both students and teachers. It was concluded that age and gender had little, if any, effect upon the responses made by those who completed (completers) a teacher education program and those who began teaching without having done so (non-completers). Other conclusions were: (1) Completers and non-completers alike perceived their highest competency in knowledge of content. (2) Completers perceived their ability to address different learning styles to be adequate. Non-completers did not perceive themselves adequate in dealing with learning styles. (3) Completers perceived themselves to be extremely confident in their ability to understand and apply a variety of teaching methods, whereas non-completers did not perceive themselves capable in this area. (4) Both groups viewed themselves as fairly adequate in the area of interaction with parents. (5) Completers saw themselves as extremely competent in formulating lesson plans, whereas non-completers viewed this as a weak area. (6) Completers saw themselves as fairly adequate in the area of classroom management, but non-completers did not feel competent. (7) Both groups perceived themselves as fairly adequate in the area of interaction with school officials. (8) Completers perceived themselves as fairly adequate in knowledge of legal rights and responsibilities of both students and teachers, but non-completers did not perceive themselves to be strong in this area.
Subject Area
Teacher education|Curricula|Teaching|School administration
Recommended Citation
Albert Franklin Jones,
"A comparison of perceptions of preparedness in teacher education"
(1998).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI9907848.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI9907848