From initial teacher education through induction and beyond: a longitudinal study of primary teacher beliefs

Abstract

A better understanding of the relationship between beginning teachers' beliefs and the pedagogies of teacher education (TE) programmes that support their learning across time can enhance TE programme effectiveness. This 6-year longitudinal study examined the development and change of beginning primary classroom teachers' (n = 6) beliefs about learning to teach. Data sources included reflective writings and semi-structured interviews. These data were generated over a 6-year period from the beginning of a 3-year TE programme to 3 years post-graduation. Inductive analyses of the participants' writings illustrate the nature of the change that occurred in their beliefs about their teacher learning and provide insight into the experiences that shaped these changes. The beginning teachers valued practical and applied pedagogies most in supporting their learning to teach. They reflected retrospectively that TE programme pedagogies promoted a prescriptive approach and restricted them in how they directed their learning to teach. Given the rarity of data-set such as that in this study, this paper asserts the importance of incorporating beginning teachers' retrospective beliefs about their learning in TE programmes as a basis for the design of impactful TE programmes and as a guide to support and direct learning in the induction phase.

Keywords:

• initial teacher education
• teacher beliefs
• teacher education pedagogies
• teacher learning
• elementary (primary) education
• longitudinal

Notes on contributors

Déirdre Ní Chróinín is a physical education teacher educator at the primary level in the Department of Arts Education and Physical Education, Mary Immaculate College and Chair of the Active Schools, Active Communities Research Cluster at the Physical Education, Physical Activity and Youth Sport Research Centre, University of Limerick.

Mary O'Sullivan is the Professor of Physical Education and Youth Sport, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick and founder of the Physical Education, Physical Activity and Youth Sport Research Centre, University of Limerick.