Understanding the reasoning of pre-service teachers: a think-aloud study using contextualised teaching scenarios

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study sought to understand the reasoning of pre-service teachers through think-aloud interviews with teacher education students at the beginning of their postgraduate degree (six elementary and six secondary). Interviews focused on contextualised and challenging teaching scenarios with a range of response options previously confirmed through the use of situational judgement test (SJT) methodology. The authors’ three-step analysis revealed seven concepts that highlighted the motivations and beliefs underlying the reasoning of pre-service teachers. Practical implications include professional development around decision-making during teacher education programs. Future research will explore the use of SJTs in developing key non-academic attributes for effective teaching.

KEYWORDS:

• Non-academic attributes
• pre-service teachers
• think-aloud interviews
• situational judgement tests
• reasoning

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the expertise of Robert Klassen and Lisa Kim (Teacher Selection Project, University of York, UK) who provided the situational judgement test items used in this study and reviewed an early draft of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lynn Sheridan

Dr Lynn Sheridan’s research interests include teacher development, teacher identity, mentoring, non-academic attributes of teachers and work-integrated learning. She presently works as a Senior Academic in the School of Education at University of Wollongong, Australia.

Tracy L. Durksen

Dr Tracy L. Durksen’s research interests include teacher education and professional development, measuring psychological characteristics of effective teachers, and enhancing teacher recruitment and selection. She is a lecturer in educational psychology at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Sharon Tindall-Ford

Dr Sharon Tindall-Ford’s research has been in two distinct areas – cognitive load theory – effects of modality, imagination and self-management – and teacher education (pre- and in-service). She is works as an Associated Professor in the School of Education at University of Wollongong, Australia.