4. Findings
4.1 The case of the Hungarian university
4.1.1 Document analysis of initial teacher education programmes
Background information
The pedagogical-psychological module of the MA programme includes 18 courses, where nine is of a pedagogical, seven is of a psychological, and two is of a pedagogical-psychological nature. Most of the courses (13) are of 2 ECTS, while the remaining ones are of 1 ECTS. Regarding the type of the course, the practical training courses (12) are dominating over the lecture type (6). Looking at the distribution of courses over the five semesters, it becomes visible that the first semester is mostly course-based (8 of the courses are planned for the first semester), and a decreasing tendency of course numbers implies that the emphasis is being put on practicum. Three forms of assessment are being used throughout the course descriptions: practical assessment in 10, colloquium in 6, and 3-graded assessment in 2 of the cases.
Competences (focusing on research-related ones)
All the course descriptions included a list of competences in the form of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Although these competence descriptions were very detailed, related components were underrepresented in them. Three of the courses referred to a research-related knowledge component. Regarding the skills, on the one hand, some of the course descriptions referred explicitly to skills regarding research, suggesting that student teachers shall become consumers of research (e.g., is able to “read”, “orientate”, “interpret” existing literature), and, even though a slightly less emphasised, producers of research (e.g., “using, developing and creating research knowledge”.
On the other hand, some courses identified skills that are related to conducting research in a broader sense. Finally, there is one course description mentioning an attitude component that might be relevant and can be considered as a characteristic of future teacher researchers, and that is the critical attitudes to one's teaching (examining, discussing, questioning practices).
Table 12. summarises the different knowledge, skill and attitude components identified in the course descriptions.
12. Table. Knowledge, skill and attitude components identified in the course descriptions
Competence items Courses23
Knowledge
Has knowledge about methods of inquiry for revealing the reality of schools 1 Has knowledge about recent scientific results regarding cognitive processes and their development
1
Has knowledge about the methods of getting to know pupils/students 1
Skills
Is able to read and analyse theoretical and empirical research papers related to educational sociology
1
Is able to orientate in the professional literature 1
Is able to interpret national and local measurement results 1 Using, developing and creating research knowledge to inform practices 2
Is able to recognize and analyse problems 1
Collaborating with colleagues, parents and social services 2 Reflective, metacognitive, interpersonal skills for learning individually and in professional communities
3
Attitudes Critical attitudes toward one's own teaching (examining, discussing, questioning practices)
1
Content
All of the course descriptions identified the content, although to different extents.
Similarly, as it was described in the previous paragraph, some of the contents in the case of 2 of the course descriptions explicitly refer to research (e.g., “research methodology”,
“innovative, researcher teacher”, “sociometry”), while some other contents (in 1 of the course) are related to contents that have a less explicit relation to research (e.g., “reflection”).
Course deliverables
In the case of 10 courses there was some form of a course deliverable indicated in the description, Figure 11. visualises the distribution of these. Some course deliverables are based
23 Number of course descriptions referring to the competence item
on a research-related activity (e.g., source analysis, case analysis, observation), but more importantly, there are two courses that explicitly indicated a “mini-research project” as a course deliverable. The deliverables are related to a school-based activity in 4 of the courses.
11. Figure. Frequencies of course deliverables
Literature
Most of the course descriptions (14) included a list of mandatory literature, and in addition to this, 5 of the descriptions included a list of recommended literature. Although most of the mandatory and recommended literature were published after 2000, dominantly they were publications (of any type) of Hungarian authors, and none of the items on the literature lists was on a foreign language.
Teaching-research nexus
None of the course descriptions mentions explicitly that research results are integrated into the course. However, a more in-depth analysis of the descriptions revealed that in one case student teachers write about research, in two cases learn about research methods (one of these cases is related to quantitative research). Moreover, in four cases they conduct research: in two
5,6%
22,2%
16,7%
16,7%
5,6%
11,1%
0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0%
Essay Reflection Source/case analysis Observation (pupils, teachers, lessons) Visiting an institution Mini reserch project
the research process and problems are emphasised, while in the other two the research content, processes, and problems are emphasised.
Research-related activities
Half of the course descriptions mention various activities, and some of these are explicitly research-related. In 4 of the cases it is explicitly defined that the activities are practice-oriented (they are connected to pupils, students or schools). Figure 12. represents the frequencies of student teachers’ research-related activities as described in the course descriptions.
12. Figure. Frequencies of student teachers’ research-related activities
4.1.1.2 A current initial teacher education programme
Hereby follows the presentation of the findings related to the document analysis conducted on course descriptions of the pedagogical-psychological module of an undivided programme offered by a Hungarian university.
27,8%
16,7%
5,6%
5,6%
5,6%
5,6%
11,1%
0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0%
Reflection Observation Familiarize themselves with the school as a
research field
Conducting interviews Dealing with literature Measure something in the classroom Other
Background information
The pedagogical-psychological module of the undivided programme includes 17 courses, where eight is of a psychological, six is of a pedagogical, one is of a pedagogical-psychological, 1 of a practical nature, and in addition to this one course is explicitly related to the field of ICT. Most of the courses (10) are of 2 ECTS, 5 of them are of 1 ECTS, while the remaining ones are of 3 ECTS. Regarding the type of the course, the seminars (10) are dominating over the lecture type (6), and one course is indicated as a practical training course.
Looking at the distribution of courses over the 12 semesters, it becomes visible that the major part of the pedagogical-psychological module’s courses (10) are planned for the first and second year. During those semesters when student teachers conduct their practicum, the number of courses from the pedagogical-psychological module is decreased: from the 7th to the 10th semesters there is no pedagogical-psychological course planned, and in the 11th and 12th semesters (the last year), there are three courses planned. Three forms of assessment are being used throughout the course descriptions: practical assessment in 8, colloquium in 6, and three graded assessment in three of the cases.
Competences (focusing on research-related components)
All the course descriptions included a list of competences in the form of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Similarly to the MA programme, these competence descriptions were very detailed, and 9 of the courses referred to a research-related knowledge component. Regarding the skills, on the one hand, some of the course descriptions referred explicitly to skills regarding research, suggesting that student teachers shall become consumers of research (e.g., is able to
“identify”, “use”, existing literature), and producers of research (e.g., “collecting, analysing, interpreting evidence and data”. On the other hand, some courses identified skills that are related to conducting research in a broader sense (e.g., reflection, collaboration). Table 13.
summarises the different knowledge, skill and attitude components identified in the course descriptions.
13. Table. Knowledge, skill and attitude components identified in the course descriptions
Competence items Courses24
Knowledge
Has knowledge about methods of inquiry for the revealing group and peer relations
5
Has knowledge about the methods of getting to know pupils/students 4 Has knowledge about the role of reflective thinking 2
Skills
Monitoring, adapting and assessing teaching/learning objectives and processes 3 Is well-informed in the pedagogical and subject-specific literature 1 Is able to analyse and interpret the research and development results of these areas
1
Is able to identify and use professional literature when solving practice-related problems
1
Using, developing and creating research knowledge to inform practices 1 Collecting, analysing, interpreting evidence and data (school learning outcomes, external assessments results) for professional decisions and teaching/learning improvement
4
Collaborating with colleagues, parents and social services 8 Negotiation skills (social and political interactions with multiple educational stakeholders, actors and contexts)
1
Reflective, metacognitive, interpersonal skills for learning individually and in professional communities
6
Attitudes
Inequalities and fairness in the light of national and international measurements 1 Pedagogical evaluation and evidence-based learning support methods 1 Dispositions to change, flexibility, ongoing learning and professional improvement, including study and research
5
Critical attitudes toward one's own teaching (examining, discussing, questioning practices)
5
Dispositions to team-working, collaboration and networking 6
Is open to cognition and gaining experience 1
24 Number of course descriptions referring to the competence item
Content
All of the course descriptions identified the content of the course, although to different extents. Although in the overall programme description, and some specific course description the evidence-based approach is indicated, explicitly only one course mentions a topic related to research (“Methods, limitations and ethical considerations of getting to know a child, with a special focus on the method of observation.”).
Course deliverables
In the case of 12 courses there was some form of a course deliverable indicated in the description, Figure 13. visualises the distribution of these. Some course deliverables are based on a research-related activity (e.g., source analysis, case analysis, observation), but more importantly, there are a few courses that explicitly indicate a research-related deliverable (e.g.,
“interviews”, “organisational analysis of a school”, etc.). The deliverables are related to a school-based activity in 5 of the courses.
13. Figure Frequencies of course deliverables
29,4%
41,5%
23,5%
35,3%
5,9%
5,9%
5,9%
0,0% 5,0% 10,0% 15,0% 20,0% 25,0% 30,0% 35,0% 40,0% 45,0%
Essay Reflection Source/case analysis Observation (pupils, teachers, lessons) Organizational analysis of a school Interview Mandatory litreature and its application in
problem solution
Literature
Most of the course descriptions (15) included a list of mandatory literature, and in addition to this, all of the descriptions included a list of recommended literature. Although most of the mandatory and recommended literature were published after 2000, dominantly they were publications (of any type) of Hungarian authors, and only a very few items on the literature lists were on a foreign language.
Teaching-research nexus
Although some of the course descriptions mention explicitly that research results are integrated into the course, its manner and forms of doing it are not always elaborated. In case of 3 of the courses, student teachers discuss existing research results, but there is no information if these results were produced within the university, by their lecturers, or outside (e.g., research publication). In the case of two courses student teachers conduct research, and they write about it. In those courses where research gains importance, research content is emphasised over research problems and processes (research content is indicated in four of the courses, while research process and problem in 1).
Research-related activities
Seven of the course descriptions mention various activities, and some of these are explicitly research-related. In 3 of the cases it is explicitly defined that the activities are practice-oriented (they are connected to pupils, students or schools). Figure 14. represents the frequencies of student teachers’ research-related activities as described in the course descriptions.
14. Figure. Frequencies of student teachers’ research-related activities
4.1.2 Student teachers’ experiences during the practicum, with a special focus on