Towards the development of teachers for the future

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine student teachers’ views on the kind of teachers they would like to be. The participants were 51 student teachers at the primary education department of a state university. The views of these student teachers were collected from unstructured reports that they submitted following a one-semester classroom management course in the 5th semester. The qualitative data gained from the reports, specifically the attributes that the student teachers associated with themselves, were analysed in terms of classroom management according to Korthegan’s Onion Model using a qualitative content analysis method. The data demonstrate that the participants expressed their opinions mostly regarding classroom environment, behaviour and competency. The reports also present their views about the kind of teachers they would grow into and the teacher behaviour they would like to adopt. The results of the study reveal that the student teacher participants were at the levels of interventionist and interventionist/interactionist control; 2 different approaches to dynamic assessment and classroom management styles. They also used authoritative, educational, behaviour-based, and democratic approaches. The study suggests that, in order for the student teachers to express themselves about their teaching in the layers of belief, identity and mission (inner layers) of the Onion Model, they must be provided with opportunities and experiences.

Keywords: classroom management; Korthegan’s Onion Model; student teachers; teacher development; teacher education