Becoming a teacher: primary student teachers as learners and teachers of history, geography and science: an all-Ireland study

Abstract

In 2002 IASSEE embarked on a longitudinal research project which has resulted in this report. The research project has been supported by funding from SCoTENS, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. The main purpose of the research was to increase members’ knowledge and understanding of their students with a view to improving the courses on offer in ITE. Throughout the study, the original purpose remained paramount and preliminary findings informed change in the content of courses from an early stage in the process. The research was conducted in three phases between 2004 and 2007/8 with all Bachelor of Education (BEd) students in all of the colleges of education in Ireland. Phase 1 of the project focused on student teachers’ prior experience of and attitudes toward history, geography and science and on the concepts of good teachers they brought with them to ITE. In phase 2 of the study, focus group interviews were conducted in each of the colleges. Phase 3 of the research gathered data on student teachers’ experiences of ITE and on the concepts of good teachers they had developed over the course of the BEd programme. This report presents the main findings of the study.

The report is laid out in the following way: The remainder of this chapter outlines the context of the study in terms of initial teacher education in Ireland and the broader context of curriculum change at primary level. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the relevant literature from which this study draws. Chapter 3 gives a more detailed account of the methodology of the research. Chapter 4 presents the findings in relation to the attitudes of the entry and exit cohorts towards the three subject areas. Chapter 5 presents the positive and negative experiences of the respondents in the three subject areas prior to their college entry. Chapter 6 examines their experiences in college and on teaching practice. In chapter 7 the concepts of the good teacher of history, science and geography which the students had on entry and on exit are discussed. The concluding chapter, chapter 8, draws together the findings of the study and their implications for the teaching of history, geography and science education in initial teacher education programmes, along with recommendations for future action and further research.