Student teachers' experiences of initial teacher preparation in England: core themes and variation

• Published in: Research papers in education Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 407 - 433
• Main Authors: Hobson, Andrew J., Malderez, Angi, Tracey, Louise, Giannakaki, Marina, Pell, Godfrey, Tomlinson, Peter D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01.12.2008
• Subjects: Education systems; emotion; Emotions; England; Foreign Countries; Identity; Influences; initial teacher preparation; Interpersonal Relationship; Preservice Teacher Education; Psychological Patterns; relationships; relevance; Relevance (Education); Self Concept; Student Experience; Student Needs; student teacher; Student Teacher Attitudes; Student Teachers; Students; teacher identity; Teachers; United Kingdom; United Kingdom (England)
• ISSN: 0267-1522; 1470-1146
• DOI: 10.1080/02671520701809825

Drawing on data generated via large-scale survey and in-depth interview methods, this article reports findings which show that being a student teacher in early-twenty-first-century England is a demanding personal experience which requires considerable engagement and commitment in the face of built-in challenges and risks, and which engenders, for many, highly charged affective responses. Student teachers are centrally concerned during this time with their (changing) identities, their relationships with others and the relevance of course provision. Findings also indicate that, in some respects, student teachers' accounts of their experiences are systematically differentiated according to a number of factors, notably the initial teacher preparation route being followed, their age, and their prior conceptions and expectations of teaching and of learning to teach. These findings are situated in the broader literature on teacher development and some implications for teacher educators are discussed.