Conceptions of teaching & learning and teaching approach preference: Their change through preservice teacher education program

Abstract

This study investigated the change in pre-service teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning and teaching approach preference over the course of a teacher education program. One group pretest-posttest design was employed. Conceptions of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire (CTLQ) and Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) were used for data collection. Two hundred ninety three (293) randomly selected pre-service secondary student-teachers admitted to Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching (PGDT) program in two Universities were participated in the study. Participants didn’t exhibit significant changes in their teaching approach preference and beliefs about teaching and learning – participants favored teacher-dominated teaching approach and more traditional in beliefs about teaching and learning. At the end of the nine-month-long teacher preparation program, the student-teachers seemed to view learning as recalling and absorbing as much information as possible and teaching as simply telling, presenting or explaining the subject matter. Their teaching approach preference was also found to be consistent with their conceptions of teaching and learning.

Keywords

• conceptions
• constructivist conception
• student-teachers
• teaching approaches
• traditional conception