Preparedness of 4th year teacher education students
Another important aspect of teacher quality and effectiveness are teachers’ feelings of preparedness, or
how well-prepared teachers feel to meet the challenges of the teaching profession (National Center for
Education Statistics [NCES], 1999). Pre-service teachers’ feelings of preparedness are often an important
predictor of their ability to perform teaching tasks as well as their self-efficacy to teach (Housego, 1990).
With national efforts to offer pre-service teachers’ opportunities to spend more time in classroom
experiences, it is important to understand the actual benefits of student teaching on both pre-service
teachers and their future students. There have been a number of descriptive studies directed at
examining the impact of student teaching (Clark, Smith, Newby, & Cook, 1985; Griffin, 1989; Koehler,
1988; Lemma, 1993)
Classroom behaviour problems are a principle source of stress and burnout for both new and
experienced teachers (Blankenship, 1988; Griffith, Steptoe, & Cropley, 1999; Martin, Linfoot, &
Stephenson, 1999; Ministry of Education, 1989; Parkay, Greenwood, Olejnik, & Proller, 1988). Whilst
inattention, calling out, disturbing others and non-compliance are the most commonly reported
classroom behaviour problems (Merrett & Wheldall, 1984), misbehaviour can be “…any behaviour that
significantly interferes with the child’s own learning, other children’s learning or responses, or the
teacher’s ability to operate effectively” (Merrett & Wheldall, 1984, p.87). Teachers believe they spend a
disproportionate amount of time dealing with behaviour problems compared with time spent on
instruction and academic activities (Cains & Brown, 1996). Failure to address misbehaviour compromises
the learning environment whereby academic activities are interrupted, curriculum content is not
covered, teacher authority is undermined, and most importantly, there are decreased opportunities to
learn (Blankenship, 1988; Cains & Brown, 1996; Cartledge & Johnson, 1996; Fields, 1999; Little &
Hudson, 1998; Martin et al., 1999). In light of the pressure misbehaviour places on teachers, it is not
surprising that studies examining teacher attitudes have found that they are apprehensive, reluctant and
least tolerant of children with behaviour difficulties in their classroom (Brochner & Peiterse, 1989;
Cartledge & Johnson, 1996; Forlin, Douglas, & Hattie, 1996; Harvey, 1992; Idol, 1997; Lewin, Nelson, &
Tollefson, 1983; Moeller & Ishii-Jordan, 1996). Teachers report feeling poorly equipped to deal with
misbehaviour, often pointing to their lack of experience and preparation (Martin et al., 1999). Although
it is likely that confidence is one of many variables that influence teachers’ effectiveness in classroom
management, there is a growingbody of research indicating that teacher confidence is an important
mediator in determining how teachers interact with difficult students and how they manage
misbehaviour (Pajares, 1992; Housego, 1990; Martin et al., 1999; Safran, 1989).
Although various factors play a role in fostering teacher quality, teacher educators have a major
responsibility and opportunity to make a difference. Teaching efficacy, or “a teacher’s belief about their
own effectiveness” (Yilmaz 2011, 92), is associated with student’s achievement (Armour et al. 1976;
Cantrell et al. 2013). Teacher efficacy has also been positively associated with teachers’ dispositions and
teaching practices such as higher student motivation, more positive and effective classroom
management strategies, and more time available for academic instruction (Emmer and Hickman 1991;
Gibson and Dembo 1984; Woolfolk and Hoy 1990). In addition, teachers with a high sense of teaching
efficacy have been shown to be more resilient in their teaching and likely to try harder to help all
students reach their potential (Pendergast, Garvis, and Keogh 2011).