Journal of Advances in Education Research

Effects of Opportunities to Learn in Teacher Education on the Development of Teachers’ Professional Knowledge of French as a Foreign Language

Download PDF (337 KB) PP. 265 - 279 Pub. Date: November 9, 2017

DOI: 10.22606/jaer.2017.24007

Author(s)

Marie Evens^*
Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Jan Elen
Centre for Instructional Psychology and Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Fien Depaepe
ITEC-imec, KU Leuven campus Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium

Abstract

An important goal of teacher education (TE) is to improve pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and content knowledge (CK). It is not always clear what kind of opportunities to learn (OTL) in TE contribute to pre-service teachers’ knowledge development. We compared different cohorts (N = 360) in TE, and studied the effects of OTL (PCK, PK, CK, and practical experiences) on pre-service teachers’ PCK, PK and CK (in the domain of French as a foreign language). Second and third year students outperformed first year students on PCK, PK and CK (measured through quantitative test instruments). Positive effects of PCK OTL on PCK and PK are found, as well as positive effects of CK OTL on CK.

Keywords

Teacher cognition; teacher professional knowledge; pedagogical content knowledge; teacher education; foreign language education.

References

[1] Altman, D. G. (1999). Practical statistics for medical research. New York, NY: Chapman & Hall/CRC Press.

[2] Baumert, J., Kunter, M., Blum, W., Brunner, M., Voss, T., Jordan, A., … Tsai, Y. (2010). Teachers' mathematical knowledge, cognitive activation in the classroom, and student progress. American Educational Research Journal, 47, 133 – 180. doi: 10.3102/0002831209345157.

[3] Bl?meke, S., Buchholtz, N., Suhl, U., & Kaiser, G. (2014). Resolving the chicken-or-egg causality dilemma: The longitudinal interplay of teacher knowledge and teacher beliefs. Teaching and Teacher Education, 37, 30-39. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2013.10.007.

[4] Bl?meke, S., Paine, L., Houang, R.T., Hsieh, F., Schmidt, W. H., Tatto, T., … & Schwille, J. (2008). Future teachers' competence to plan a lesson: first results of a six-country study on the efficiency of teacher education. ZDM Mathematics Education, 40, 749-762. doi: 10.1007/s11858-008-0123-y.

[5] Bl?meke, S., Suhl, U., Kaiser, G., & D?hrmann, M. (2012). Family background, entry selectivity and opportunities to learn: What matters in primary teacher education? An international comparison of fifteen countries. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28, 44-55. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2011.08.006.

[6] Bowerman, B. L., & O'Connell, R. T. (1990). Linear statistical models: An applied approach (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Duxbury.

[7] Capraro, R. M., Capraro, M. M., Parker, D., Kulm, G., & Raulerson, T. (2005). The mathematics content knowledge role in developing preservice teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 20, 108-124.

[8] Cochran-Smith, M., & Zeichner, K. M. (2005). Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA panel on research and teacher education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

[9] Connelly, F. M., Clandinin, D. J., & He, M. F. (1997). Teachers' personal practical knowledge on the professional knowledge landscape. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13, 665-674. doi: 10.1016/S0742-051X(97)00014-0.

[10] Council of Europe (n.d.). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf.

[11] Depaepe, F., Verschaffel, L., & Kelchtermans, G. (2013). Pedagogical content knowledge: A systematic review of the way in which the concept has pervaded mathematics educational research. Teaching and Teacher Education, 34, 12-25. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2014.12.009.

[12] Fauth, B., Decristan, J., Rieser, S., Klieme, E., & Büttner, G. (2014). Student ratings of teaching quality in primary school: Dimensions and prediction of student outcomes. Learning and Instruction, 29, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.07.001.

[13] Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics. London, UK: Sage.

[14] González Humanez, L. E., & Arias, N. (2009). Enhancing oral interaction in English as a foreign language through task-based learning activities. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 2, 1-9. doi:10.5294/laclil.2009.2.2.10.

[15] Grossman, P. L. (1990). The making of a teacher: Teacher knowledge and teacher education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

[16] Herazo Rivera, J. D. (2010). Authentic oral interaction in the EFL class: What it means, what it does not. PROFILE Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, 12, 47-61.

[17] Hlas, A., & Hildebrandt, S. (2010).: Spanish Liberal Arts and Spanish Education majors' writing. L2 Journal, 2, 1–22.

[18] K?nig, J., Bl?meke, S., Paine, L., Schmidt, W. H., & Hsieh, F.-J. (2011). General pedagogical knowledge of future middle school teachers: On the complex ecology of teacher education in the United States, Germany, and Taiwan. Journal of Teacher Education, 62, 188-201. doi: 10.1177/0022487110388664.

[19] K?nig, J., Lammerding, S., Nold, G., Rohde, A., Strau?, S., & Tachtsoglou, S. (2016). Teachers' professional knowledge for teaching English as a foreign language: Assessing the outcomes of teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 67, 320-337. doi: 10.1177/0022487116644956.

[20] K?nig, J., & Pflanzl, B. (2016). Is teacher knowledge associated with performance? On the relationship between teachers' general pedagogical knowledge and instructional quality. European Journal of Teacher Education, 39, 419-436. doi: 10.1080/02619768.2016.1214128.

[21] Kleickmann, T., Richter, D., Kunter, M., Elsner, J., Besser, M., Krauss, S., & Baumert, J. (2013). Teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge: The role of structural differences in teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 64, 90-106. doi: 10.1177/0022487112460398.

[22] Krauss, S., Brunner, M., Kunter, M., Baumert, J., Blum, W., Neubrand, M., & Jordan, A. (2008). Pedagogical content knowledge and content knowledge of secondary mathematics teachers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 716–725. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.100.3.716.

[23] Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Baumert, J., Richter, D., Voss, T., & Hachfeld, A. (2013). Professional competence of teachers: Effects on instructional quality and student development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 805-820. doi: 10.1037/a0032583.

[24] Kwakernaak, E. (2009). Didactiek van het vreemdetalenonderwijs. [Didactics of foreign language education]. Bussum, the Netherlands: Coutinho.

[25] Lim-Teo, S.K., Chua, K.G., Cheang, W.K. & Yeo, J.K.K. (2007). The development of diploma in education student teachers' mathematics pedagogical content knowledge. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 5, 237-261.

[26] Magnusson, S., Krajcik, J., & Borko, H. (1999). Nature, sources and development of pedagogical content knowledge for science teaching. In J. Gess-Newsome & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Examining pedagogical content knowledge (pp. 95 – 132). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

[27] Martens, L., & Voets, E. (2012). Hoe 'stERK' is het Frans van de beginnende studenten Bachelor Lager Onderwijs? [How strong is the French level of beginning students in primary school teacher education?] Tijdschrift voor lerarenopleiders (VELON/VELOV), 33, 57-66.

[28] Pigge, F.L., & Marso, R.N. (1997). A seven-year long multi-factor assessment of teaching concerns development through preparation and early years of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13, 225 – 235.

[29] Qian, H., & Youngs, P. (2016). The effect of teacher education programs on future elementary mathematics teachers' knowledge: a five-country analysis using TEDS-M data. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 19, 371-396. doi: 10.1007/s10857-014-9297-0.

[30] Schmidt, W. H., Cogan, L., & Houang, R. (2011). The role of opportunity to learn in teacher preparation: An international context. Journal of Teacher Education, 62, 138–153. doi: 10.1177/0022487110391987.

[31] Sercu, L., Vyncke, C., & Peters, E. (2003). Testen en evalueren in het vreemdetalenonderwijs [Assessment and evaluation in foreign language education]. Mechelen: Plantyn.

[32] Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15, 4 – 14.

[33] Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1 – 22.

[34] Stahnke, R., Schueler, S., & Roesken-Winter, B. (2016). Teachers' perception, interpretation, and decision-making: A systematic review of empirical mathematics education research. ZDM Mathematics Education, 48, 1-27. doi: 10.1007/s11858-016-0775-y.

[35] Strawhecker, J. (2005). Preparing elementary teachers to teach mathematics: How field experiences impact pedagogical content knowledge. Issues in the Undergraduate Mathematics Preparation of School Teachers, 4, 1-12.

[36] Stürmer, K., K?nings, K. D., & Seidel, T. (2013). Declarative knowledge and professional vision in teacher education: Effect of courses in teaching and learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 467–483. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8279.2012.02075.x.

[37] Theissen, S., Hiligsmann, P., Rasier, L., & Klein, C. (2015). Nederlands-Frans in contrast, 2000 lexicologische valstrikken in het Frans [Dutch-French in contrast, 2000 lexicological pitfalls in French]. Leuven, Belgium: Acco.

[38] Verloop, N., van Driel, J. H., & Meijer, P. (2001). Teacher knowledge and the knowledge base of teaching. International Journal of Educational Research, 35, 441–461. doi: 10.1016/S0883-0355(02)00003-4.

[39] Voss, T., Kunter, M., & Baumert, J. (2011). Assessing teacher candidates' general pedagogical/psychological knowledge: Test construction and validation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103, 952-969. doi: 10.1037/a0025125.

[40] Watzke, J.L. (2007). Foreign language pedagogical knowledge: Toward a developmental theory of beginning teacher practices. The Modern Language Journal, 91, 63-82.