From Theory to Practice: A Mathematics Pre-service Teachers’ Pedagogical Practice Dilemma

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v11i4p109

Keywords:

Pre-service Teachers, Missing Link, Self-efficacy, Performance, Theory-to-practice

Abstract

There are many theories on how students acquire knowledge and how instructions should be conducted in the classroom. Research has presented clear instructional strategies appropriate for students in diverse circumstances. However, most of these instructional strategies are not implemented in the classrooms. This research aims to investigate the gap between theory presented in the lecture rooms and actual teaching in the schools, and to examine the effect of this disconnect on the pre-service teacher. Data was collected through questionnaires answered by students from 11 universities in Kurdistan, Iraq. Results indicate the existence of a gap between theories in the lecture halls and actual practice in classrooms. Perceived insufficient time for instructors, actual insufficient time allocated to the practicum course, broad curriculum, cultural influences, and inadequate qualified and experienced mentor teachers are some of the suggested reasons for the missing link between theory and practice. Recommendations for stakeholders and suggestions on the way forward are discussed.   

References

Allen, J. M., & Wright, S. E. (2013). Integrating theory and practice in the pre-service teacher education practicum. Teachers and Teaching, 20(2), 136–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2013.848568

Allsopp, D. H., DeMarie, D., Alvarez-McHatton, P., & Doone, E. (2006). Bridging the gap between theory

and practice: Connecting courses with field experiences. Teacher Education Quarterly, 33(1), 19-35. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23478732

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191

Caka, C. (2021). Investigation of the relationship between pre-service teachers’ technologies self-efficacy perceptions, attitudes towards the use of distance education environments, and academic procrastination tendencies. International Technology and Education Journal, 5(2), 21-31.

Cheng, M. M., Cheng, A. Y., & Tang, S. Y. (2010). Closing the gap between the theory and practice of

teaching: Implications for teacher education programmes in Hong Kong. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(1), 91-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470903462222

Ismail, S. A. (2019). Teacher Quality Improvement Policy Issue in Kurdistan Region-Iraq. https://doi.org/10.23918/vesal2019.a19

Kerschbaum, F. (2007, September). Simple cross-site attack prevention. In 2007 Third International Conference on Security and Privacy in Communications Networks and the Workshops-Secure Comm 2007 (pp. 464-472). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/SECCOM.2007.4550368

Korthagen, F. A. J. (2010). The relationship between theory and practice in teacher education. International encyclopedia of education, 7(669-675).

Kuswandono, P. (2012). “Reflective Practices for Teacher Education.” Language and Language Teaching Journal 15(01):149–62. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2012.150102

Mohammadkarimi, E. (2023). Iraqi Kurdish Pre-service Teachers and Teacher Educators’ Perceptions on Technological Pedagogical Knowledge and Professional Identity Development. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 48(1). https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.5715

Özkan, Y., & Demir, M. K. (2019). The contribution of mentoring programs to the professional development of pre-service teachers: A systematic review. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 8(2), 157-177.

Papkahan, M, E. (2023). Challenges Faced by Pre-Service Teachers During Teaching Practicum. International Journal of Educational Narrative, 1(5), 300–305. https://doi.org/10.55849/ijen.v1i5.389

Phillips, H. N., & Condy, J. (2023). Pedagogical dilemma in teacher education: Bridging the theory practice gap. South African Journal of Higher Education, 37(2), 201-217. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-high_v37_n2_a12

Rasmussen, J., & Rash-Christensen, A. (2015). How to improve the relationship between theory and practice in teacher education. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 14(3), 213-230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-015-9180-5

Swanson, J. D., & Petrosko, J. M. (2021). Enhancing pre-service teacher preparation through co-teaching and collaboration: A case study of a field-based program. Journal of Teacher Education, 72(2), 214-226.

Vonk, H. (1985). The gap between theory and practice. European Journal of Teacher Education, 8(3), 307-317. https://doi.org/10.1080/0261976850080308

Waswa, D. W., & Al-kassab, M. M. (2022, May). Mathematics Learning Challenges and Difficulties: A Students’ Perspective. In International Conference on Mathematics and Computations (pp. 311-323). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0447-1_27

Yavuz, M. (2020). The role of experienced teachers in improving pre-service teachers’ performance: A review study. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(5), 1865-1871. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99097-8_119

Zeichner, K. M., & Liston, D. (2014). Reflective Teaching: An Introduction. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771136

Zeichner, K. (2010). Rethinking the connections between campus courses and field experiences in college-and university-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1-2), 89-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487109347671

Downloads

Published

17.11.2024

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Waswa, D. W. (2024). From Theory to Practice: A Mathematics Pre-service Teachers’ Pedagogical Practice Dilemma. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 11(4), 109-119. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v11i4p109

Similar Articles

11-20 of 368

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.