Does Teacher Preparation Matter for Beginning Teachers in Either Special or General Education?

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Penn collection
GSE Faculty Research
Degree type
Discipline
Subject
Teaching and Learning
Funder
Grant number
License
Copyright date
Distributor
Related resources
Author
Shin, Sujie
Cook, Lynne H
Contributor
Abstract

The current U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) emphasis on the preparation of teachers in content knowledge, and de-emphasis on pedagogy and teaching practicums, constitutes a major issue concerning how best to prepare a sufficient supply of highly qualified teachers. By contrast, federal policy represented by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) emphasizes both full certification and content knowledge. Our research was based on data from the Schools and Staffing Survey for beginning teachers in both special and general education (separately). Results showed that extensive preparation in pedagogy and practice teaching was more effective than was only some or no preparation in producing beginning teachers who (a) were fully certified, (b) secured in-field teaching assignments, and (c) reported being well prepared to teach subject matter and well prepared with respect to pedagogical skills. Thus, contrary to the USDOE perspective emphasizing preparation in content knowledge, extensive preparation in pedagogy and practice teaching contributed to the attainment of the two key NCLB indicators of a highly qualified teacher: full certification and in-field teaching.

Advisor
Date Range for Data Collection (Start Date)
Date Range for Data Collection (End Date)
Digital Object Identifier
Series name and number
Publication date
2007-11-01
Journal title
Volume number
Issue number
Publisher
Publisher DOI
Journal Issue
Comments
Copyright © 2008 by Hammill Institute on Disabilities. Sage Collections. Postprint version. Published in Journal of Special Education, Volume 41, Issue 3, November 2007, pages 158-170. Publisher URL: http://sed.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/41/3/158
Recommended citation
Collection