Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers’ Preparedness for Professional Experience Placement and Employment - School-University Partnership Opportunities

Oct 15, 2026

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The transition from university learning to classroom application challenges initial teacher education and often triggers “praxis shock,” reflecting confronting exposure to classroom realities. This five-year case study examined a school–university partnership that used authentic learning activities and a team-teaching model to address the challenge. Data from pre-service teacher surveys, journal reflections, and semi-structured interviews showed that the approach strengthened understanding of Australian Professional Standards, classroom readiness, confidence, and professional identity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Praxis shock and limitations of professional experience

School-university partnership design

School-University Partnerships

Reciprocal learning and authentic opportunities

Enhancing Pre-Service Teachers’ Preparedness for Professional Experience Placement and Employment: Authentic School-University Partnership Opportunities Stacey E. Jones Deb Clarke Charles Sturt University, Australia Abstract: The transition from university learning to classroom application presents a challenge in initial teacher education. This transition results in ‘praxis shock’; a term coined to describe the confronting exposure to the gritty realities of the classroom. This case study investigated a school-university partnership that drew on authentic learning activities using a team-teaching model to address the praxis shock challenge. Data were gathered over five years from pre-service teacher subject experience surveys, journal reflections, and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that this authentic approach significantly enhanced pre-service teachers’ understanding of the Australian Professional Standards for teachers, their classroom readiness, confidence, and professional identity: all measures of teacher preparedness for professional experience placement and employability. This research reveals the value of school-university collaborations that use authentic learning experiences to enhance pre-service graduate teachers’job readiness. Keywords: authentic learning, graduate employability, initial teacher education, professional experience, school-university partnership. Introduction Institutions offering initial teacher education (ITE) programs are responsible for preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in contemporary classrooms (NESA, 2024; TEQSA, 2021). PSTs need to develop strong theoretical and practical skills to apply this knowledge in context. Universities have historically provided this preparation. However, given the complex nature of contemporary schools, ITE programs struggle to authentically prepare PSTs for the rigours of classrooms and broader school demands. This challenge is exemplified by ‘praxis shock,’ (Veenman, 1984), the often-confronting transition from the university setting to real-world teaching. ITE programs often prioritise theoretical knowledge over practical application, potentially neglecting practical skill development (Herrington & Herrington, 2006) . While mandatory professional experience placements (PEx) aim to bridge this gap by providing opportunities for PSTs to apply theory in schools (AITSL, 2024a), these fragmented, short PEx may not sufficiently develop PSTs confidence and professional competence. Australia’s ITE course accreditation requirements mandate 60-80 days of school PEx. This short school exposure limits sustained, immersive practical teaching experiences, hindering PSTs skill development and contextual understanding (Darling-Hammond, 2017) . Inconsistent supervising teacher quality further compounds this issue (Parliament of Australia, 2007) . Schools require ‘job ready’ teaching graduates meeting the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APSTs) (AITSL 2024c) at graduate level upon entry to the teaching workforce. This expectation, with limited PEx support, makes the transition from PSTs to independent graduate teacher difficult. Despite designing carefully scaffolded and sequenced PEx, universities have limited ability to prepare PSTs for the realities of contemporary classrooms. Academic instruction on issues like student behaviour or policy, often presented by academics not required to possess school-based teaching experience (TEQSA, 2017), creates inauthentic experiences. Similarly, practicing teachers performing the role of PST supervising teacher, burdened by day-to-day responsibilities, may struggle to engage with contemporary educational theory; hindering their ability to integrate new pedagogical approaches and educational theory into their teaching and supervision practice. A disconnect between educational theory and classroom pract

FAQs

What challenge does the document describe in initial teacher education?

It describes the transition from university learning to real classroom application as a challenge that can lead to “praxis shock.”

How did the study investigate the school–university partnership?

Over five years, it collected data from pre-service teacher subject experience surveys, journal reflections, and semi-structured interviews.

What outcomes did the findings report for pre-service teachers?

The authentic, partnership-based approach enhanced understanding of Australian Professional Standards, classroom readiness, confidence, and professional identity, supporting job readiness and employability.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz