Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Authentic Learning in a Capstone Unit

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi

Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of Authentic Learning in a Capstone Unit explores how authentic learning occurs through a mandatory capstone experience designed to bring reflection, focus, and professional identity formation. The paper centers on the Stepping Out Conference delivered as a unit for fourth-year pre-service teachers and examines assessment purposes to measure knowledge and skills in real-life work contexts. A conceptual framework for designing authentic assessment and students’ perceptions are addressed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Overview of a Capstone Experience

Pre-service Teachers’Perceptions of Authentic Learning in a Capstone Unit By Rebecca Spooner-Lane 􀀍 Donna Tangen† Capstone units in higher education courses are learning experiences which are designed to bring reflection and focus to a whole course of study while, at the sametime, leading students toward their entry into a new world of work (Humphrey, Brown,& Benson, 2005). The capstone experience described in this paper runs as a conference, called the Stepping Out Conference. The conference is delivered as one unit and is mandatory for all fourth year pre-service teachers. Participation in a capstone unit is an effective way for students to begin thinking of themselves as teaching professionals rather than as continuing students. Students engage in the assessment as part of their capstone experience. The assessment is designed to measure students’ knowledge and skills as they relate to "authentic" real life situations (Darling-Hammond, 1991). This paper details pre-service teachers’experiences of authentic learning through their participation in a capstone unit. Keywords: authentic curriculum, capstone experience, pre-service teachers Introduction As demand for work-ready graduates increase, final-year capstone experiences have become a focal point for discussion across many universities. Capstone experiences have been implemented in a variety of disciplines including, Education (Artzt, Sultan, Curcio, & Gurl, 2012) , Business (Payne, Flynn, & Whitfield, 2008), Information Technology (Steiger, 2009) Law (McNamara, Kift, Field, Butler, Brown, & Gamble, 2010), Pharmacy (Patel, Hadley, Shah, Pate, & Sen, 2015), Sociology (Hauhart & Grahe, 2010; McKinney & Busher, 2011) and Psychology (Baker, McCutcheon, & Keilin, 2007) . Overall, capstone experiences have three major purposes. First, they consolidate students’ learning and experiences over the course of their studies (Bailey, Oliver, & Townsend, 2007); they provide students with opportunities to engage in professional socialization, and professional identities for future employment (Dunlap, 2005); and finally they allow students to demonstrate what they have mastered in relation to what is required for graduation (van Acker & Bailey, 2011) . An important aspect of capstone experiences is that they form part of an authentic curriculum. Assessment in such a curriculum guide students in their understanding of how capstone experiences connect their university studies 􀀍Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. †Queensland University of Technology, Australia. [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.2-4-4](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.2-4-4) doi=10.30958/aje.2-4-4 with the "real world" of work. The purpose of this paper is to outline a case study in which perceptions of soon-to-be graduating education students in the Faculty of Education at a large university in Queensland, Australia are investigated. A capstone unit provides opportunities for final year pre-service teachers to reflect more deeply about the interrelationships between the theory, knowledge and practice they have learned throughout their course. The paper begins with an explanation of the main features of a capstone experience and then specifically the Stepping Out Conference as a capstone experience for fourth-year Bachelor of Education pre-service teachers. The paper also includes a description of Sill, Harward, and Cooper’s (2009) conceptual framework for designing a capstone unit that incorporates authentic assessment before discussing students’ perceptions oftheir capstone experience. Overview of a Capstone Experience Capstone units encompass a culmination of personal, professional and academic learning experiences (Rowles, Koch, Hundley, & Hamilton, 2004) . It has been long recognised that learning takes place over the duration of education courses, rather than in isolated units of study. However, a capstone unit provides students with an opportunity to link previously acquired know

FAQs

What is the capstone experience studied in the paper?

The capstone experience is delivered as a conference called the Stepping Out Conference, required for all fourth-year pre-service teachers.

How does the paper define “authentic learning” in a capstone unit?

Authentic learning is presented as assessment and learning tied to real-life work situations, connecting university study to the “real world” of work.

Why are capstone units considered effective for pre-service teachers?

They support reflection and help students begin thinking of themselves as teaching professionals, while also enabling deeper integration between theory, knowledge, and practice.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi