What Teacher Candidates Have to Say - Analyzing Perceptions of Program Effectiveness across 14 Universities

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen

This study identifies common strengths and weaknesses in teacher preparation programs by analyzing perceptions from teacher candidates and novice teachers across 14 higher education institutions in three U.S. states. Focus areas include Instructional Practice, Diverse Learners, Learning Environment, and Professionalism. Exit Survey data from 691 elementary and 501 secondary candidates, and Transition to Teaching Survey data from 306 elementary and 283 secondary novice teachers, were analyzed to compare perceptions across institutions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Literature Review

Teacher effectiveness and preparation context

Teacher candidate preparedness assessment

What Teacher Candidates Have to Say: Analyzing Perceptions of Program Effectiveness across 14 Universities Yasemin Gunpinar, Ph.D. St. Catherine University R. Kevin Mackin, Ed.D. St. Paul, MN Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify common areas of strength and weakness in teacher preparation programs based on the perceptions of teacher candidates and novice teachers from 14 higher education institutions across three states. The areas investigated included perspectives on teacher preparation related to Instructional Practice, Diverse Learners, Learning Environment, and Professionalism. The Exit Survey results of 691 Elementary and 501 Secondary Teacher Candidates and the Transition to Teaching Survey results of 306 Elementary and 283 Secondary Novice Teachers were analyzed. Results across the 14 institutions demonstrated that serving the diverse needs (Special Education, English Language Learners, Mental Health, Gifted & Talented) of learners, effective communication with parents and incorporating the effective use of digital technology are common challenges across teacher preparation programs. This study can help inform teacher preparation and teacher induction programs to better respond to the professional development needs of teacher candidates and novice teachers. Implications for the results, including this study’s limitations and further research, are discussed. Keywords: teacher education programs, diverse learners, elementary, secondary, teacher candidates, novice teachers, preservice teachers, special education, English language learners, mental health, gifted and talented, parent communication AILACTE Journal 23 Gunpinar and Mackin Since the launch of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002, teacher effectiveness and teacher preparation have been a focus of much political and professional discussion. In fact, there has been an international trend in teacher education that has brought“unprecedented and politicized attention to teacher preparation/ certification and the policies and accountability systems that govern them and measure their effectiveness”(Cochran-Smith & Villegas, 2015, p. 10). This has been especially true in the U.S. where there has been a call to improve teacher preparation so that all American classrooms are led by effective teachers (Cleveland, 2008). The U.S. Congress asked the National Research Council to “synthesize data and research on teacher preparation programs as well as note whether the coursework and preparatory experiences of pre-service teachers were consistent with research findings about effective practice”(Cochran-Smith, 2006, p. 20). Independent liberal arts colleges enroll over 20% of all college students (Hussar et al., 2020) and play a significant role in the preparation of effective teachers in American classrooms. All university teacher preparation programs, public and private, face similar challenges and public scrutiny as they prepare teacher candidates for the increasingly complex job of teaching. Effective practice is clearly a desirable goal but how does a teacher candidate become an effective teacher? Research has identified teacher pedagogical content knowledge, content knowledge, and experience as key components of being an effective teacher (Darling-Hammond, 2006) and high quality teacher preparation is central to candidates gaining that important knowledge and those essential teaching skills (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). When teacher candidates are well prepared, students benefit with increased success. P–12 student achievement is highly correlated with teachers who are well prepared in teacher education programs (Darling-Hammond, 2000). Despite that finding, there is little research that disaggregates the experience of teachers as they prepare for and enter the teaching profession. Although high quality teacher preparation programs have been found to be central to the development of effective teachers, research that demonstrates o

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the study?

To identify common strengths and weaknesses in teacher preparation programs based on perceptions from teacher candidates and novice teachers across 14 institutions in three states.

Which areas of teacher preparation were investigated?

Instructional Practice, Diverse Learners, Learning Environment, and Professionalism were used as the foundational categories.

What patterns emerged across the 14 universities?

Institutions commonly faced challenges in serving diverse learners, communicating effectively with parents, and using digital technology in preparation programs.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen