Investigating the Effects of Professional Practice Program on Teacher Education Students' Ability to Articulate Educational Philosophy
Dr. Hani A. Weshah
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in pre-service student teachers' ability to articulate a philosophy education during the field experience. Educational philosophy change for the participants (77) was measured by using Jersin’s scale. Evaluations of scores involved comparison of pre and post the training program. Descriptive and differential statistics; frequency distributions, percentages, Z test and Fisher’s Exact Test were used to examine the independence of the distribution of students on educational philosophies. The findings revealed that students' ability to articulate a philosophy of education did improve. A Fisher’s Exact Test revealed statistically significant differences between pre and post-test scores in the distribution of students in Progressivism and Essentialism philosophies. The Z test results revealed that there are statistical significant change in Progressivism and Essentialism in favor of Progressivism. In contrast to those philosophies, the number and percentages of students under Existentialism remains the same before and after the onset of the program. On the basis of the study's findings, it was concluded that the practicum along with the treatment program had significantly assisted the reflection and articulation skills of student teachers who experienced it, and its retention and expansion were recommended for pre-service teacher training.
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