Naravane, Minal. (2007). PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION AT SECONDARY STAGE IN EMERGING DIVERSE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT: PERSPECTIVES, PRACTICES, PROSPECTS. Unpublished. ERIC, Education

Objectives of the study:

The main objectives of the study are:

• To examine the existing teacher education curriculum in terms of its relevance to emerging diverse educational context.

• To study whether the existing practice of curriculum transaction equip the student teachers to meet their professional requirements for emerging diverse educational context.

• To prepare a profile of teacher educators and examine it in light of the requirements of emerging diverse educational context.

• To analyze the perception of stakeholders with regard to the prevailing teacher education program.

• To study how far the present day teacher education programs are able to achieve their stated objectives.

Sample of the study

• 4 aided and 3 non-aided colleges affiliated to Pune university were selected.

• 32 teacher educators and all the principals from the selected colleges were selected for the interviews.

• 480 student teachers for administering questionnaire and 192 student teachers for group interviews.

• 20 beginner teachers were also selected.

• 20 headmasters were selected for the sample.

Techniques/Tools of the study:

• Content analysis of the B.Ed. Curriculum for examining its relevance with EDEC

• Questionnaire for collecting teacher educators profiles.

• Semi-structured interview of teacher educators for catching in-depth perception about EDEC and its relevance to teacher education.

• Group Interview of student teachers for getting feedback about curriculum transaction.

• Questionnaire for student teachers for capturing the perception about EDEC

• Structured telephonic interviews for beginner teachers for examiningimpact of B.Ed. Course.

• Semi-structured interviews for curriculum framers, Principals of the colleges and Dean of education faculty for understanding the philosophy of curriculum and the reforms needed.

• Dean of education faculty for understanding the philosophy of curriculum and the reforms needed.

• Questionnaire for headmasters of practicing schools for understanding their perceptions about B.Ed course.

Method of the study:

Survey method

Statistical Techniques:

Percentage Analysis

Findings:

• The Indian heritage is reflected in 12.3% of the objectives, 13.75 units and 11.11% of Practical of the proper papers.

• Four general objectives 9.23% of the paper objectives, 15.68% of the units and 11.11% of the practical consider the parameter of national goals and societal aspirations indicating adequate coverage.

• Latest developments in the field of education are adequately covered in B.Ed syllabus

• Except two or three course practicals have theoretical base indicating good integration between theory and practice.

• The theory papers have poor coverage for developing student teachers for their multiple roles there is adequate coverage for developing student teachers for their multiple roles there is adequate coverage in the practicals of practice lessons, content cum methodology and working with the community. Two of the general objectives also indicate development of multiple roles.

• 23.09 % of the practical, ideally speaking all but 9.8% units specifically provide opportunity to teacher educators for innovations.

• 7.69% of of the paper objectives are related to and 20.51% of practicals,9.8% of units provide opportunities for inculcating emerging goals and values in Indian context.

• 13.8% of the paper objectives and 6 general objectives reflect preparing student teachers as agents of social change. 21.6% of the units and 21.1% of the objectives directly provide opportunity for enabling student teachers as agents of social change.

• The coverage of the parameter of international understanding is rather poor, only in 1.2% of the units and in 5.13% of the practicals.

• Only 7.8% of the units and 10% of the practicals help promote professionalism among student teachers.

• Value education of future teachers is felt very essential by the stake holders but special attention needs to be paid to it. The perception about which values need to be developed and how to develop them is traditional. The values in emerging context need to be adopted.

• The teaching of concept of intelligence is restricted to traditional Binnes snf Thurston theory, at the most to the Guilfords theory.

• The concept of teacher as a facilitator is not clearly understood by student teachers.

• The findings reveals that the knowledge about the diverse students in Indian schools is well taken care of the B.Ed colleges.

• ICT is seen as a learning resource by teacher educators but not by student teachers. It may be due to the fact that ICT is seen as a teaching aid in the syllabus.

• One – way interaction between school and community is visualized. Decentralization and its implication, role of community in the education of the children are rarely visualized.

• It has been seen that specific topics related to life long learning are not included in the syllabus. Student teachers become well aware of professional characteristics perhaps due to emphasis given to teacher and his qualities, practice lessons or probably due to image of teachers in Indian minds since childhood.

• Syllabus does not have any component related to internalizat9ion.

• From the findings it was revealed that present B.Ed. Course develops awareness about psychological, sociological and philosophical principles of education but is unable to develop other professional qualities that are stated in general objectives of the course.

Keyword(s): Pre-service Teacher Education,