Learning to Teach in Times of COVID-19 Versus Before: Comparing Third-Year Bachelor Student Teacher Surveys in 2018 and 2021

• In Event: Learning to Teach in Times of COVID-19: Challenges, Trends, and Concerns

Abstract

Caused by COVID-19 pandemic universities and schools in Germany closed in 2020 and 2021, either temporarily or completely. Student teachers (ST) had to rely on digital ways of learning opportunities during teacher education. Moreover, ST have been experiencing sever cutbacks in terms of practical learning opportunities due to school closure (author et al, 2020). This presentation therefore examines two research questions that are related to how school closure constraints during COVID-19 pandemic have affected ST competence development: First, we ask which practical learning opportunities have been reduced during pandemic. Second, we ask how these reductions have affected teacher competence such as student teachers’ self-efficacy. To analyze our research questions, we use data from two large student teacher surveys, each conducted at the end of the Bachelor teacher education program at the University of Cologne, one of the largest teacher education universities in Europe. Both in 2018 and in 2021, all Bachelor ST in their 6th semester were asked to participate in a large survey, comprising various teacher competence constructs (e.g., teacher self-efficacy) and a survey on the learning opportunities the student teachers had been exposed to. Cohort I (n = 430) surveyed in 2018 had entered initial teacher education in 2015, whereas cohort II (n = 210) surveyed in 2021 had entered in 2018. Our focus is on differences in practical learning opportunties (teaching practice) and teacher self-efficacy as an outcome of learning to teach in the practical setting. Teaching practice was measured using an existing survey instrument with 74 items covering several dimensions (author, 2017): Lesson planning (e.g., ‘I have formulated learning goals aligned to the curriculum’), teaching (e.g., ‘I have checked attendance’), Linking theories to situations (e.g., ‘I have observed teaching methods that I have learned at my university course’), Reflecting on practice (e.g., ‘I have drawn conclusions for future teaching’). Moreover, teachers’ self-efficacy was measured using the instrument developed by Pfitzner-Eden et al. (2014) with three dimensions: instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. There are significant mean differences in teaching practice between the two cohorts. Compared with the cohort surveyed in 2018, cohort II reports significantly lower means in the dimensions ‘lesson planning’ and ‘teaching’ (Cohen’s d > .2 respectively). In cohort II, both dimensions ‘lesson planning’ and ‘teaching’ significantly predict student teachers’ teacher self-efficacy (standardized regression coefficients > .2). Compared with the cohort surveyed in 2018, cohort II reports significantly lower means in all three dimensions of teacher self-efficacy (Cohen’s d > .2 respectively). Further in-depth analyses based on the two data sets (including existing student data when entering initial teacher education in 2015 / 2018) will be prepared for the presentation at AERA 2022. During pandemic, student teachers have been experiencing severe reduction in learning opportunities, in particular related to teaching practice. Our research emphasizes the relevance to support student teachers’ development of their professional competence in times of COVID-19, so that they have equal opportunities in becoming highly qualified teachers.

Author

• Johannes Koenig, University of Cologne