Collaborative Solutions: Exploring Multi-Agency Partnerships to Strengthen the Teaching Practicum in Low-Income Contexts

• In Event: Higher Education, Internationalisation, and Students

Proposal

Much of the investment in supporting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to achieve SDG4 has been for interventions in teacher training at the primary level (Martin, 2018). Although there is a growing interest from donors and development partners in pre-service teacher education, evidence of mechanisms for strengthening the capacity building of teachers in training in LMICs deserves more attention. It has been recognized that investments in pre-service teacher education do not produce an immediate impact, yet they are essential to the sustainability of pedagogical changes in schools.

The Teaching Practicum (subsequently called the Practicum) is recognized as a critical component of teacher preparation, and it is considered crucial in building a cadre of effective teachers in LMICs (Bèteille & Evans, 2019). In pre-service teacher training programs, the Practicum is usually when the pre-service teachers spend a reasonable amount of time teaching at a school under the guidance of an experienced mentor teacher. This experience is designed to help ensure that teachers are well-equipped to transition into full-time teaching and perform effectively in the classroom. Research from high- and middle-income countries has linked effective practicum experiences to teachers feeling more prepared for teaching (Ronfeldt, 2014), professional identity development (Zhao & Zhang, 2017), and understanding of poverty and other contextual challenges in school settings (Naidoo & Wagner, 2020).

Generally, the Practicum experience entails the participation of the student-teacher, the mentor teacher from the host school, and the supervising teacher educator (e.g., lecturer, tutor, professor, instructor). Typically, other national, provincial, district, and/or zone level stakeholders hold a supervisory or monitoring role to ensure that those involved fulfill their expected roles and guarantee a successful experience for the pre-service teachers. It has been suggested that during the Practicum, the roles of key participants or stakeholders in the training of the pre-service teacher are bring to the fore and that the relative strength of the collaborative partnerships is often revealed (Allen, 2010). Research studies stress the importance of integrating collaborative approaches to ensure the delivery of change and transformation (Barfield, 2016). Engaging in collaborative work elicits feelings of empowerment and significance (Gilad-Hai & Somech, 2016) amongst collaborators, encourages reflective practices and communication (Zehetmeier, 2015), and increases the likelihood of sustainable outcomes (Prenger, Tappel, Poortman & Schildkamp, 2022). Although collaborative approaches can take different forms, they generally involve deciding goals together with others, sharing responsibilities, and working together to achieve more than what could be achieved individually. Collaboration provides the stage to identify unsuccessful ways of working together and to bring about transformation in educational practice (Goulet, Krentz & Christiansen, 2003).

The presenters will discuss how fostering multi-agency partnerships can serve as a mechanism to strengthen the Practicum in Teaching Training Colleges (TTCs) in Rwanda. Partnerships between stakeholders were organized in the form of a Teaching Practice Advisory Group (TPAG) composed of 15 representatives from national education-related agencies, TTCs, primary schools, and other development partners. The research team conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 members of the TPAG and other meeting attendees to explore how the collaboration is guiding decision-making towards improving the Practicum. Five respondents are from the TTC community, one is a head teacher from a primary school, and four respondents are from the national-level agencies performing roles related with the TTCs. Using a thematic analysis, we answered the following research questions:
1. What are the perceptions of TPAG members on the potential for change in the Practicum as a result of this collaborative work?
2. What are potential strategies TPAG can implement to strengthen the Practicum?

One of the themes from the analysis that will be discussed in this presentation is awareness of the current situation of the Practicum at the TTCs in Rwanda as a catalyst for change. To address the issues affecting a successful Practicum, it is pivotal to engage in discussions aimed to interpret the evidence and recognize how the evidence provides an opportunity for changing the status-quo. Regarding strategies, one of the themes from the analysis is uniformity of procedures and materials. The participants reported the critical importance of developing a comprehensive guide for the Practicum to promote uniformity of implementation across all TTCs and ensure that all pre-service teachers across the country are provided with a platform for a successful Practicum experience.

This paper presentation will expand on the research background, methodology, and results of this study. Also, the presenters will share the voices of the TPAG members on mechanisms to improve the Practicum and better support the pre-service teachers to become competent educators. The presenters will also discuss how this group of stakeholders are engaged in the process of change-making and utilizing this multi-agency collaboration as a protest methodology to effect education-oriented justice. Limitations of the research and considerations for implementation in other contexts will be discussed.

Authors

• Ana H Marty, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

• Gerard Murasira