In this study, we are exploring the development of professional learning of nearly qualified teachers, here referred to as prospective teachers, during their subject teacher education at a Finnish university. From a teacher educator stance, we aim to understand how teacher education practices can support prospective teachers' professional…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the curricular manifestation of summative assessment literacy in language pre-service teacher education at three universities in Sweden and Finland through multiple case studies. Data sources included program guidelines, course curricula, and study guides. A thematic approach was used to analyze the data…

The aim of this quantitative survey study (N = 287) was to investigate the assessment conceptions of three different pre-service teacher groups (classroom teachers, subject teachers and special needs teachers). Assessment conceptions were best described by the following three main factors: 1) assessment of learning, 2) assessment for teaching and…

Teaching practice is a critical component in teacher education, and better understanding of how pre-service teachers experience and interpret the feedback received in this setting is needed to understand teacher development in initial teacher education. Arguably, the mindset theory can help explain pre-service teachers' responses to and reception…

This study aimed to explore the admitted students of Finnish primary teacher education programmes from the viewpoint of learning strategies, and academic success. An overall view was derived from national register data, which were supplemented with questionnaire data gathered from three teacher education units (N = 216). Primary teacher programmes…

Background: During initial teacher education, reflective thinking can have a key role to play in preparing pre-service teachers for professional practice. Therefore, the approaches taken to assist reflection are important to optimise learning from classroom experiences. Purpose: This case study from Finland sought to examine the development of…

Interest in a particular subject is one central factor in preservice teachers' decision to become subject teachers. Interest in a subject can also become visible in preservice teachers' teaching and may consequently impact their students' interest in the subject. However, the interest of preservice teachers in their major and minor subjects has…

Fluent transitions to higher education are a common concern, especially in highly selective Finnish teacher education (TE). This study examined the fit between the matriculation examination (ME) results and the selection criteria applied in TE. We studied the accepted applicants in Finland in 2013-2015 (n = 5116), and both the accepted and…

We examined Finnish pre-service primary school teachers' understandings of the role of language(s) in learning mathematics and how these understandings developed during a period of teaching practice. We also examined how the participants experienced the usefulness of the ready-made multilingual digital material "Binogi" and how the…

In this article, we review teaching practice supervision methods using Microsoft Teams as a digital, dialogic, and reflective tool in the supervision of the pre-service teachers' teaching practicum. We applied qualitative thematic analysis to data from conversations and supervision discussions between 40 pre-service teachers and their supervisor…

This case study examines joint reflection in the context of peer group mentoring during the teaching practicum, involving three pre-service teachers and a mentor engaging in discussions supported by the video recorded lessons taught by the pre-service teachers. The approach to joint reflection was non-prescriptive and pre-service…

Emotional intelligence (EI) and the motivations behind choosing a teaching career are recognized as important factors in teacher education research. In this study, we aimed to explore the EI profiles of students at the beginning of their initial teacher education and the associations of EI profiles with these students' motivations for choosing…

In this paper, we explore some of the challenges and opportunities of integrating environmental education in pre-service teacher education in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arctic. Case examples from teacher education programs in Namibia and Finland set the scene for a critical analysis of environmental education in teacher training from these two…

Teamwork and collaboration skills are regarded as essential proficiencies in the current worlds of work, study and everyday life. A relevant question is whether and how pre-service teachers have opportunities to begin acquiring professional collaboration skills during their studies. In the current study, Finnish pre- and in-service teachers…

Pre-service teachers' conceptions of assessment have received relatively little attention in research concerned with professional development in initial teacher education. These conceptions, alongside others regarding teaching and learning, however, have a great impact on future teachers' instructional practices. In this study, the authors examine…