Teachers today must not only be prepared to use technology but must also know how to use it (Butler, D., K. Marshall, and M. Leahy. 2015. "Shaping the Future: How Technology Can Lead to Educational Transformation, 1st ed." Dublin: Liffey Press). The purpose of this study was to explore two primary physical education initial teacher…

Research has shown immersion to be effective, yet our understanding about the integration of language and content in Irish-medium immersion (IMI) pedagogy remains incomplete. This article reports on how the teaching of mathematics in the IMI elementary setting, supported pre-service teachers in bridging the language and content gap. The study…

Research examining the characteristics of both qualified and pre-service teachers focuses on traits including gender, socio-economic and socio-demographic background, knowledge and a variety of relevant affective constructs. Studies also investigate such traits among entrants to initial teacher education (ITE). The desire for more diversity within…

Expectations of teacher leadership for school improvement have gained increasing currency in recent years. While extensive research on teacher leadership and practicing teachers exists, comparatively little research exists at pre-service level and there is little empirical data regarding leadership experiences and practices of novice teachers…

This article investigates policy and provision of music in initial teacher education (ITE) in Ireland and Northern Ireland through a novel approach to comparative music education in ITE. Employing literature reviews and a survey of music ITE policy and provision in the two jurisdictions, it draws on a range of primary and secondary sources and…

Background: The relationship between attitudes and behaviour has led to a focus on the role played by attitudes in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Purpose: This paper reports on an investigation into studentteachers' self-reported attitudes towards mathematics in the context of a mathematics education programme. The programme had been…

In this research we examined the ways we accessed and responded to students' engagement with a set of pedagogical principles of teacher education focused on meaningful physical education. The research was cross-cultural, taking place in universities in Country 1 and Country 2. Self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP) methodology guided…

"Preparing Teachers for Diversity: The Role of Initial Teacher Education. Annex 2 To the Final Report to DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission. Case Study Summaries" is designed as a companion document to the final report "Preparing Teachers for Diversity: The Role of Initial Teacher Education. Final…

The rich diversity of pupils entering Irish primary schools has risen in recent years. This prompts initial teacher education (ITE) programme designers to be increasingly aware of how to best prepare and support student teachers. Consequently, it is important that such diversity be reflected among cohorts entering ITE. This research explores…

This paper examines the influence of life histories and apprenticeship of observation on the formation of student teachers' idealised identities. The life histories of 15 student teachers are decoded. Through eliciting from the student teachers the teacher they wish to be, the paper focuses on the interplay between the personal histories and ideal…

The Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society is now running in its thirteenth year. From its modest beginnings thirteen years ago, to its impressive size today, a tradition has been the production of a conference book, consistently launched on the first day of the conference each year. This year, Volume 13 of…

With a view to linking ideals with action in development education, the preparation of teachers for practice in this area merits consideration. Given the theory/practice disconnect associated with initial teacher education, it is appropriate to explore means of effectively initiating beginning teachers into development education. To that end, a…

In the drive to achieve universal primary education as one of the Millennium Development Goals, there is an increasing recognition of the urgency of focusing on teacher education to both meet the demand for more than one million qualified teachers required to achieve this goal within sub-Saharan Africa, as well as to combat the sometimes poor…

Examines classroom practice in Ireland and Japan, comparing the development of Vygotsky's notion of social constructivism to that of communal constructivism (which reflects the opportunities created by information and communications technology to share and develop knowledge as a central and moral commitment in the development of learning…

Surveyed male and female preservice elementary teachers regarding factors influencing their decisions to become teachers. Females were motivated by perceived intrinsic aspects of elementary teaching but emphasized perceived extrinsic aspects. Males were aware of the feminization of elementary teaching but considered a male presence in elementary…