ARTICLES

 

Towards the development of teachers for the future

 

 

M. Sencer Bulut Özsezer; Ayten Iflazoglu Saban

Department of Primary School Teaching, Faculty of Education, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. sbulut@cu.edu.tr

 

 

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to examine student teachers' views on the kind of teachers they would like to be. The participants were 51 student teachers at the primary education department of a state university. The views of these student teachers were collected from unstructured reports that they submitted following a one-semester classroom management course in the 5th semester. The qualitative data gained from the reports, specifically the attributes that the student teachers associated with themselves, were analysed in terms of classroom management according to Korthegan's Onion Model using a qualitative content analysis method. The data demonstrate that the participants expressed their opinions mostly regarding classroom environment, behaviour and competency. The reports also present their views about the kind of teachers they would grow into and the teacher behaviour they would like to adopt. The results of the study reveal that the student teacher participants were at the levels of interventionist and interventionist/interactionist control; 2 different approaches to dynamic assessment and classroom management styles. They also used authoritative, educational, behaviour-based, and democratic approaches. The study suggests that, in order for the student teachers to express themselves about their teaching in the layers of belief, identity and mission (inner layers) of the Onion Model, they must be provided with opportunities and experiences.

Keywords: classroom management; Korthegan's Onion Model; student teachers; teacher development; teacher education

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Introduction

Teaching is a profession which one wants to become and move on her/his own path (Cüceloglu & Erdogan, 2013). Being a teacher means going beyond pre-determined personal and occupational competencies and making sense of the process through feeling, living, learning, being devoted to and integrating with the student. Being a teacher necessitates a strong sense of mutual belonging between the teacher and the student (Kesner, 2000; Pianta, Hamre & Allen, 2012; Riley, 2009). Thus, the field of teacher education aims to train teachers as effectively as possible so that they can become successful and competent teachers.

A large body of literature is available concerning the pre-conceived notions of the necessary qualifications for teacher education and student teachers (Botha & Rens, 2018; Boz & Boz, 2006; Darling-Hammond, 2000; Frick, Carl & Beets, 2010; Seferoglu, 2006; Wilson & Demetriou, 2007). Societies also have high expectations of teachers. For countries with limited economic resources that remain in need of being globally competitive, such as Turkey, teacher education becomes crucially important. In countries like these, education ministries and educational policy makers set up frameworks for what is expected of teachers, and these qualifications have several pre-conceived notions for teacher education. For example; in South Africa policy makers expect teachers to be "1) a specialist in a phase, subject, discipline or practice; (2) a learning mediator; (3) an interpreter and designer of learning programmes and materials; (4) a leader, administrator and manager; (5) a scholar, researcher and lifelong learner; and (6) an assessor. In this country (7), teachers are also expected to fulfil a community, citizenship and pastoral role" (Department of Higher Education and Training, Republic of South Africa, 2015, cited in Kok & Meyer, 2018:1). The Ministry of National Education (MEB, 2017) in Turkey also expects similar conditions for qualified teachers. There are necessary associated elements of personalities for teachers included in these conditions mandated for qualified teachers in Turkey. Teacher identity and personality are of vital importance in teacher education because it provides a basis for making meaningful decisions and it is necessary to start teacher education with discovering one's own teaching self (Kok & Meyer, 2018). For this reason, we researched student teachers' views about the kinds of teachers that they would want to be in the future.

Literature Review

Most scholars argue that student learning is greatly influenced by the teacher's classroom management behaviour and teaching strategies. As such, how teachers use their own pedagogical content knowledge to transfer information to students is crucial. Therefore, it can be said that providing and maintaining an emotionally positive environment is vital for integrating the dimensions of classroom management (Cohen, 2001; Weare, 2000).

Some studies conducted relating to teacher competencies focused on a good and effective teacher (Atmaca, 2017; Sahin, 2011). There are, however, views claiming that it is quite difficult to address this issue (Hamacheck, 1999). The field of teacher education aims to train teachers to be effective; therefore, this field is understandably influenced by many disciplines. Regarding the pedagogic perspective, it is shown to be mainly affected by psychology (Korthagen, 2004; Miller, 2003; Stemler, Elliott, Grigorenko & Sternberg, 2006). When teacher competencies are solely related to concrete outputs such as listing personal criteria and attributes such as flexibility or feeling excited about his/her profession, we ignore the fact that the teacher is more than these concrete competencies (Korthagen, 2004). Feeling anxious, as expressed by Korthagen (2004), is suggested to be included in a variety of factors influencing the process of competent teaching. Korthagen investigated these factors in interwoven layers/levels, naming this model, the Onion Model (see the figure in Korthagen, 2004:80). These layers are environment, behaviour, competencies, beliefs, identity, and mission (from the outermost to the innermost).

1) Environment (What am I dealing with?)

2) Behaviour (What do I do?)

3) Competencies (What am I competent at?)

4) Beliefs (What do I believe?)

5) Identity (Who I am as a ...)

6) Mission (What inspires me?)

The layers of environment and behaviour are related to circumstances that can be observed in other people (Korthagen, 2004). These observable circumstances consist of the classroom, the students, the school and the teacher-student behaviour (Korthagen, 2004; Korthagen, Loughran & Lunenberg, 2005). These two layers include the problems that student teachers, qualified teachers and students all face in the classroom or school environment. The best ways to solve these problems are also the focus in these two outermost layers (Koehler, Feldhaus, Fernandez & Hundley, 2013; Kwok, 2016; Sokal, Smith & Mowat, 2003).

The third layer of the model refers to competencies. What makes this layer different from the behaviour layer is that it considers an extensive accumulation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (Korthagen, 2004). To achieve this layer, teachers and student teachers need to be aware of and internalise what they are doing and how they are doing it. In other words, transformation of the student teachers' behaviour into competencies depends on whether they can or cannot reflect on their own practices. For clarification, behaviour can be observed from the outside. For example, someone is typing a manuscript and the others can see this action. Yet competencies are skills, and cannot be directly observed; they are potentials for behaviour. For example, someone has developed writing skills and skills in explaining things through examples. They have the potential for these competencies and may turn them into actual behaviour when needed.

Moreover, the Onion Model reveals that the competencies of teachers and student teachers are determined by their beliefs, which is the fourth layer of the model (Korthagen, 2004). Creating and maintaining an emotionally positive environment is also linked to teachers' beliefs. The teacher is supposed to provide an environment or show a managerial perception in line with his/her beliefs. Therefore, beliefs are convictions, things one believes in regarding the situation that the person encounters. For example, a teacher believes that it is important to react to a student' s question by doing his/her best to understand the rationale behind the question.

The fifth layer of the model refers to identity, that is about the teachers' beliefs about themselves and their own personal identity. A person's self-identification and how they see themselves in the teaching profession, represents their identity construct. Towards the heart of the model, it can be seen that the professional identity and development of the teachers draws much attention (Korthagen, 2004). Humanistic approaches have brought the question, "Who am I?", into prominence in teacher education. These approaches have also considered the perspective of implying what kind of teacher an individual aspires to be. In the field of teacher education, these approaches have reinforced the idea that how a teacher perceives his/her role as a teacher must be questioned (Miller, 2003). This is a prerequisite for developing professional identity as well.

As the role of a teacher has been moving away from one who simply transfers knowledge to being more of a guide for students, it is essential to encourage student teachers to develop opinions about their own roles as teachers. These opinions are affected by important events and people in the lives of the student teachers (Bullough, 1997; Kelchtermans & Vandenberghe, 1994).

Furthermore, the experiences of teachers with important people in their lives in early childhood result in their formation of a teacher role and their unique behaviour in the classroom. In this sense, the upbringing of student teachers affect their beliefs about themselves and the teaching profession (Mayes, 2001).

Korthagen (2004) states that it is possible to distinguish between the personal self and the professional self. He also added that the accuracy of distinguishing between these two can be difficult for the teacher. Day, Kington, Stobart and Sammons (2006) suggest that there is a reciprocal relationship between personal and professional identities which is affected by one's personal background. Bullough (1997) appraised the situation from the teacher education point of view and reiterates that teacher identity is of vital importance in teacher education because it provides a basis in decision-making and it is necessary to start teacher education with discovering the teaching self (me as a teacher). Korthagen (2004) indicates that professional identity is formed by a combination of unconscious needs, images, emotions, values, people taken as models, past experiences and behavioural tendencies in the form of Gestalt principles.

The innermost layer in the Onion Model refers to mission. This layer is related to how teachers want to perform their jobs and how they see the world (Korthagen, 2004). Briefly, what guides one's actions is what one has in his/her inner world and how one perceives the world, which is called the mission (Korthagen, 2004). Dilts (1990) calls this a spirituality level. In fact, this layer is related to the meaning of one's own existence and seeing oneself in one's relationships with others. However, this layer is distinguishable from the layer of identity regarding its content. Individualism takes part in the layer of identity, whereas family, social groups, culture, and compatible and meaningful experiences with a bigger structure are all factors involved in the layer of mission. In short, it means how well an individual assigns meaning to his/her existence and how he/she presents their purpose or source of inspiration in life (Korthagen, 2004).

Teachers and student teachers are affected at many layers; such as environment, behaviour, competence (the three outer layers), belief, identity and mission (the three inner layers) while forming their own understanding of teaching. It is possible to become a teacher if all of these comply with one another (Korthagen, 2004). In other words, if harmony between these inner and outer layers is maintained, teachers and student teachers can develop and carry their own understanding of teaching into effect authentically (Korthagen et al., 2005). Therefore, teacher education must be organised by involving the values that shape the teaching identity of student teachers, their norms and beliefs, and practical experiences they face (Alsup, 2006; Korthagen, 2004).

Related literature reveals the attitudes of teachers and student teachers towards classroom management within the scope of the scale administered (approaches that constitute the theoretical background of the scale: interventionist, interactionist, noninterventionist). These quantitative studies that investigated the teachers' role in terms of classroom management attempted to establish a profile within the framework of the approaches constituting the theoretical structure of the scale (Kurt, Ekici, Aktas. & Aksu 2013; Sadik & Sadik, 2014; Savran, 2002). This issue, including all views in this field, must be investigated in a more holistic and profound way rather than a single theoretical point of view, as both the teachers' behaviour and classroom management in this context are multidimensional. In our study we focused on the multidimensional features of classroom management. Student teachers' explanations of their own behaviour and developing a relationship among these behaviours according to Korthagen's Onion Model, develops a new view while presenting their own profiles.

In this study we aimed to reveal how a student teacher's experiences related to classroom management courses reflect on their identity as teachers. These reflections have been analysed in terms of approaches, behaviour control strategies in the literature related to classroom management, as well as teacher training and Korthegan' s Onion Model. Within the framework of the resources searched, we could find no studies aimed at determining student teachers' perceptions about what kind of teacher they would be in terms of classroom management.

The Purpose of the Research

The main purpose of this research was to investigate student teachers' views about what kind of teachers they would be in the future in terms of classroom management. In line with this purpose, the following questions were formulated:

1) What are the views of student teachers about the kind of teachers they would be in the future?

2) Which teacher behaviours would student teachers consider appropriate for themselves?

 

Research Design and Methodology

In our study we adopted a constructivist/interpretative approach. Since this approach reflects the nature of qualitative research, a phenomenology design was chosen. Phenomenological studies illustrate how individuals perceive, describe and make judgements about the phenomena being investigated and how they convey their perceptions. These phenomena can be real or fictional and may be emotions which can be measured or felt, or an occupation or programme (Patton, 2002). The focus of our research was student teachers' views and feelings about what kind of teachers they would be in the future. The participants in the study were student teachers who completed their fifth semester in the primary school education department and who had not taken practicum courses yet. We aimed to determine how student teachers identified themselves as teachers after attending a compulsory classroom management course. In line with the aim of this study, the student teachers were invited to answer two open-ended questions in the last week of the 14-week course (report). A purposive sampling method was used to choose the study group. Criterion sampling was used. The criteria were the following: attendance of the classroom management course, not having taken the practicum course before, voluntary participation in this study. Although 73 participants volunteered to take part in the study, only 51 of them (28 females and 23 males) responded appropriately. So, 51 student teachers aged 20 to 26 years old were the participants of this study.

In line with the aim of the study, the student teachers were asked the following questions: "How do you perceive yourself as a teacher in the future?", "What do you think you will be like as a teacher in the future?".

Although the data in phenomenological studies are generally collected by means of interviews, transfer of perspectives in writing, novels, poems and films are also used (Creswell, 2007). In this study the student teachers' reports focused on the kind of teachers they would be in the future.

Content analysis was used to analyse the obtained data. During the content analysis process, various codes emerged from the expressions of the student teachers. These codes were assessed and then some patterns revealing the relationship between them were reached. The codes were formed in light of the concepts used in the literature of classroom management and teacher education. In fact, codes obtained from data called "horizonalization" by Moustakas (1994, as cited in Creswell, 2007:59), which means actually listing the important and meaningful quotations from the participant' s perspectives. The codes obtained in this study were presented in categories (themes) under a thematic structure in a manner that will create patterns later. Moreover, quotations which would help to better understand how the participants had perceived the phenomenon were included in the findings. The determined themes were commented on and explained in relation to one another; the results were presented in connection with the related literature and in accordance with the purpose of the research. In order to protect the participant's identities, we used abbreviations (F2 or M8) to refer to the participants. M and F were used for male and female student teachers respectively. The numbers used refer to the order of analysis.

For reliability and validity, Lincoln and Guba's (1985) evaluative criteria were adapted. They state that the concept of "trustworthiness" is suitable for qualitative research. They set four principles: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. In our research, to ensure trustworthiness, the following steps were taken; analyst triangulation, theory and perspective triangulation, peer debriefing, and thick descriptions. Insight and the conceptual abilities of analysts are considered important. The researchers in this study are experienced in training student teachers and have insight into this field. Although codes and themes that emerged were composed in line with the participants' views, concepts were formed through literature related to classroom management and teacher training. To be precise, analyst triangulation and theory/perspective triangulation were used.

The participants' reports were coded separately by the two researchers and then each code was studied individually. The perceptions that were coded differently by the researchers were reviewed and finalised trough consensus. To avoid researcher bias or background effect (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), the codes were presented to a third person who had no direct contact with the study (peer debriefing).

For transferability, theoretical-purpose sampling and detailed description were used (Yildirim & Sims.ek, 2008). The sample in this study was identified through purposive sampling; the reporting was done in detail and included the participants' comment. In this way, we tried to ensure the credibility and transferability of the research. Lincoln and Guba (1985) emphasise the importance of thick descriptions - a detailed explanation of the whole research procedures - as a way of achieving external validity, i.e. transferability. Therefore, detailed reporting of the data obtained, a detailed description of how the results were reached, and wide coverage of the participants' original answers were important criteria in the study.

 

Findings

The aim of this study was to determine student teachers' views about what kind of teachers they would be in the future. The participants' perceptions regarding this aim are explained in the following four themes:

1) The qualities that are attributed to a teacher, (control, educational planning, behavioural planning, creating a democratic and participative environment, highlighting the social system and interpersonal relationships)

2) The layers of Korthagen's Onion Model, (the layers of environment, behaviour, competence and belief)

3) Classroom management approaches (authoritative, educational, behavioural-based, democratic, group process-based, and socioemotional environment-based)

4) Control levels in the classroom (interventionist, interventionist/interactionist, interactionist and noninterventionist)

The first two themes, "the qualities that are attributed to a teacher" and "the layers of Korthagen's Onion Model", are presented together below. The participants' expressions about control, educational planning, behavioural planning, creating a democratic and participative environment and highlighting the social system and interpersonal relationships were analysed. The student teachers explained their views about what kind of teacher they would be in the future through the qualities and behaviour that they ascribed to a teacher. From an analyses of the data according to Korthagen's Onion Model (2004), the majority of participants expressed their opinions about what kind of teacher they would be in the future and the teacher behaviours that they considered appropriate for themselves in the first (environment) and the second (behaviour) layers (n = 36), while some student teachers expressed their views in the third (competence) (n = 12) and in the fourth (belief) layers (n = 3). Participants' views about the qualities that they ascribed to themselves are presented below.

One student teacher, F2, verbalised her expressions about control, educational planning and behavioural planning in the layers of environment and behaviour as follows:

I attach importance to maintain order in the classroom. I have some rules; lawlessness brings disorder ... as the students are very young, I determine the rules and teach them.... The teacher must be the person who keeps order in the classroom. I reward the good behaviours of my students in the classroom . I impose restrictions.... For me, it is really important to know what is happening in the classroom. I try to understand the children and events . I use different teaching methods because the students are different from one another. I think I can do it more easily if I understand what is happening in the classroom and if I know the children. (F2)

Participant M8 commented on behavioural planning, educational planning and social system, and expressed his opinions in the competence layer of the model:

First of all, I think I will be a teacher who knows his students . I shape my behaviours by knowing the characteristics of my students and knowing them. Because of the situation, environment, student characteristics and especially developmental characteristics of very young children, I need to teach through games . I draw the interest and attention of the students and motivate them; I structure the teaching environment with the activities that I plan ... I prepare the educational regulations in the characteristic of raising my students' awareness and the importance of values, respect and learning. (M8)

Participant F22, who expressed an opinion in accordance with the layer of belief, emphasised educational planning, physical planning and behavioural planning.

Some of the difficulties that I experienced in the past made me believe that teachers have to set some rules and boundaries for the students to learn. I had many educational difficulties. I do not want my students to experience similar difficulties. If I expect a high level of success from my students, I believe that I have to be authoritative and set up some rules to provide order and discipline and maintain them. I guess that I am a good observer and this will be the same in the classroom ... [by observing] I get to know the students. I think individual differences are really important in education. I believe that I will be successful by using the correct method, getting to know my students, making physical regulations correctly and using various teaching methods and techniques. They [my students] will not experience the difficulties which I had in the past. (F22)

In their reports, the student teachers not only mentioned their beliefs but also the qualities and behaviour they ascribe to teachers. These beliefs can also be explained by classroom management approaches. The third theme emerged from this research was "classroom management approaches." When the views of the participants were considered within the framework of classroom management approaches, it was found that 18 of the participants were authoritative, 16 were educational, 13 were behavioural-based, 11 were democratic, nine were group process-based and three were socioemotional environment-based.

Participant M38's response is a good example of the authoritative classroom management approach:

I never renounce control in my classroom. My expectations from the students are apparent due to my established role as a teacher. It is important to use the teacher role in order to minimise negations . I never resort to punishment. I value my students, their ideas and needs but it is still correct; what I believe is ... I would be a kind but firm teacher.... (M38)

Participant M39, who claimed that he was more educational, expressed his opinion as follows:

I believe that the efficacy of teaching is very important for my students' future. I will give importance to draw my students' attention, to use various teaching methods and techniques and to guide my students in their learning processes. . What is important is to raise compatible individuals with society through teaching. . (M39)

Participant F47, who presented views about creating a democratic environment stated her opinions as follows:

... I will be aware of what is happening in the classroom. The individual differences of my students are important to me. I know that none of my students are like the others; I will be fair ... My students will not feel isolated in my classroom ... I will be friends with my students and I will try to create a family environment for them. I will pay attention to their active participation. . (F47)

One of the student teachers who adopted a socioemotional environment approach, emphasised classroom interaction and the students' personal and social development predominantly as follows:

Protecting the tranquillity and maintaining order in the classroom will be one of my major purposes. I am planning to get to know my students and set up the rules together with them ... I get to know my students and find out their personal interests to develop their personal and social skills . I pay attention to the positive communication between me and my students ... [in this way] I believe I will manage to affect the student-student communication positively . I try to be a model in this respect. They can learn how to be respectful and tolerant from me. . (F24)

We found that the participants explained the kind of teachers they thought themselves to be by explaining how they would use control in the classroom.

The fourth theme that emerged from the data was "control levels in the classroom." Through their comments, the participants' revealed their levels of control. The participants' comments were classified as teacher centred in which the teacher has the control (interventionist - the most directive); and student-centred, in which the students have the control (non-interventionist - the least directive). The participants' expressions based on authoritative and behaviour change approaches were classified as interventionist (n = 20). The student teachers who indicated an "educational approach" by interventionist expressions were also included in this classification. In the category of interventionist/interactionist (n = 8), the participants who allowed neither full interaction nor full intervention, but who were interventionist in some dimensions of classroom management (for example; educational) and interactionist in some dimensions of classroom management (for example; behavioural) were also included. The participants who generally expressed their view as being devoted to group processes, socioemotional and democratic approaches were placed in the category of interactionist (n = 22). Only one student teacher was located in the category of noninterventionist. This participant used expressions that can be evaluated through a democratic approach.

The second purpose of this research was to determine teacher behaviour that the student teachers considered appropriate for themselves. The participants' views are explained in the following themes:

1) Management/Organisation oriented (authoritative, democratic environment, distinct teacher-student roles, non-intimidating, placing emphasis on physical regulation and family-teacher-administration cooperation)

2) Communication/Interaction oriented (positive communication, caring with the student outside the classroom, being a model, paying attention to nonverbal communication, having a good sense of humour, paying attention to cooperation, creating a social environment based on problem solving, being accessible, sincere, creating a friendly environment and paying attention to first impressions)

3) Emotion oriented (caring about the students' interests, needs, emotions, loving them, getting to know the student/knowing the developmental characteristics of the students, being a guide/helping the students to recognise themselves, being able to walk in the students' shoes, believing in the troubleshooting skills of the students, being a good observer and endearing themselves)

4) Problem behaviour oriented (setting rules, maintaining order, preventive measures, high-awareness about classroom management, behaviour management/using a reinforcer, punishment, ignoring, solving the problem by talking to the student, using social learning, using non-verbal clues and consulting experts for help)

5) Value oriented (valuing the opinions of the students, being fair, being a humanist, being tolerant, respecting the student, being patient, giving importance to the profession, raising students' respect for one another and raising students with high social awareness)

6) Teaching oriented (using the skills of teaching management effectively, paying attention to individual differences in the teaching process, using different strategies, methods and techniques, making the students use high-level thinking skills, using technology, preparing and using materials, associating the presented topics with life in a teacher centred way)

7) Development oriented (emphasising the development of social skills, being open to professional development/self-improvement and emphasising the development of their own personal skills/being open to change).

When the prominent codes from the participants' comments were taken into consideration, it was determined that setting rules, valuing the students' opinions, positive communication, getting to know the student, being authoritative, being fair, paying attention to the individual differences in teaching, using the skills of teaching management effectively and using different strategies, methods/techniques were of vital importance to the student teachers.

Regarding the participants' behaviour, they generally verbalised the approaches with which they associated themselves as the direct manner of behaviour (authoritative, democratic, non-intimidating) in the management/organisation oriented theme. Under the teaching oriented theme, the student teachers paid attention to individual differences (learning styles, multiple intelligence areas etc.) and to using the skills of teaching management effectively in learning and teaching. In the value oriented theme they paid attention to the qualities that they regarded as appropriate for themselves and they described themselves with these qualities (fair, patient, tolerant, humanist etc.). When the participants' comments about the problem behaviour oriented theme were reviewed, it was clear that they focussed on the strategies of precaution, behaviourist and positive intervention to behaviour.

The behaviour that the student teachers considered appropriate for themselves were dealt with individually. Seven participants expressed their opinions in only two or three themes, while three participants stated behaviour in all themes. The other participants emphasised the behaviour related with many themes. Most of the participants considered the behaviour related to the management oriented (40), emotion oriented (40), value oriented (38), problem behaviour oriented (37) and communication oriented (32) themes as appropriate for themselves. More than half of the participants drew attention to the behaviour related to the teaching oriented (29) theme and few of them emphasised behaviour related to the development oriented (11) theme.

 

Discussion and Conclusion

In this research study, the participating student teachers expressed their views on the kind of teacher they wanted to be and the teacher behaviour that they regarded appropriate for themselves. They reported these mostly in the outer layers (environment and behaviour) (n = 36) and competence (n = 12) according to Korthagen' s Onion Model. Very few participants (n = 3) stated their opinions in the layer of belief, although many studies reveal that teacher education must be regulated by values, norms, beliefs and practical experiences that student teachers encounter and shape their identities as teachers (Alsup, 2006; Korthagen, 2004).

The participants in this study mentioned a limited number of views in the inner layers (belief, identity and mission), which gave rise to the idea that they did not encounter enough experiences, beliefs and identities that shaped their identities as teachers. Elbaz (1983) draws attention to the relationship between the teachers' knowledge of practice and personal values during the acquisition of these experiences. Elbaz (1983) emphasises the importance of teachers regarding themselves as individuals in teacher education by underlining the teacher's self-perception, how they see their roles as a teacher in the classroom, and by reflecting on their teaching practices. The participants in this study answered the question about what kind of teacher they would be in the future with statements that addressed what a teacher should or shouldn't do. They did not present their teaching identities as "teaching self" or "personal self." The student teachers rarely mentioned how they identify themselves as teachers and what beliefs they have about their profession. Day et al. (2006) state that the events and experiences in the lives of teachers are closely related to their teaching practice and they evaluated the components that form their teaching identity as a result of the interaction between the technical side of teaching, affective side of teaching, the relationship with their personal lives and the social, cultural and institutional environment in which they work.

Korthagen (2004) points out that teachers and student teachers benefit from the layers of environment, behaviour, competence, and belief, identity and mission, while they are forming their own understanding of teaching. Also, they can develop distinctive and effective teaching understanding when a harmony between all of these layers exists. The outer layers of the Onion Model are related to competencies and behaviour affected by the inner layers, which are related to teacher belief, identity and mission (Korthagen, 2004). Therefore, it is important to raise student teacher' s awareness about this issue. Bullough (1997) emphasises that teaching identity is of vital importance in teacher education; it is a basis for forming meaning and decision-making; teacher education must begin with the discovery of the teaching self (me as a teacher).

The participants in this study listed classroom situations, behavioural regulations about teaching and the behaviour appropriate for efficient teaching qualities in their comments. Very few comments about the accumulation of teaching competences were mentioned. In order for these competences to be actualised, teachers and student teachers need to know what to do, how to do it, and how to internalise it. In other words, the transformation of student teachers' behaviour into competencies depends particularly on whether they reflect on their own practices or not. Our finding suggests that student teachers view teaching as a job which consists of activities done in the classroom. The Council of Higher Education (Yüksekögretim Kurulu, 2008) and the Ministry of National Education (MEB, 2017) in Turkey have carried out some studies about teacher education and teacher competencies and these studies have helped to form the framework of teacher competencies. These competencies are listed like a to do list. While MEB (2017) presents the general qualifications of the teaching profession, the competency fields of "professional knowledge", "professional skills" and "professional attitudes and values" were identified. In this research, the participants were especially concerned with "professional skill" and "professional attitudes and values" related to "planning education" and "managing the process of learning and teaching." It is significant that the participants did not mention behaviour about "creating a learning environment, i.e. physical environment" and "assessment and evaluation." It is also significant that the participants did not mention field knowledge, field education knowledge, and legislation knowledge in their future behaviour.

Cüceloglu and Erdogan (2013) advocate that teaching is not merely a job to do. Instead, it is a calling. The participants in this study presented their future teaching to be a list of behaviour; a to do list. Student teachers are expected to display behaviour related to their own missions in life. In this research, however, the participants did not present their beliefs, identities and missions directly related to teaching, but rather on behavioural regulations, classroom management approaches, and control levels in the classroom. From the participants' responses on classroom management it was clear that these were authoritative, educational, behavioural-based, democratic, group process-based and socioemotional environment-based. The participants were mostly interventionist and interventionist/interactionist with regard to control levels - results similar to those obtained in previous studies (Sadik & Sadik, 2014; Savran, 2002).

Moreover, the student teachers' responses about teacher behaviour were in line with the theoretical classroom management dimensions (Akar, Tantekin-Erden, Tor & Sahin, 2010; Evertson & Weinstein, 2006). It can be said that the participants were aware of the fact that a teacher's role in classroom management was sophisticated. It was remarkable that the participants did not refer to "physical dimensions" and "time dimensions of management" at all, while the "classroom atmosphere/communication dimensions", "behaviour management dimensions" and "teaching dimensions" were emphasised too often.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this research, it can be suggested that student teachers should be provided with more opportunities to reflect on their own teaching practice so that they can better understand their own teaching in accordance with the competence layer. In the course of teaching experience and practice, more time and opportunities should be made available for student teacher to assess their own practice in a multifaceted way. Follow-up sessions should be held for student teachers to assess what they did or did not do, what they could do differently, how much they actualised what they had set out to do and why they could not actualise these aims.

In order for the student teachers to express their beliefs, identities and missions (inner layers), they must be provided with opportunities in which they gain various experiences in teacher education. These experiences must contain methods that allow student teachers to get to know themselves, to question their past experiences and to develop themselves. In other words, a learning environment should be created in which student teachers can integrate their past experiences, their own teaching stories, their values, and their personal identities. In this way student teachers' knowledge about their self-concept, the kind of teachers they see themselves to be and how they reflect on their teaching practice can be developed.

 

Authors' Contributions

Both authors, MSO and AIS, equally contributed to the data collection, data analysis and writing of the manuscript. Both authors reviewed the final manuscript.

 

Notes

i. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.

ii. DATES: Received: 14 September 2018; Revised: 7 March 2020; Accepted: 24 April 2020; Published: 31 May 2021.

 

References

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