Investigating the effectiveness of teacher education for early career teachers in diverse settings: analysis of large-scale survey data

‘As researchers and practitioners in the field of teacher education, we seem ill prepared to respond to critics who question the value of professional education for teachers with evidence of our effectiveness’ (Grossman, 2008, p.13). While there are many small-scale, nuanced case studies that speak about the particularities of specific teacher education practices, large scale, systematic, longitudinal studies that can provide rich and comprehensive data about the effectiveness of teacher education are limited (Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005). In Australia, the Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education (SETE) project is addressing this gap by investigating the effectiveness of teacher education programs in preparing teachers for the variety of school settings in which they begin their careers. This three-year study utilises large-scale surveys and case studies to construct a deeper understanding of early career teachers’ experiences. It tracks all 2010/2011 teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria to investigate the effectiveness of particular characteristics of their teacher education programs in equipping them with the capacity to meet the learning needs of young people in a diverse range of Australian school settings.

This paper will discuss findings from the first of a series of online surveys completed by teacher education graduates in Queensland and Victoria (March-April 2012). Survey data includes teacher demographic information which form independent variables to inform inferential statistical analysis. Beginning teacher responses are mapped against key characteristics of participants' pre-service programs and framed in relation to the key themes of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, behaviour management, and engagement with school stakeholders and local community. The findings will assist teacher educators design teacher education programs for effective beginning teaching in diverse settings and will also provide an evidentiary basis for policy decisions regarding teacher education and beginning teaching.