A major challenge faced by elementary education programs is the vast amount of content preservice teachers must master in various subject areas. With limited time and coursework, how can teacher preparation programs scaffold meaningful experiences and provide a progression of opportunities to aid preservice teachers in mastering this content and…

This action research study honors teacher-as-researcher and utilizes qualitative methods of data collection alongside emergent design to study arts-integrated teaching and learning at a mid-sized Midwestern university in a social studies methods course. The thinking and learning of both pre-service teachers and the teacher educator/researcher are…

Large enrollments in undergraduate courses pose several teaching and learning challenges that impact students' learning experience and performance. Implementing co-learning activities in tutorials of large courses can help mitigate these challenges and improve the learning environment. One type of collaborative learning activity that has become…

In this technologically advanced time in history, distance learning has become a preferred mode of instructional delivery in higher education. From 2019 to 2021 there is a rise and fall of postbaccalaureate undergraduate students enrolled in at least one distance course and who enrolled in distance learning courses exclusively. In 2021 about 56%…

Education reforms in the United States and abroad have increased efforts to improve student interest and capacity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Despite these attempts, students still have little opportunity to engage in STEM learning in K-12 education. This qualitative case study was designed to investigate how…

As learning standards continue to evolve to reflect the emergent needs of 21st Century learners, teachers are finding themselves in positions where they need to adapt in order to survive. For teachers of complicated disciplines, like the English language arts (ELA), where they are tasked with teaching a variety of areas, this further distorts…

We, six elementary mathematics teacher educators (MTEs), noticed that many of our elementary pre-service teachers (EPSTs) were limited by their views of mathematics, typically as the result of their prior experiences with learning mathematics. Much of the research around such limiting views focuses primarily on negative experiences or treats such…

Background: In the context of recent research in science education and continued struggles to understand how best to support science teachers, epistemological frames, made up of sets of epistemological resources teachers activate, have emerged as an important focus of research. However, at the time of this writing no research was available to…

This study investigated how prospective elementary teachers view themselves as learners of mathematics and science during their last year in a teacher preparation program at an American university. Using drawing and reflections as the method for collecting data, prospective teachers were prompted to draw themselves and reflect on learning…

This study explores how past and present experiences with mathematics interact as teacher candidates engage in a series of critical inquiry and reflection opportunities embedded in a mathematics methods course. The study involved 28 teacher candidates enrolled in an undergraduate education program within a large university. Data were collected…

As a Methods Professor in a Research I institution in the Midwest and the largest education program in its respective state, I faced a crisis after ten years in higher education. The concern I faced was whether or not the repertoire I taught my students was appropriate and meaningful in their training. While staying abreast of current research and…

Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach, which suggests the allocation of class time for knowledge application activities and the learning of basic knowledge via lecture videos or assigned readings outside of class. Based on these premises, it may emerge as a strategic fit for practice-based courses in initial teacher education programmes. With…

This study utilizes a sociocultural approach to explore how pre-service elementary teachers' experiences in both outdoor and formal school settings have contributed to their intentions for taking their students outdoors and perceived obstacles to doing so. The participants were pre-service elementary teachers (N = 95) enrolled in an elementary…

Several comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) professional preparation and research initiatives are underway in the Department of Physical Education and Athletic Training at the University of South Carolina. The CSPAP learning experiences have been mostly integrated into existing courses to help candidates in physical education…

The literature on teaching research methods to social work students identifies many challenges, such as dealing with the tensions related to producing research relevant to practice, access to data to teach practice-based research, and limited student interest in learning research methods. This is an exploratory study of the learning experiences of…