Increase in short-term programs is one of the biggest shifts in study abroad over the past twenty years. With prior research in this area showing many positive but also mixed impacts, skepticism persists about the ability of short-term study abroad to change students' views on cultural differences. The aim of this study is to characterize if and…

Professional experience is viewed by governments, schools, universities and pre-service teachers as a crucial, and for some, the most important element of initial teacher education. Pre-service teachers (PSTs) consistently cite time in schools as the most valuable part of their teacher education programme. High-quality professional experience…

This study reports on shadowing's potential as an observational and preparatory tool for learning, drawing on data obtained from a group of EFL student teachers who undertook a practicum. EFL student teachers' perceptions of the shadowing technique and how shadowing contributes to practical knowledge, are focused on. Data were collected through…

This study investigated the efficacy of the Fluency Development Lesson (FDL) in improving reading achievement in primary grade struggling readers. 30 readers, enrolled in a summer reading clinic, participated in daily 40-min mini-reading lessons across 5 weeks. During the fluency lessons, readers practiced and developed their literacy skills…

Study abroad programs offer a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves within different cultural backgrounds as they continue to further their education. By experiencing this first-hand, in-service and pre-service educators are better prepared to address diversity issues within their classrooms. The "Handbook of Research on…

New Zealand has a persistent problem of inequitable educational outcomes between different student groups, which has led to New Zealand being designated a high achievement-low equity country. A key policy lever in the quest to lift educational achievement for priority learners, identified by the Ministry of Education as Maori, Pasifika, students…

Student teachers in an eight-week practicum gained as much teaching sophistication as those in a 16-week program. (MM)

Designed as the first stage of a four-year evaluation of the education practicum program at the University of Alberta, this study had two major purposes. The first was to provide a pool of data to serve as a base line against which to compare new practicum programs. The second was to identify satisfactory and unsatisfactory aspects of the program.…

Traditional Masters of Social Work (MSW) students versus extended MSW degree students who took a combination part-time/full-time work-study arrangement were compared. Comparisons were made on a variety of self-inventories, measuring attributes of personality, values and initial helping skills. (Author/MLW)

Compares effect of practicum length on professional predispositions (motivation toward teaching, attitudes toward teaching career, student teachers' self-concept) of 60 Canadian student teachers. Students completing 20-week practicum had significantly lower values than those completing 3-week practicum. Only after lengthy practicum does reality of…

This study was designed to ascertain current trends in associate degree nursing programs and to discover innovative ideas and techniques which could be applied to the existing program at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida). Data was compiled from interviews with representatives of ten associate degree nursing programs in six states. Information…

The implications of Canada's national study of core French instruction for second language (L2) teacher education in that country are examined. Literature on the study's impact on language teaching philosophy and policy and on French immersion instruction is reviewed, and a survey of 36 Canadian schools of education is reported. The questionnaire…