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Students' transitions into initial teacher education: Understanding barriers and enablers through an ecological lens

Abstract
This paper presents a small-scale qualitative investigation which explored early first-year transition experiences of pre-service teacher students. The study took place in one university in Aotearoa New Zealand, involving 24 students and three co-researchers from a Faculty of Education. Perceptions of students’ transition experiences were gathered through an essay task six weeks into the first semester; data were analysed using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory to identify barriers and enablers related to students’ transition experiences in various contexts. Diverse transitions accounts of ‘becoming a pre-service teacher student’ were analysed as being complex and intertwined with historical, social, cultural and political elements. These findings have implications for providers and educators of pre-service teacher programmes. Purposeful application of Bronfenbrenner’s theory to identify, name and understand how various transition barriers and enablers impact wellbeing and resilience could open up a more visible, shared and understood transition experience.
Type
Journal Article
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Amundsen, D. L., Ballam, N. D., & McChesney, K. (2021). Students’ transitions into initial teacher education: Understanding barriers and enablers through an ecological lens. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(3), 91–111.
Date
2021
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
This article has been published in the journal: Australian Journal of Teacher Education. Used with permission.