Abstract
AbstractThe purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological analysis study was to understand the experience of quality teacher education in primary schools in South Sudan. Quality teacher education was defined as a dynamic process where there is the interaction of content knowledge and delivering that content. Quality teacher education also encompasses training for teacher competence, professionalism, the exercise of personal attributes and values, teacher relationships with parents and community, and teacher practices. This dissertation in practice document has three sections. The first section is the proposal. The second section explains the study. The third section is my own reflection and policy recommendations. The qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eleven participants who had taught without the teacher education qualification and had recently completed their teacher education program in South Sudan. The qualitative data were analyzed following Saldana’s coding method. The data obtained in this study enabled the researcher to identify and categorize the experiential themes into three categories, answering the study question, “What does it mean to experience quality teacher education among primary school teachers who have completed teacher training in South Sudan?” The categories that emerged from this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study included, (1) getting teaching practice under the mentorship of an experienced teacher, (2) understanding and developing skills and competencies in one’s subject area, (3) changing their beliefs and perceptions about what good teaching is after the teacher education program. Using the results of this study, along with previous literature, 3 policy recommendations for the South Sudan Ministry of General Education and Instruction were created. First, this study proposes expanding teacher education opportunities for preservice and in-service untrained teachers at the county level. Second, providing quality teacher education requires local educational officials to begin by promoting a culture of reading. Specifically, inviting primary-age and secondary-age students to read about teachers could help the youth develop an image of high-quality teachers that could inspire them to pursue teaching in the future. Third, this study proposes that local educational officials create partnerships to support teacher education programs by collaborating with stakeholders, enhancing the sharing of ideas and relevant research in the teacher education literature, such as in an online platform, and begin redressing the teacher education program more comprehensively.
Keywords: Teacher education, teacher beliefs, teacher professionalism, quality,
Phenomenology.