United Kingdom government-led initiatives in initial teacher training in the 1990s have focused heavily on the skills required for good classroom performance per se . The apprenticeship model and a reduction in the contribution made by higher education to the theory of teaching and learning has characterised the paradigm, which is developing devotees in other countries beyond the United Kingdom. Whilst university academics have long shown concern that such a model might, in fact, devalue the professional skills of newly qualified teachers, this study provides evidence that these concerns are spreading to the teaching community itself. The experienced mentors interviewed in this study argue for increased reflection away from the immediate pragmatic demands of the classroom. Newly qualified teachers, it is argued, need training not only in their role as classroom managers, but also in their wider professional commitments. This includes an appreciation of the academic basis of their profession and the relevance of a politico-accountability profile if a lifelong contribution to the profession is to be secured.
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Jones et al. (1997) studied this question.