Student Teachers' Feelings of Preparedness to Teach

A teacher's judgement of her or his ability to accomplish a certain level of teaching performance may be one cognitive factor in a reciprocal deterministic model of behavioural functioning as described in social psychology. Student teachers' feelings of preparedness may influence their ability to perform teaching tasks. According this research, student teachers' feelings of preparedness to teach increased significantly in a one-year teacher education program. In some aspects--classroom management and instructional planning-there were greater increases than in others--questioning, motivation, record-keeping, and promotion of self-discipline, perhaps because the program's brief field experiences emphasize survival. Certain subgroups of student teachers, probably because of prior experiences of teaching, initially felt more prepared to teach than others. From a reciprocal deterministic perspective, if student teachers see their program as likely to enhance performance, they may teach more confidently, secure pupil receptiveness, and further augment their confidence.