This study examined the impact of using a differentiated instructional approach to teaching second year students pursuing an undergraduate course in curriculum studies at a tertiary institution. These prospective teachers varied in terms of their interests, experiences, personal circumstances, and learning preferences. Four hundred and thirty-four students in two education campuses took the course over a period of one semester. Half of the student body experienced differentiated instruction while the other half was exposed to the whole-class instructional approach. At the end of the course, an assessment was made to determine the extent to which differentiated instruction had a positive impact on students' general understanding of the course. Findings of the study revealed that students at both campuses responded favourably to the differentiated instructional approach, with 90% of participants reporting higher levels of intellectual growth and interest in the subject. Assessment of student learning revealed that the majority of students in the differentiated classrooms demonstrated sound understanding of major concepts taught in the curriculum studies course. Almost all of the students (99%) expressed willingness to experiment with differentiated instruction in subsequent practicum sessions during their tenure at the university, and 88% indicated a desire to use a differentiated instructional approach in their classrooms upon graduation.
This study explored the experiences and perspectives of two male prospective teachers pursuing studies in early childhood care and education at the national university of Trinidad and Tobago. A descriptive case study design was employed, utilizing a qualitative semi-structured interviewing technique as a data collection method for this study. Data analysis consisted of examining, categorizing, and tabulating the evidence to address the main research question of the study. Five themes emerged from the study namely, factors influencing choice of career path; fears, challenges, and stereotypes; early childhood care as a low status job; strategies for attracting men into the early childhood profession; and benefits of male involvement in caring for young children. This study attempted to address a specific issue in a given context; therefore its findings cannot be generalized to the larger population. However, the study is important because it serves to introduce the conversation into a Trinidad and Tobago framework where in a population of approximately 1.2 million people, only few men are pursuing tertiary-level studies in a field dominated by women.
A single group pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental design was utilized to triangulate quantitative and qualitative data obtained from a questionnaire, field notes, classroom observation, and practicum test scores, to determine changes in the questioning behaviours and practices of 31 prospective teachers involved in a three-week practicum exercise. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to compare pre-test and post-test scores on participants' level of confidence in asking focussing, prompting, probing, and redirecting questioning. Findings of the study revealed significant differences in participants' pre-test and post-test scores for prompting questions. Based on Cohen's convention for a large effect (d =.80), the effect size for this analysis (d = 0.82) was found to be large. Analysis of classroom observation and field notes obtained from practicum supervisors also revealed a general improvement in participants' questioning behaviours and patterns after the application of an instructional video.
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