Evaluating the relative impact of a virtual school visit as part of Intensive Training and Practice (ITaP) in initial teacher education: Study protocol for a mixed-methods randomised trial

Abstract

Background: Intensive Training and Practice (ITaP) is an element of teacher training that isrequired of initial teacher education in England. ITaP focuses on theory and evidence relating toone aspect of teaching with opportunities for practice and feedback. A pilot of ITaP was conductedby the National Institute of Teaching in 2022, revealing that hybrid delivery of key componentscould help scale ITaP to reach many trainees with consistency. However, there is limited evidenceabout how best to deliver remote and blended learning in the context of teacher educationprogrammes.Methods: This study will compare the effectiveness of two modes of implementing exposure toexpert practice as part of the ITaP programme: virtual school visits and in-person school visits. Thestudy's objectives are twofold: to estimate the relative effectiveness of virtual school visitscompared to in-person ones in ITaP, and to better understand the experiences and perceivedchallenges and opportunities of these two instructional modalities.The target population is teacher trainees in England pursuing specialisms in secondary education.The trial will use a parallel crossover design: trainees will be divided into two groups, eachexperiencing one mode of visit before crossing over to the other. In-person visits will involve liveclassroom observations in a school setting, while virtual visits will allow trainees to observe lessonsremotely via live streaming from a school.We will assess outcomes related to trainees' grasp of the evidence base around the effective useof questioning and scaffolding techniques, their ability to apply knowledge, self-efficacy, and theirperceptions of the school visit day and ITaP as a whole.Discussion: The findings will offer valuable insights into the impact of each training modality ontrainees' understanding, engagement, confidence, and practical application of knowledge.