The use of systematic classroom observation in teacher education: Mapping changes in student teachers’ perceptions of emotional support

Sammendrag

This study aimed to examine student teachers’ (n = 40) perceptions of emotional support in teacher–student interactions, and to map how participation in a descriptive observational study with pre- and post-tests, in addition to a short intervention, might result in changes in their perceptions. The intervention consisted of instruction using video clips of teacher–student interactions to illustrate behavioral markers and indicators of quality in emotional support. The data consisted of the individual scoring sheets from the pre- and post-tests, the observation notes from scoring, and the transcription of a whole-group discussion held with the student teachers immediately after the post-test. The results show that for both the pre- and post-tests, the average student teacher gave scores for the quality of teacher–student interactions in terms of the dimensions positive climate and regard for adolescent perspectives that were lower than the master code. The student teachers tended to make negative adjustments to their scores during the post-test, indicating that they became more critical after observing behavioral markers of high-quality teacher–student interactions. For the dimensions positive climate and teacher sensitivity the standard deviations were lower on the post-test, indicating greater convergence among the student teachers.