Pre-service teacher education curriculum : a study of the factors which have influenced the curriculum developed in primary school departments in Israeli colleges for teacher education in the last twenty years
This study examines the external and the internal factors impacting on the development of 'Teacher Education Curricula' (T.E.C) in the primary school departments in Israeli 'Colleges for Teacher Education' (C.F.T.E) over the past twenty years, since the 'Academism' process started, within a conceptual framework adapted from Stark et al. (1986) Stark and Lauttuca (1997). Within this framework the study examines two dilemmas: Teacher Training (T.T) versus Teacher Education (T.E) and practical versus academic concerning identifying areas of commonality and difference, and analysing current preferred directions. This study uses an interpretive methodological tradition, thus the questionnaire and the case study have been qualitatively analysed. The results reveal that the impact of different factors has caused significant major and minor changes in the T.E.C. These include organisational and structural changes as well as changes in curriculum content. Two internal factors, Colleges and Departments, appeared to be the most influential factors. They generated micro level changes, and had a vital role in determining the extent of other factors' impact on the T.E.C. The most significant direction since the last macro level change caused by the 'Academism' process, forced on the C.F.T.E by the Ministry of Education and the Academic external influencing factors, represent micro level changes. These have emerged through local Departmental initiatives and represent: partnership sub-approach as part of the school-based approach; the collaborative, reflective and research sub-approaches as part of the constructivist approach; and, the whole personal development approach. The Teacher Education orientation appeared as the most common, and played a vital role in internalising these three directions identified above in the T.E.C. The academic direction represented the Colleges' most preferred direction..