The research comes at an opportune time when significant restructuring of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in England is occurring and when processes for the accreditation of teachers are being questioned. The Primary Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course in this study is unique, in that it does not conform to the usual traditional pattern of Teacher Education. The trainees after starting the Course in February 2015 will graduate in December and will be in a unique position to start employment January 2016.
This paper examines how a group of student teachers who had started their training perceive a range of common factors that highlight the influences on their self and professional efficacies.
A card sort approach was used to clarify and categorise commonly held viewpoints and further information obtained through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.
The findings outlined the subjective factors that were influential elements contributing towards students’ self and professional efficacies. Learning environments of different origins were considered as having an influence on the students’ perceptions associated with experiential learning on their journey to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Student teachers experience a multifaceted range of beliefs as they shape their educational practice. In this process of interaction, their teaching efficacies are not static but are continually evolving. While these influences interplay constantly in each students’ lives, they are selective in their own perceptions and worldview.