Abstract:
A growing body of research has begun investigating dispositional profiles of learners in higher education, examining relationships between attributes, and how these may relate to students’ achievement and experiences of wellbeing during university study. The program of research leading to this study has shifted in a steadily more affective direction, as it becomes increasingly clear that anxiety and fear of failure are at least as important in students’ experiences as more learning focused elements such as metacognition or epistemic beliefs. This paper reports the dispositional profiles of ~600 students in initial teacher education (ITE) programs at a regional Australian university, emphasising the role of affective attributes. In addition to dispositional scales, participants were invited to self-identify in terms of equity groups (e.g. first in family, low SES) and specific difficulties (e.g. anxiety or autism). Analysis was therefore able to examine potential patterns in dispositional variation according to participants’ reported identification with those factors.
It is argued that closer consideration of pre-service teachers’ dispositions provides insight into the future profiles of newly qualified teachers, thus offering early indications of how well-equipped they may be to respond to professional challenges. Furthermore, given the importance of teacher disposition in responding to challenges, profiling pre-service cohorts also creates the opportunity to directly address some of these issues within initial teacher education. This could promote more effective learning and improved wellbeing in their university study, as well as better preparing them to become graduates who can respond adaptively to the challenges that will inevitably lie ahead.
It is argued that closer consideration of pre-service teachers’ dispositions provides insight into the future profiles of newly qualified teachers, thus offering early indications of how well-equipped they may be to respond to professional challenges. Furthermore, given the importance of teacher disposition in responding to challenges, profiling pre-service cohorts also creates the opportunity to directly address some of these issues within initial teacher education. This could promote more effective learning and improved wellbeing in their university study, as well as better preparing them to become graduates who can respond adaptively to the challenges that will inevitably lie ahead.