How do Pre-service Teachers Develop Understanding of Student Learning through Action Research Project

摘要

This study explores how pre-service teachers develop their understanding of student learning through action research project. Six Special Education programme pre-service teachers were selected through purposive sampling procedures. Data were collected via open-ended questionnaire. The responses to the open-ended questionnaire suggest that pre-service teachers have developed understanding about student learning and aspects related to factors affecting student learning. They posit that instructional activities and intervention have to be designed by taking into account students’ learning needs, interests, abilities and learning styles. Nevertheless, the findings reveal that pre-service teachers’ understanding of student learning is not in- depth. Their understanding needs to be reinforced in order to facilitate confident instructional practices in schools later. The findings strongly suggest that action research should be a supported part of a teacher education program providing excellent professional development for pre-service teachers to deal with many of the challenges during the early years of teaching.