Examining the Development of Professional Dispositions of Prospective Teachers in Higher Education: Broadening the Horizon of Teacher Training

Abstract

In 2009, dispositions were included in the professional standards by the National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (NACTE) in Pakistan. As per NACTE’s manual, teachers' training institutes are responsible to develop and assess dispositions in prospective teachers in Pakistan. However, no research study in Pakistan illustrates whether teacher training institutions are developing and assessing professional dispositions of pre-service teachers. Therefore, the basic purpose of the study was to examine and measure the professional dispositions of pre-service teachers of teacher education programs in Pakistan. The quantitative cross-sectional research design was opted to accomplish the research study. The researchers visited 11 out of 15 public universities of Punjab. Hence, data were collected from 1061 out of 1592 prospective teachers through proportionate stratified sampling. For data collection, a self-assessment questionnaire was used which was developed by reviewing extensive literature in accordance with dispositions mentioned in National Professional Standards for Teachers in Pakistan (NPSTP). The study concluded that albeit pre-service teachers did not possess equally all, and hence, partly possessed professional dispositions, mentioned in National Professional Standards for Teachers. Prospective teachers from South Punjab reflected significantly more professional dispositions as compared to prospective teachers of Central and North Punjab. The NACTE may guide and provide information to departments of education of universities for developing, monitoring and assessing the prospective teachers’ professional dispositions, so that prospective teachers’ professional dispositions may be enhanced to launch a better workforce for educational institutions.

Keywords: professional dispositions, prospective teachers, teacher training institutes, professional standards.