Jou nal o Educa ion and T aining S udies
Vol. 3, No. 5; Sep embe 2015
ISSN 2324-805X E-ISSN 2324-8068
Published by Red ame Publishing
URL: h p://je s. ed ame.com
89
Becoming a Teache - S uden Teache s’ Lea ning Pa e ns in Teache
Educa ion
Elsi Ahonen1, Ki si Pyhäl ö
2,3, Janne Pie a inen4, Tiina Soini5
1Ins i u e o Beha iou al Sciences, Uni e si y o Helsinki, Finland
2Facul y o Educa ional Sciences, Uni e si y o Oulu, Finland
3Facul y o Beha iou al Sciences, Uni e si y o Helsinki, Finland
4School o Applied Educa ional Science and Teache Educa ion, Uni e si y o Eas e n Finland
5School o Educa ion, Uni e si y o Tampe e, Finland
Co espondence: Elsi Ahonen, Ins i u e o Beha iou al Sciences, Uni e si y o Helsinki, Finland
Recei ed: May 21, 2015 Accep ed: June 8, 2015 Online Published: July 8, 2015
doi:10.11114/je s. 3i5.835 URL: h p://dx.doi.o g/10.11114/je s. 3i5.835
Abs ac
S uden eache lea ning is a key issue o u he p o essional de elopmen . Li e a u e on s uden eache lea ning
sugges s ha s uden s lea n abou eaching and unde go p o essional ans o ma ion du ing hei educa ion. Howe e ,
s udies o en ocus on a ce ain ime pe iod and on how s uden s should lea n ins ead o how hey ac ually do lea n. In
his s udy, 19 in e iews wi h s uden eache s a e used o analyse hei lea ning pa e ns du ing eache educa ion. Fou
quali a i ely di e en kinds o pa e ns o s uden eache lea ning we e iden i ied. The pa e ns a ied in e ms o
s uden s’ mo i a ion o lea n, concep ual cohe ency, app oach o lea ning, and ac ion s a egy used. The pa e ns also
held some in e nal inconsis encies be ween he di e en componen s obse ed. This may indica e a lack o
unde s anding, willingness o skills conce ning ac i e lea ning. The esul s imply ha mo e a en ion should be paid o
p omo ing s uden eache s’ ac i e lea ning du ing educa ion.
Keywo ds: s uden eache s, Finnish eache educa ion, lea ning pa e ns
1. In oduc ion
I has been sugges ed ha s uden eache lea ning is a key issue, no only o con inuing p o essional de elopmen , bu
also o p o iding meaning ul lea ning en i onmen s o school pupils (Edwa ds & P o he oe, 2003). P io s udies on
s uden eache lea ning ha e ad anced ou unde s anding o a ious aspec s o eache lea ning, such as he
de elopmen o e lec i e hinking (Lee, 2005), p o essional iden i y (Özmen, 2011; Tang, 2003) and eaching skills
(Calde head & Sho ock, 1997). Sho ages in s uden eache lea ning ha e also been iden i ied. S uden eache s ha e,
o ins ance, shown an abili y o o m lesson plans and ollow he cu iculum, bu ha e some imes had di icul ies in
aking pupils’ needs in o accoun in he pedagogical si ua ion (Edwa ds & D’A cy, 2004; Edwa ds & P o he oe, 2003).
Mo eo e , in he li e a u e on eache lea ning, a ious ideal models on s uden eache lea ning ha e been p esen ed.
Howe e , he empi ical e idence on s uden eache lea ning is s ill su p isingly sca ce (Ve mun & Endedijk, 2011).
Acco dingly, he gap in he li e a u e on s uden eache lea ning has mean a ela i e lack o s udies which explo e
complemen a y aspec s o s uden eache lea ning (see e.g. an Eekelen, Ve mun & Boshuizen, 2006; K eme -Hayon
& Tillema, 1999); ela i ely ew s udies on dissonan lea ning pa e ns among s uden eache s (Ve mun & Endedijk,
2011), and a lack o s udies which explo e s uden eache lea ning h oughou he whole educa ional pa h and in a
a ie y o con ex s p o ided by eache educa ion (see e.g. Edwa ds & P o he oe, 2003; Tang, 2003. See also Op e &
Pedde , 2011; Pu nam & Bo ko, 2000). The pu pose o ou s udy is o examine and achie e a be e unde s anding o
s uden eache s’ lea ning pa hs du ing eache educa ion.
Ou s udy ocuses on explo ing s uden lea ning as i appea s acco ding o s uden eache s’ e ospec i e desc ip ions o
hei whole eache educa ion. This is done by obse ing s uden eache s’ lea ning a a mac o-le el and pe son-cen ed
way. Di e en aspec s o each s uden eache ’s lea ning pa e ns, i.e. he lea ning ac i i ies s uden s usually employ,
hei belie s and mo i a ion and he in e nal consis ency o he eme ging pa e ns, a e also examined. Acco dingly, he
p esen s udy will a emp o add o ea lie esea ch in o eache lea ning by examining he wholeness o hese pa e ns
Jou nal o Educa ion and T aining S udies Vol. 3, No. 5; 2015
90
o e a p olonged pe iod o ime, he cha ac e is ics o hese mul idimensional pa e ns, and he in e nal consis ency o
elemen s cons i u ing he pa e ns.
1.1 Elemen s o S uden Teache Lea ning
Resea ch has shown ha people ha e a mix u e o mo i es o becoming school eache s (Ky iacou & Benmansou ,
1999; Junge , Alm & Tho nbe g, 2014). Mo eo e , he e is a g owing in e es wo ldwide in explo ing hese easons,
since many coun ies expe ience di icul ies in ge ing enough people o make his ca ee choice, esul ing in a sho age
o high quali y applican s o eache educa ion (e.g. Ky iacou, Hul g en & S ephens, 1999). This is no howe e he case
in Finland, whe e he eaching p o ession is highly alued and app ecia ed in socie y. Fo example, in p ima y school
eache educa ion, only abou 4-6% o applican s (depending on he ins i u ion) a e admi ed o cou ses each yea
(VAKAVA, 2012). Howe e , he ele ance o asking why a s uden would wan o become a eache in Finland is in he
assump ion ha ha ing in e nal easons, such as becoming a good eache , a e mo e a ou able o lea ning han
ex e nal easons, such as ge ing he academic g ade. As a esul , hey may e lec mo e p o ound mo i a ional aspec s
(Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000). The na u e and quali y o mo i a ion among eache s uden s is c ucial in
e ms o wha kind o p o essionals hey a e going o be, o example wha kind o s uden - eache ela ionships he e
a e pu suing in hei eaching (Junge , Alm & Tho nbe g, 2014).
Ano he basic elemen in he ana omy o s uden eache s’ lea ning is he way hey app oach lea ning (Ma on, 1985). In
he li e a u e on lea ning app oaches in highe educa ion, he e is a s ong consensus on he co e di ision in app oaches,
ha is, he wo le els o p ocessing: deep- and su ace-le el. In deep-le el p ocessing, he s uden ’s ocus is on
unde s anding by making in e ences and inqui ies, ela ing ideas and concep s, and e lec ing on wha she o he al eady
knows; whe eas in su ace-le el p ocessing, he ocus is mo e on memo ising and ‘passing es s’ (Biggs, 1999; Ma on,
Hounsell & En wis le, 1997; Gijbels, Donche, Richa dson & Ve mun , 2013). I is also assumed ha some aspec s o
lea ning a e mo e o en ela ed. In insic mo i a ion, o example, is connec ed wi h he applica ion o deep-le el
p ocessing s a egies (e.g. Schie ele, 1991). Hence, hese dimensions a e likely o occu oge he . Mo eo e , le els o
p ocessing a e shown o be ela ed o ou comes o lea ning. In o he wo ds, s uden s lea n di e en hings om aking a
deep- and a su ace-le el app oach (see e.g. T igwell, Ellis & Han, 2012). The use o a deep lea ning app oach is gene ally
associa ed wi h highe quali y lea ning. Howe e , esea ch in o he ela ionship be ween s uden s’ app oaches o lea ning
and lea ning ou comes seem o be inconsis en (e.g. Gijbels, an de Wa e ing, Dochy & an de Bossche, 2005; Dise h &
Ma insen, 2003). Al hough he e a e some longi udinal s udies on app oaches o lea ning (e.g. Zeege s, 2001), he
lea ning ou comes a e o en assessed wi h some a he es ic ed lea ning asks o es s (Ve mun & Endedijk, 2011).
Consequen ly, he le el o p ocessing and p o essional knowledge cons uc ion in longe educa ional acks is no e y
well known (Ve mun & Endedijk, 2011. See also Donche & an Pe egem, 2009).
The esea ch on s uden eache lea ning (Benne & Ca e, 1993; Halliday, 1996) demons a es ha s uden eache s’
pe sonal concep ions o eaching and hei oles as u u e eache s can exe a powe ul in luence on lea ning and
p o essional knowledge cons uc ion (Kaga i, 1992). The e is also e idence ha eache educa ion lacks adequa e
oppo uni ies o cons uc ing a meaning ul and cohe en p o essional knowledge and belie sys em (Blombe g, 2008).
Teache s uden s adop di e en and some imes con adic o y belie s om a ying lea ning con ex s in eache
educa ion (e.g. di e en cou ses). These belie s may no be connec ed wi h hei p io belie s (e.g. hei p io belie s a e
no changed, see e.g. Vosniadou, 1994) and he e o e he s uden ’s concep ual ounda ion abou he wo k o a eache is
agmen ed. Consequen ly, in eal li e si ua ions hey may be likely o go by implici lay heo ies. Concep ions o
lea ning in pa icula end o be agmen ed, and he cohe ence o lack o i in e ms o concep ions o pupils’ and hei
own lea ning a e p o en o ha e a s ong in luence on eache s’ pedagogical p ac ices (Bolhuis & Voe en, 2004).
S uden eache lea ning and lea ning ou comes s ongly depend on he pedagogical p ac ices o eache educa ion, and
i seems ha pa s o he educa ion is el o be mo e e icien han o he s. Fo example, he e is some e idence ha
eaching p ac ice p o ides a bene icial g ounding o he de elopmen o p o essional skills (e.g. Ben-Pe e z, 1995; Lee,
2005) and he de elopmen o one’s belie s abou he sel as a pedagogical p o essional, i.e. p o essional iden i y, i hey
a e p ope ly supe ised (Tang, 2003) and hei e lec ion on hese expe iences is guided (Toom, Husu & Pa ikainen,
2013). Mo eo e , di e en encoun e s wi hin di e en pedagogical con ex s and c i ical inciden s ha hese con ex s
p o ide may p omo e o hinde he s uden ’s ac i e, pa icipa o y ole as lea ne s. On he o he hand, his has an e ec
on he s uden eache ’s lea ning pa hs i hese a ying cou se and p ac ice en i onmen s shape he s uden ’s belie s and
ac ions and poin hem in di e en di ec ions. The e o e, inciden s may esul in ic ion in s uden eache s’ lea ning
pa e ns. The na u e o his ic ion may be cons uc i e o des uc i e (see e.g. Ve mun & Ve loop, 1999; Pyhäl ö,
S ubb & Lonka, 2009), depending on he i be ween he s uden ’s aims and he en i onmen ’s equi emen s and
oppo uni ies. Mo eo e , s uden s may use di e en ac ion s a egies o cope wi h (Gus ems-Ca nice & Calde ón, 2013)
o cons uc a i wi h he lea ning en i onmen . Two basic se s o coping s a egies – di ec ac ion and pallia i e – a e
o en dis inguished in he li e a u e. Coping s a egies a e used o mas e o ole a e challenges such as s ess ul
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si ua ions o ci cums ances whe e change and lea ning is needed. The e is e idence o ac i e, social and op imis ic
s a egies being mo e bene icial o lea ning (e.g. Gus ems-Ca nice & Calde ón, 2013; Mu ay-Ha ey, Slee, Lawson,
Silins, Ban ield & Russell, 2000), and ha using he social esou ces a hand is ela ed o highe achie emen sco es
among s uden s (Leana, 2011).
1.2 Pa e ns in S uden Teache Lea ning
S uden lea ning has long been s udied by obse ing some speci ic aspec o lea ning, as a s uden ’s o ien a ion o lea n
o as a pe sonal ‘lea ning s yle’. A lea ning pa e n, howe e , e e s o all he lea ning ac i i ies ha lea ne s usually
employ (how hey app oach lea ning, wha s a egies hey use in hese si ua ions), hei belie s, and hei lea ning
mo i a ion ha cha ac e ise hei lea ning in a ce ain pe iod o ime (Ve mun & Endedijk, 2011). I has been sugges ed
ha a lea ning pa e n should en ail mo i a ional, beha iou al and concep ual aspec s o s uden eache lea ning and
ha lea ning pa e ns a e no always consis en . This means ha he mo i a ional, concep ual and beha iou al aspec s o
eache lea ning a e no necessa ily aligned wi h each o he (Ve mun & Endedjik, 2011). Consequen ly, in lea ning
pa e ns he di e en aspec s o lea ning may be connec ed in mo e complex and unexpec ed ways.
P e ious esea ch on academic lea ning has ound quali a i ely di e en kinds o ways o lea ning. Fo example,
Ve mun and Ve me en (2004) ha e iden i ied ou dis inc pa e ns in s udies conce ning s uden lea ning. The pa e ns
a ied in e ms o he goal o lea ning and he skills equi ed in lea ning he subjec ma e . Rep oduc ion-di ec ed
s uden s ied o emembe he subjec ma e and ep oduce i in an exam, while meaning-di ec ed lea ne s used a deep
app oach o lea ning. Applica ion-di ec ed lea ne s, on he o he hand, ocused on he use ulness o he subjec ma e
and emphasised how hey could use he acqui ed knowledge in p ac ice. Besides hese, undi ec ed lea ne s, who did no
know how o lea n he subjec ma e in an app op ia e way, we e iden i ied.
Though p e ious s udies on s uden lea ning ha e conside ed and combined di e en aspec s o lea ning, esea ch on
s uden eache s’ lea ning pa e ns and he consis ency o hese pa e ns is s ill sca ce. Fo example, Oos e hee and
Ve mun (2001) ha e iden i ied ou quali a i ely a ying lea ning pa e ns among s uden eache s ha ha e
simila i ies wi h hose ound in esea ch on academic lea ning s yles. These pa e ns, namely su i al, closed
ep oduc ion, open ep oduc ion, closed meaning and open meaning o ien a ion, a ied in e ms o in e nal knowledge
componen s, and egula i e, a ec i e and mo i a ional app oaches. The s udy, howe e , was conduc ed o e a sho
ime pe iod, conside ing eache s uden s’ whole educa ional jou ney. The e o e, he e is a need o a mo e p o ound
unde s anding o eache s uden s’ ac ual, holis ic and endu ing lea ning pa e ns, as well as he in e nal consis ency o
hese pa e ns (Ve mun & Endedjik, 2011).
1.3 The Aim o he S udy
This s udy aims o gain a be e unde s anding o s uden eache s’ ac ual lea ning p ocesses du ing eache educa ion.
This is done by employing a mac o-le el analysis o each pa icipan ’s complemen a y lea ning pa e ns. The aim is o
explo e s uden s’ whole lea ning p ocesses, om he beginning o nea o he end. This will be done by concen a ing on
complemen a y aspec s o s uden lea ning ins ead o analysing some speci ic aspec o lea ning o only in some
es ic ed ime pe iod, as emphasised in he p e ious esea ch. The ollowing esea ch ques ions a e add essed:
1) Wha kinds o lea ning pa e ns can be iden i ied among s uden eache s?
2) A e hese pa e ns consis en o is he e ic ion be ween di e en aspec s o he pa e n?
2. Me hod
2.1 Finnish Teache Educa ion
In Finland, all comp ehensi e school eache s mus ha e a mas e ’s deg ee. Elemen a y school eache s ha e an MA in
educa ional science o educa ional psychology, and hey each in yea s 1-6, wi h pupils who a e be ween 7 and 12 yea s
old. The a ge ime o g adua ion in elemen a y school eache educa ion is i e yea s, bu o many s uden s he
s udies ake longe . Though he e a e some di e ences be ween di e en uni e si y eache educa ion p og ammes, he
s udies (300 c edi s) ypically include o ien a ion s udies such as ICT and language s udies (25 c edi s), main subjec
s udies in educa ion/educa ional psychology (140 c edi s, including 2-3 eaching p ac ice cou ses in he eache aining
schools, 20 c edi s), wo mino subjec s udies (mul idisciplina y s udies in subjec s and c oss-cu icula issues augh in
comp ehensi e school, 60 c edi s), and op ional mino subjec and op ional s udies (75 c edi s). Elemen a y school
eache s may also ha e one o wo subjec s which hey each in yea s 7-9 i hey ha e included hese op ional subjec
s udies in hei educa ion. The case s udy p esen ed in his a icle was conduc ed in one la ge esea ch-in ensi e
uni e si y in Finland.
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2.2 Pa icipan s
This s udy includes da a ga he ed om 19 elemen a y school s uden eache s ( emale: 14, male: 5, age: min/max: 23/51
yea s, mean: 31 yea s) who a e comple ing hei eache s udies. The sample was ep esen a i e o s uden eache s as a
whole in his con ex in e ms o hei gende , age and he du a ion o hei educa ion. The c i e ia o selec ing he
pa icipan s we e: s uden s’ sel -es ima ed ime o g adua ion (wi hin one yea ), p o essional o ien a ion (in e es in
wo king in a comp ehensi e school a e g adua ion), and educa ion as a majo subjec in he eache educa ion
p og amme. The c i e ia was se his way o engage wi h hose pa icipan s who we e mos likely o be a he end o
hei s udies and who ep esen ed he majo i y o Finnish eache s uden s in e ms o hei majo and p o essional
o ien a ion. Some o he s uden s had comple ed a signi ican numbe o ECTS c edi s be o ehand, o example in he
Open Uni e si y, while o he s had jus inished hei uppe seconda y school. The pa icipan s also di e ed om each
o he in e ms o hei p io eaching expe ience. Some had li le o no expe ience, while o he s had been wo king as a
subs i u e eache o school assis an o se e al yea s. Fu he mo e, o some o he s uden s, eache educa ion was
hei second choice, whe eas o he s had applied se e al imes o join he deg ee p og amme. This he e ogenei y o he
sample is also cha ac e is ic o he wide Finnish eache s uden popula ion.
2.3 Da a Collec ion
The s uden eache in e iews we e conduc ed by using a con ex ually modi ied e sion o he Teache s’ P o essional
Landscape In en o y (Au ho s, 2010, see appendix 1). The ins umen was chosen o enable compa ison o he esul s
eme ging om di e en con ex s o eache lea ning: lea ning in he school when p ac ising he p o ession (Au ho s,
2014), and du ing educa ion when lea ning he p o ession. The alidi y o he adap ed ins umen was es ed in ou
pilo in e iews be o e he da a was collec ed.
The i s named au ho isi ed ele en di e en cou ses in which he pa icipan s we e mos likely o be a he end o
hei s udies, and ga e a sho in oduc ion o he s udy. The s uden s i ing he c i e ia we e ec ui ed on a olun a y
basis and hey ga e hei con ac in o ma ion o he esea che . A e his, he po en ial pa icipan s we e con ac ed ia
e-mail o by phone and a ime o an in e iew was a anged.
The semi-s uc u ed heme in e iew included ques ions on h ee main hemes: he s uden eache ’s lea ning p ocess
du ing eache educa ion, he s uden eache ’s belie s conce ning s udying in he eache educa ion p og amme, and
he s uden eache ’s belie s conce ning eache s’ wo k in he school. In he in e iew, s uden s we e asked o c ea e a
isual ep esen a ion o hei s udy pa h as hey saw i , and o iden i y and ma k he posi i e, p omo ing c i ical e en s
and he nega i e, hinde ing key e en s ha made a di e ence in hei s udies. A e his he s uden s we e in e iewed
based on hei isualisa ions (e.g. wha happened? Wha did you lea n in his si ua ion? Wha made you change you
way o hinking?)
S uden s’ backg ound in o ma ion, including age, eaching expe ience, easons o choosing a ca ee as a eache o
doing eache s udies, and he cu en s a e o hei s udies, we e explo ed. In o al, he in e iew con ained ou
backg ound ques ions abou he pa icipan s’ pe sonal and p o essional his o y and 16 ques ions abou hei s udies in
he eache educa ion p og amme and eache s’ wo k in he school.
Each in e iew ook be ween 60 and 210 minu es o comple e. All in e iews we e digi ally audio- eco ded and decoded
in o ex iles by he esea che o he ained esea ch assis an .
2.4 Analysis
The analysis was ca ied ou using an abduc i e s a egy (e.g. Chambe lain, 2006). In he i s phase o he analysis, he
s uden eache s’ desc ip ions conce ning hei lea ning and i s di e en dimensions we e coded using an induc i e
s a egy. A e ha , a heo y-d i en app oach was used o o mula e and inalise he ca ego ies and con en s wi hin each
ca ego y.
The analysis was conduc ed by aking a pe son-cen ed app oach. This mean ha each s uden ’s indi idual lea ning
p ocesses du ing hei educa ion we e analysed. The analysis en ailed ou di e en dimensions o lea ning: 1)
mo i a ion, 2) app oach o lea ning, 3) ac ion s a egy, and 4) concep ion o eache s’ wo k. In Table 1 he c i e ia o
he analyses o each aspec is desc ibed in a mo e de ailed way.
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Table1. Fou dimensions analysed in s uden eache lea ning pa e ns
Mo i a ion:
“Wha mo i a es
s uden s o do
eache s udies?”
App oach o Lea ning:
“Wha kind o app oach
o lea ning ha e s uden s
adop ed?”
Ac ion S a egy:
“Wha kind o ac ion s a egy do
s uden s use o cope wi h c i ical
inciden s?”
Concep ion o Teache ’s
Wo k:
“Wha kind o concep ion o
eache s’ wo k do s uden s
hold?”
a)INTERNAL:
The s uden ’s goal
in lea ning is o be
a “p o essional”
eache . The
s uden exp esses
engagemen in
de eloping
pedagogical
expe ise
a)DEEP:
The s uden e lec s wha
he o she knows and wha
he o she should know
and sea ches o a way o
lea n. The s uden ’s goal
is o deepen
unde s anding and o
make links be ween
heo y and p ac ice.
a)ACTIVE AND
TRANSFORMATIVE:
The s uden ies o a ec he
pedagogical si ua ion and ac i ely
seeks ou new lea ning
expe iences.
a)COHERENT:
The s uden exp esses an
in e nally cohe en and
s uc u ed (wide o na ow)
iew abou eache ’s wo k.
The s uden concep ions
conce ning eaching-lea ning
p ocess o pe cep ions abou
sel as a lea ne and pupil as a
lea ne a e cohe en .
b)EXTERNAL:
The s uden ’s goal
in lea ning is
ge ing an
academic deg ee.
The s uden is
engaged in
academic wo k in
gene al.
b)SURFACE:
The s uden e lec s on his
o he accomplishmen s
and ies o ind an easy o
quick way o accomplish
mo e. The s uden ’s goal
is o pass he es , ge easy
answe s, and ge use ul
ips ha will wo k in he
ield.
b)PASSIVE AND ADAPTIVE:
The s uden adop s a s a egy o
comply wi h e e y si ua ion
(whe he a ou able o
un a ou able). The s uden may
c i icise he ci cums ances, bu
does no ac o change hem, o o
change his/he own
beha iou / hinking, o accomplish
lea ning.
b)FRAGMENTED:
The s uden exp esses
di e en aspec s abou
eache ’s wo k ha do no
o m a cohe en sys em.
S uden ’s belie s conce ning
hei own lea ning and pupil’s
lea ning show inconsis encies.
The s uden ’s belie s may also
be uns uc u ed o he s uden
has di icul ies explica ing
his/he belie s.
c)BOTH:
The s uden
exp esses bo h
mo i a ional
aspec s
c)BOTH:
A si ua ionally changing
app oach (which depends
on he cou se and he
phase o s udies).
c)SITUATIONALLY CHANGING:
The s uden uses bo h s a egies
(depending on he si ua ion).
3. Resul s
3.1 S uden Teache s’ Lea ning Pa e ns
The esul s indica ed ha he e was a ia ion be ween s uden eache s in e ms o hei lea ning pa e ns. In o al, ou
di e en kinds o lea ning pa e ns we e iden i ied (see Table 2). The pa e ns iden i ied we e: meaning-di ec ed ac o
(F=7), undi ec ed-inconsis en (F=6), disengaged passe -by (F=4) and meaning-di ec ed con o mis (F=2). The e we e
also some simila i ies be ween he s uden s in e ms o hei pa e ns. When looking a he da a as a whole, i was
iden i ied ha a sligh majo i y o he s uden s (F=11/19) held a cohe en concep ion abou wha eaching in ol ed. On
he o he hand, many s uden s had a agmen ed concep ion (F=8/19). Al hough he e we e di e ences be ween s uden
eache s’ mo i a ion o lea n and hei app oach o lea ning, mos s uden s held a deep o s a egic app oach o lea ning
and had in e nal easons o s udying. Su p isingly, howe e , he majo i y o s uden eache s had adop ed a passi e and
adap i e ac ion s a egy, meaning ha hey adap ed hei ac ions acco ding o he si ua ion and silen ly accep ed he
pedagogy being p ac ised. Only a ew s uden s epo ed using ans o ma i e ac ion s a egies and some epo ed ha
hey occasionally in luenced he pedagogical se ings o said ha hey we e able om ime o ime o in luence c i ical
inciden s du ing hei educa ional jou ney.
Table 2 also shows ha some elemen s o he pa e n we e mo e equen ly ela ed. Fo ins ance, in e nal mo i a ion,
ac i e s a egy use and a deep app oach o lea ning we e o en combined wi h a cohe en concep ion o eaching. On he
o he hand, ex e nal easons, a su ace app oach o lea ning, and di icul ies in lea ning skills in e ms o app oach o
ac ions s a egy we e o en ela ed o a agmen ed concep ion o eaching.

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Table 2. S uden eache lea ning pa e ns
Pa e ns
Meaning-di ec ed Ac o
(F=7)
Undi ec ed-inconsis en
(F=6)
Disengaged
Passe -by
(F=4)
Meaning-di ec ed
Con o mis (F=2)
Wha mo i a es
he s uden in
doing eache
s udies?
The s uden ’s goal is
mos ly o be a
p o essional eache
and/o he s uden shows
engagemen in gaining
pedagogical expe ise
The s uden ’s goal is mos ly o
be a p o essional eache
and/o he s uden shows
engagemen in gaining
pedagogical expe ise
The s uden ’s goal
is o ge an
academic deg ee.
The s uden shows
li le o no in e es
in eaching
The s uden ’s goal is o
be a p o essional eache
and/o he s uden shows
engagemen in gaining
pedagogical expe ise
Wha kind o
app oach o
lea ning does
he s uden
use?
The s uden uses a
a iable o deep
app oach o lea ning
The s uden uses a a iable o
deep app oach o lea ning
The s uden uses a
a iable o
su ace app oach
o lea ning
The s uden uses a deep
app oach o lea ning
Wha kind o
concep ion
abou eaching
does he
s uden hold?
Cohe en
F agmen ed
Cohe en and
F agmen ed
Cohe en
Wha kind o
ac ion s a egy
does he
s uden use in
c i ical
inciden s?
Si ua ionally changing o
ac i e and ans o ma i e
Passi e and adap i e.
Passi e and
adap i e
Passi e and adap i e
3.1.1 Meaning-di ec ed Ac o (F=7)
The mos ypical pa e n iden i ied was meaning-di ec ed ac o s. I was cha ac e is ic o his pa e n ha s uden s we e
mos ly in e nally mo i a ed o s udy. Lea ning mo e abou eaching was ypically desc ibed as a p ima y eason o
s udying. The s uden s also held a deep o a iable app oach o lea ning and hey had cons uc ed a cohe en concep ion
abou eaching.
I al eady had ele an wo k expe ience and I had clea ly seen some hings whe e I was missing a so o heo e ical
amewo k, he eason why his wo k is ac ually done and why I am doing i , wha kind o eache I am, how I
de elop mysel as a eache . So I ha e kind o been able o ge he answe s o my ques ions om he e.
I ha e no come he e o ge a magical bag o icks, o o ge some hing ha would help me each my classes un il I
each e i emen age. I’m looking o a way o ge deepe in o eaching so ha I can de elop and main ain i . O
somehow o always keep mysel upda ed in wo king as a eache .
Wha cha ac e ises hese s uden s’ app oaches o lea ning was ha hey wan ed o unde s and, o make connec ions wi h
wha hey had lea ned be o e, and o change hei belie s i needed. Teache s uden s also mo e o en in en ionally chose
hei app oach o lea ning a e e lec ing on he si ua ion.
… The e a e cou ses whe e you can challenge you sel and you way o hinking and so o pa icipa e in his
collabo a i e knowledge cons uc ion and lea n ha he e is no single choice o igh answe , bu ins ead he e a e
many ha jus depend on he easoning behind hem. In ha way, you can compa e esponses, see o he people’s
easoning and wi h ha be mo e p epa ed o hen go o ha school.
S uden eache s’ ac ion s a egies ei he changed om one si ua ion o ano he o we e ans o ma i e in na u e, when
hey we e able o make he e o o change hei own beha iou o ci cums ances a leas occasionally. Some o hese
s uden s also ac i ely sough ou new lea ning expe iences, o example, by ge ing in o in o mal pedagogical
discussions wi h o he membe s in he schola ly communi y. Some s uden s e en epo ed ha hey had made an e o
o change hei non- unc ional pedagogical p ac ices ei he by ac ing agains he accep ed ules in he si ua ion, o by
pa icipa ing in he depa men adminis a ion p ocess.
On many occasions I aised my hand and said (laughs) some hing con o e sial and challenging. Tha is how I
became so o ou class spokespe son and why I ha e been included in de eloping ou educa ional p og amme,
and so on. I end o jus say di ec ly o he cou se lec u e ‘Hey, excuse me, could we do his as homewo k?’ ...
such as i we a e looking a some hing we could de ini ely do a home and e e ybody is jus quie and looking
bo ed. I migh be ha eache educa ion is jus ull o good gi ls who jus do no da e o say any hing ... So ha is
why I aise my hand and say, ‘Hey could we mo e o wa d, le ’s ead his a home and you should send us a
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link’ ...
This pa e n also iden i ied some mino in e nal cons uc i e ic ion. Howe e , he inconsis encies can be in e p e ed as
indica o s o change owa ds mo e ac i e lea ning. Such inconsis encies may also indica e ha hese s uden s we e able
o a y hei beha iou mo e easily in di e en si ua ions and could choose i hey wan ed o adap o he si ua ional
oles, o do some hing di e en ly o enable meaning ul lea ning o hemsel es o o he whole s uden g oup.
3.1.2 Undi ec ed-inconsis en (F=6)
Undi ec ed-inconsis en pa e ns we e iden i ied almos as o en as meaning-di ec ed ac o pa e ns. Cha ac e is ically,
undi ec ed-inconsis en pa e ns lack cohe ence be ween he mo i a ional and concep ual aspec s and he app oach and
he ac ion s a egy adop ed. S uden eache s wi h his pa e n desc ibed in e nal o a iable easons o s udying and he
use o a a iable o deep app oach o lea ning. Mo eo e , hey held a agmen ed concep ion o eaching and p e e ed
passi e and adap i e ac ion s a egies in s udying.
Undi ec ed-inconsis en s uden eache s also epo ed s uggling o unde s and he meaning o lea ning goals and goal
se ing o hei own s udies. A he same ime, hey o en epo ed ha he cu iculum applied a school had se he
bounda ies and goals in eaching p ac ice, and ha by ollowing he cu iculum one could jus i y one’s ac ions whe he
pupils lea ned any hing o no . S uden s also conside ed ha he e lec ion o one’s own ac ion and lea ning was almos
impossible in some si ua ions, al hough as eache s hey wan ed o p omo e pupils’ hinking skills:
Bu somehow i eels so ha d in jus a couple o weeks o somehow e lec on you eaching in any dep h. I can’
anyway... somehow i is di icul o deeply e lec and a he same ime se a ge s o you eaching p ac ice. In ou
case i came a a hal way s age when I hea d hings like we don’ ha e any a ge s a all. I was eally unclea wha
he a ge s ac ually we e. Also we e we o he pupils missing ou a ge s?… i was kind o con using ... o hen I
jus did no ha e i in me o plan lec u es…
And hen ... (I' e lea ned) ha by using he cu iculum i helps you qui e a lo since hen you ha e some hing o
use o jus i y you own eaching ... o example how you should ead i , and i you do some hing you a e able o
show ha his is a pu pose ul ac i i y ins ead o ying despe a ely o explain, o example in a pa en s' e ening,
wha you we e ying o do o achie e…Bu hen ... i you do wha you a e able o and you can jus i y i , hen e en
i someone does no lea n o ead… hen he e is no hing you can do abou i ... a leas you ha e done wha you can
and ha e explained he easoning behind i ... ha is somehow why I am able o do his as a p o ession.
S uden s also iden i ied dys unc ional pedagogical p ac ices bu did no make an e o o change hem.
I is in e es ing ha while you a e s udying o be a eache , he ac ual eaching you ecei e is so o adi ional.
Like, o example, a lec u e is pu ely class oom- ype eaching and e en small g oup classes ha e no hing special
abou hem. Ou eache s he e don’ use any so o ancy new eaching me hods. I eels ha I’m jus going a ound;
nobody knows who I am and I’m jus going along wi h he s uden c owd doing cou ses. I eels like he s uden s
suppo each o he , while he acul y is somewhe e else and now and hen hei pa hs c oss. I did no , especially
du ing he i s ew yea s, eel ha we we e pa o any kind o schola ly communi y he e in he uni e si y.
These s uden s showed a willingness o engage in lea ning, bu hey did no ully succeed in doing so. Hence, hey
wan ed o lea n, bu a he same ime hey lacked he unde s anding o ac i e lea ning and how o cons uc meaning ul
lea ning en i onmen s o pupils a school.
3.1.3 Disengaged Passe -by (F=4)
All o hese s uden s in his ca ego y had p io expe ience as eache s. The e o e, mos o hem p ima ily wan ed o ha e
o mal quali ica ion o he p o ession hey we e al eady p ac icing and abou which hey al eady knew a g ea deal.
They had ex e nal o a iable s udy mo i a ion, howe e hey we e highly mo i a ed o ge ‘ he hing done’. Some o
hem desc ibed expe iencing a so o disappoin men :
I’ e done hese a qui e a igh pace bu ac ually his has been easie han I imagined. I’ e done abou a hund ed
c edi s al eady and hen he e a e also he addi ional special educa ion c edi s o his e m. So I’ e been a bi
ba led, like ‘was his i ?’ as my expec a ions we e so high.
I had high expec a ions o his educa ion as ob iously wi hou i I could no ge a pos o pe manen employmen
anywhe e. I ’s a big hing and once I ge his done I’m a quali ied eache .
S uden eache s did no epo many changes in hei concep ions abou eaching du ing hei aining. Some
main ained a cohe en concep ion o eaching, while some s uden s’ concep ions emained agmen ed:
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I doub ed my own compe ence as a eache (be o e I en e ed eache aining), which is why I always el ha once
I go he eaching quali ica ion hen I would be a eal and good eache . Bu he eali y o wo king li e has ac ually
augh me so much abou wha being a eache eally is all abou .
I kind o eels like he eache s who each he e don’ ha e ha p ac ical eal li e expe ience. I some imes eel ha
I, wi h my ela i ely limi ed expe ience, know be e how hese hings eally a e in he ield han he eache who
is eaching me he e.
Some o hese s uden s also epo ed ha he pedagogical p ac ices du ing eache educa ion we e disengaging o
dys unc ional. They epo ed ha hei s udies had no ul illed hei expec a ions and because o his hey had adap ed
(in en ionally o unin en ionally) a a iable o su ace app oach o lea ning. Al hough some o hese s uden s we e
c i ical and could pinpoin he disengaging p ac ices, hei ac ion s a egy emained passi e and adap i e in he c i ical
inciden s. The s uden s did no men ion in any de ail hei need o will o use ac i e lea ning s a egies. They usually
p e e ed a p ac ical app oach o he eaching p o ession:
I migh in pa ha e o do wi h he ac ha , when I s a ed my s udies, I el ha wha p epa ed a eache o
p ac ical wo k was e y impo an . So in ha sense maybe I was unable o see he heo e ical aspec s ha p o ided
he amewo k o his job (laughs) o o see hem as impo an . Nowadays I can app ecia e heo y mo e as I hink
you need some hing o base you ac ions on o some hing which you ac ions a ise om… be i om heo y o
om some hing else, I can’ exac ly say wha .
3.1.4 Meaning-di ec ed Con o mis (F=2)
The e we e also a ew s uden s whose lea ning di e en ia ed om ha o o he s. These s uden s we e iden i ied as
meaning-di ec ed con o mis s. Wha cha ac e ised hese s uden s’ lea ning was ha hey had in e nal easons o
s udying and a deep app oach o lea ning, and had cons uc ed a cohe en concep ion abou eaching. In his sense, hey
we e much like meaning-di ec ed ac o s.
Howe e , hei ac ion s a egy was passi e and adap i e, meaning ha hey did no see a need o in luence hei
pedagogical se ings in educa ion, bu con en edly ook wha he aining had o o e hem whe he i was meaning ul o
no .
Those i s wo yea s as a s uden , o cou se you did lea n a lo abou some hings, bu I wonde ed why I was being
o ced o lea n hese skills o which I see no use. I ha e no eally needed o use hem anywhe e and a imes I did
no unde s and why ce ain hings needed o be s udied. O cou se he wo yea s we e un and I made iends in he
s udy g oup. In he i s wo yea s you did no e en eally eel like uni e si y s uden s. A imes i el like being in
school and messing a ound wi h adul -sized child en. Maybe only now, in his las yea , has i el like being a eal
uni e si y s uden and doing academic wo k.
These s uden s’ lea ning pa e ns we e nea ly cohe en , bu he sel - egula o y aspec o lea ning was no p esen .
4. Discussion
In his s udy, s uden eache s’ heme in e iews, including e ospec i e s o ylines, we e used o analyse s uden eache s’
lea ning du ing hei eache educa ion. Ce ain challenges we e in ol ed in using a e ospec i e app oach (e.g. Cox &
Hassa d, 2007). Pa icipan s’ expe iences and hei o e all li e si ua ions a e o en di icul o ecall and sum up in a single
in e iew (K ale, 2007). The s uden eache s’ expe iences (as well as hei beha iou ) a e always si ua ed in ime,
con ex and hei o e all li e si ua ions, which a e o en challenging o ecollec and summa ise a he end o he s udy pa h.
The e o e, e ospec ion is also likely o ha e some memo y e ec s on he da a. Acco dingly, e ospec ion would ha e
e y likely a ec ed he da a, including he gene alisa ion o expe iences. Howe e , he e lec i e and p ocess-o ien ed
design also ga e he pa icipan s an oppo uni y o e lec on hei s udy pa h and iden i y signi ican expe iences in i .
This esul ed in ich da a and ensu ed ha he pa icipan s ecalled and epo ed only signi ican expe iences. Mo eo e ,
he da a sample demog aphically ep esen ed he s uden eache s in a la ge esea ch-in ensi e uni e si y in e ms o age
and gende . The s uden eache s’ desc ip ions also became supe luous in his da a. The da a eached he poin whe e
s uden eache s’ desc ip ions did no add any hing new ha could no be a ached o al eady exis ing ca ego ies (see e.g.
Onwuegbuzie & Leech, 2007).
Howe e , jus as he e a e simila i ies be ween di e en eache educa ion p og ammes in Finland and ab oad, he e a e
also di e ences be ween hese lea ning en i onmen s. The e o e, hese indings canno , as such, be gene alised o
eache educa ion in gene al. Ne e heless, i is assumed ha simila indings can be ound in o he eache educa ion
con ex s. This mus , howe e , be alida ed by empi ical e idence.
This s udy con ibu es o an unde s anding o esea ch in o s uden eache lea ning pa e ns by explo ing he quali y
and consis ency o eme ging mul idimensional pa e ns. We iden i ied ou quali a i ely di e en kinds o lea ning
Jou nal o Educa ion and T aining S udies Vol. 3, No. 5; 2015
97
pa e ns ha a e in line wi h p e ious esea ch indings conce ning s uden lea ning (Ve mun & Ve me en, 2004). In
ou s udy we also disco e ed ha eache s uden s ha e meaning-o ien ed, ep oduc ion-o ien ed and
applica ion-di ec ed endencies. Among eache s uden s, he e we e also hose who we e undi ec ed lea ne s and had
inconsis encies in hei lea ning pa e ns. The e o e, ou s udy con i ms he indings ga he ed om among di e en
kinds o uni e si y s uden g oups and adds ha s uden eache s a e no an excep ion among s uden s in e ms o hei
lea ning (Ve mun & Ve me en, 2004). This also aises a se ious ques ion as o whe he hey should be, as hey a e
becoming expe s o pedagogical eaching-lea ning p ocesses. The s uden eache s’ endency o adap and passi ely
con o m and hei lack o sel - egula ion o lea ning may esul in challenges o hei gaining o ac i e p o essional
agency, and hus leading o di icul ies in acili a ing lea ning agency wi h pupils in he school.
A complemen a y way o analysing s uden s’ lea ning pa e ns by concen a ing on di e en aspec s o he pa e ns and
he ela ionship be ween he di e en aspec s enabled us o explo e he in e nal consis ency o he pa e ns. A posi i e
inding in e ms o meaning ul p o essional lea ning was ha he mos ypical ca ego y in s uden eache s’ pa e ns was
meaning-di ec ed ac o . I was also he mos in e nally consis en pa e n, sugges ing ha hese s uden s had adop ed
o ien a ion and lea ned s a egies ha will p obably suppo hem in he ansi ion o wo king li e and help hem o
con inue p o essional de elopmen du ing hei ca ee . Howe e , some o he s uden eache s’ pa e ns showed s ong
in e nal ic ion be ween he di e en aspec s obse ed. Fo example, he undi ec ed-inconsis en pa e n may lead o
aliena ion o bu dening in p o essional li e i he s ong mo i a ion o be a ‘good p o essional’ and he c i ical
obse a ions o he pedagogical p ac ices a e no accompanied by ac i e e o s o cons uc be e lea ning
en i onmen s. Mo eo e , he deep app oach o lea ning wi hou ac i e sel - egula i e ac ion s a egies in a
meaning-di ec ed con o mis pa e n may lead o s a ic p o essional o ien a ion which is no unc ional in de eloping
he school o in he e ogeneous, and he e o e challenging, school en i onmen s.
One eason o he inconsis encies in he pa e ns may be he unwillingness o change one’s beha iou o hough s, o
lack o sel - egula i e skills. Howe e , he inconsis encies may also indica e ha s uden s’ lea ning pa e ns a e
changing. They may e en p o ide a ui ul g ound o concep ual changes and o he o ma ion o a e lec i e eache
iden i y, i hese s uden s a e iden i ied and hei ac i e lea ning is acili a ed. Mo eo e , he esul s sugges ha s uden
eache s’ lea ning is a complex en i y and one elemen , such as s ong in e nal mo i a ion o cohe en concep ions o
eaching and lea ning, is no enough o build up an e icien pa e n o lea ning. Hence he e is a need o u he
analysis as well as longi udinal s udies ocusing on educa ional acks, and beyond in o he wo king li e and ansi ions
wi hin and be ween hem.
The esul s showed ha he e we e di e ences in s uden s’ egula ion o lea ning, and hey esona e wi h some p e ious
esea ch p oclaiming ha eache educa ion does no always p o ide an op imal lea ning en i onmen o ac i e,
meaning ul lea ning (Niemi, 2002). One eason o his may be ha gaps occu be ween eache educa o s’ belie s and
ac ual pedagogical p ac ices (Lunenbe g & Ko hagen, 2003; Lunenbe g, Ko hagen & Swennen, 2007), as well as he
s uden s’ engagemen and how hei expe ience i s wi h he gi en con ex s. To sum up, becoming a eache , in ligh o
he p esen indings, is s ill a ocky oad. Fu u e eache s expe ience se e al posi i e and nega i e lea ning episodes
du ing hei jou ney, and hey do no ully succeed in sol ing he pedagogical challenges coming up o hei way as
becoming a concep ual and p ac ical p o essionals o meaning ul and ac i e eaching-lea ning p ocess. As an example
o his, he ac ha ac i e lea ning is a e poses he ques ion o whe he eache educa ion is able o os e s uden s’
ac i e agency du ing hei s udies, and in doing so, cons uc a bene icial ounda ion o eache s o con inue hei
p o essional de elopmen and c ea e meaning ul lea ning en i onmen s o hemsel es and hei pupils in school.
Acknowledgemen s
This esea ch is unded by he Academy o Finland (P ojec : 1259489) and he Finnish Cul u al Founda ion
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