Closing the gap between the theory and practice of teaching: Implications for teacher education programmes in Hong Kong

May Hung May CHENG, Yan Ni Annie CHENG, Yee Fan Sylvia TANG

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116 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The gap between the theory and practice of teaching is an issue of concern in teacher education. Although researching this gap is not new, few studies have been conducted in Hong Kong. It is worth investigating the contemporary Asian models of teacher education that can provide reference to the international literature. This paper examines this theory-practice gap by reporting a study that researched the inconsistencies between student teachers' best teaching strategies and their most commonly employed ones. Specifically, we investigated: (1) the considerations that contribute to the inconsistencies in the student teachers' conceptions of teaching; and (2) the enhancing factors of the teacher education programme which help to close the gap between the theory and practice of teaching. Through examining the interview data, the findings revealed three main dimensions of consideration attributing to the inconsistencies in the conceptions of teaching: pre-training experience, teaching context and student needs. These considerations lead to expansive or constraining impacts on the student teachers' selections of teaching strategies. Influences from the teacher education programme that might close this gap are identified. Implications for improving teacher education programmes are also discussed. Copyright © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)91-104
JournalJournal of Education for Teaching
Volume36
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2010

Citation

Cheng, M. M. H., Cheng, A. Y. N., & Tang, S. Y. F. (2010). Closing the gap between the theory and practice of teaching: Implications for teacher education programmes in Hong Kong. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(1), 91-104.

Keywords

  • Teacher education programme
  • Theory-practice gap
  • Teaching strategies
  • Student teachers
  • Teaching Development Grant (TDG)
  • TDG project code: T3282
  • Period: TDG 2006-2007
  • Teaching Development Grant (TDG) Output

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