Universal Journal of Educational Research 3(11): 787-792, 2015 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2015.031102 Demonstrating Pre-service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field Experiences Raymond W. Francis Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development, Central Michigan University, USA Copyright © 2015 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract Global opportunities for students to engage in communication and success. teaching and learning have the potential to have a great In this project student developed concept maps are used to impact on their professional knowledge base as a future explore student growth and understandings as a result of teacher. However, little information is available about how participation in a short duration global field experience. global field experiences impact pre-service teachers’ understanding due to substantial challenges in collecting and analyzing authentic student growth as a direct result of 2. Context of the Study engaging in global field experiences. Due to the consistent growth demonstrated by all members of the study, and the The use of concept maps is not new. Concept maps have key statistical significant differences between the been used for many years, with published research on the pre-experience and post-experience groups, as well as within topic including studies from the 1980s. A 2004 study [1] the pre-experience and post-experience groups, it is likely study linked the improvement of student performance to the that the global field experience participated in by all use of concept mapping. A West Virginia (USA) study on pre-service teachers had a positive impact on students’ graphic organizers use in Literacy [2] demonstrated that growth and understanding of effective teaching. Of course students using graphic organizers retained and used additional study is needed. However, it appears that global vocabulary terms more frequently than students not involved field experiences have the potential to impact student growth with graphic organizers. Also, other research demonstrated and learning in an important manner. that significant differences in learning and application of major concepts existed between students using graphic Keywords Global Learning, Field Experiences, organizers and those who did not use a form of graphic Teacher Education, Teacher Preparation organizer in their studies [3]. In fact, concept maps and graphic organizers have been used in fields such as engineering, mathematics, medicine and health professions, marketing, and many others to examine authentic 1. Introduction assessments and determine participant levels of performance. In addition, the concept maps and graphic organizers Global opportunities for students to engage in teaching provided an authentic view of participant knowledge, and and learning have the potential to have a great impact on thus a road map for revising and reconfiguring programs in their learning and development as a teacher. However, little many fields. information is available about how global field experiences However, a review of published literature reveals that impact student understanding due to substantial challenges concept maps have been overlooked as effective in collecting and analyzing authentic student growth as a communication tools in the supervision of student teachers. direct result of engaging in global field experiences. Although an informative and applicable form of authentic One specific style of instrument that may provide effective assessment, concept maps may have been passed by in favor insights into student growth as a result of a global field of more quantitative assessment means. In addition, concept experience is a concept map. Concept maps provide an maps have been neglected as strategies in the examination of outstanding avenue to promote students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of pre-service teachers. learning and growth in their teacher preparation programs. Recent research indicates the growth and development of These authentic, student developed visual maps provide a novice teacher is readily evidenced through the analysis of unique pictorial representation of an individual's terms and ideas represented in concept maps [4]. In short, understanding of concepts and ideas, and promote concept maps provide an avenue to assess learners and 788 Demonstrating Pre-service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field Experiences explore growth in professionals, and have been overlooked generate terms connected to the central idea for the in many areas. expanding levels of the concept map. Each succeeding level Concept maps fit into one of the many classes of visual away from the central topic becomes more factual and less organizers. Visual organizers include such forms as flow general. Chart 1 is a sample concept map for a student charts, cluster webs, T-charts, attribute maps, sequence teacher prior to starting the student teaching experience. charts, story maps, and many others. Each of these particular Concept maps can reveal several things about a student visual organizers can play an important role in the classroom. teacher. Overall the student’s "breadth of understanding" can However, concept maps provide a particularly meaningful be demonstrated by the number of entries attached to a set of uses in the student teaching experience. The concept particular term. In Chart 1 there are seven topics connected map flows from the understanding of the pre-service teacher to the main topic (Classroom Management). These Level 1 and is an authentic representation of the pre-service teacher’s entries demonstrate an above average number of entries in a professional knowledge base on a specific topic. The pre-student teaching concept map [5]. However, there are authentic and personal nature of the concept map provides an few entries connected to each of the Level 1 entries. This effective assessment of the individual’s understanding of a indicates the student teacher is not demonstrating a "depth on given topic or concept. In particular the semantic map, also knowledge" on the topic. known as a concept map, bubble map, or spider chart, allows By comparison, Chart 2 is a concept map from a different the pre-service teacher the opportunity to organize and share student teacher that demonstrates a different level of information about a topic. In addition, it then allows the understanding. This map also shows seven entries at Level 1. evaluator or researcher, the opportunity to see how the However, there are many more Level 2 and Level 3 entries pre-service teacher is organizing and linking information. throughout the artifact. In addition, this map demonstrates at Once identified, faculty can work with pre-service teachers least two connections between separate Level 1 and Level 2 to revise understandings, build new links and connections, entries. This map indicates a student teacher with a good and expand their professional knowledge base of classroom "breadth of understanding" of the topic, as well as a teaching. Concept maps are typically constructed by students to sufficient "depth of knowledge" to enable the student teacher represent an idea or concept. Normally, there is a central idea to understand and grow in their management of their or prompt being used as a focal point of the concept map, for classroom. example classroom management. Student teachers then Figure 1. Sample Student Map (1) of Classroom Management Universal Journal of Educational Research 3(11): 787-792, 2015 789 Figure 2. Sample Student Map (2) on Classroom Management In the area of global field experiences the use of concept and post-experiential data the number of entries increased maps is particularly useful and informative. Since between level 1 and level 2. However the data for the pre-service teachers are participating in a variety of pre-experience data (Figure 3) decreased between level 2 and experiences that are not a part of a larger group experience, level 3, while the post-experience data demonstrated a the concept map provides a strategy to organize and evaluate relatively large increase between level 2 and level 3. the growing and changing professional knowledge base of pre-service teachers. These authentic concept maps then can Pre-Exp Pre-Exp Post-Exp Post-Exp Level become the representation of professional knowledge that Total Mean Total Mean allows pre-service teachers to explore and communicate 1 138 3.83 192 5.33 about particular topics and ideas related to their global field 2 285 7.92 720 20 experience. 3 135 3.75 828 45 Overall 558 15.5 1785 49.58 3. Methods Figure 3. Totals and Means of Pre-Experience and Post-Experience As a part of this study a convenience sample of 29 students Concept Maps was identified. The student sample consisted of 18 In addition, calculated data for the Pre-Experience (Figure elementary program, and 11 secondary program students, 4) and Post-Experience (Figure 5) demonstrate a relatively with all students participating in a short-term global field inconsistent measure. Standard deviations range has a range experience of 6 days of classroom experience in a of 3.1 points for the pre-experience data and 8.5 points for non-American classroom. the post-experience data. This data is most likely indicative As a part of data collection process all students completed of the large change in values for the various levels and a pre-experience concept map and a post-experience concept supports the premise that growth and learning took place as a map on the topic of Effective Teaching. Each pre and result of engaging in the global field experience. post-experience map was coded by level and number of entries per level for the purpose of analysis. Once coded, all Level Pre-1 Pre-2 Pre3 Total data was subjected to s 2-tail student t-test (p=.05) for all levels and overall totals. Mean 3.830 7.920 3.750 15.5 STD 1.343 4.030 3.425 5.605 4. Results Stan Er 0.227 0.681 0.618 0.947 Df = 36 + 36 -2 = 70 Data analysis provided a variety of opportunities for Critical value = .95% or .05 confidence = 1.667 review and exploration. In reviewing the totals and means for Figure 4. Results for Pre-Instruction Assessment: Mean, Standard the Pre-Experience data it was apparent that for both the pre Deviation, and Standard Error. 790 Demonstrating Pre-service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field Experiences Level Post-1 Post-2 Post-3 Total Comparisons 95% P=1.667 Mean 5.330 20.0 23.0 49.58 Pre-1 vs Pre-2 1.2739 STD 2.134 5.701 10.684 12.419 Pre-1 vs Pre-3 0.9084 Stan Er 0.361 0.963 1.806 2.098 Pre-2 vs Pre-3 7.5127 Sig dif Df = 36 + 36 -2 = 70 Critical value = .95% or .05 confidence = 1.667 Post-1 vs Post-2 1.1519 Figure 5. Results for Post-Instruction Assessment: Mean, Standard Post-1 vs Post-3 9.8487 Sig dif Deviation, and Standard Error. Post-2 vs Post-3 0.0994 Overall, statistical analysis of the data yielded several noteworthy results that are presented in Figure 6. First, The basic level of entries for both the pre and post-experience Overall Pre vs Post 2.8396 Sig dif concept maps was similar for both groups. However, for level 2 pre and post groups, there was a significant difference Pre-1 vs Post-1 0.0003 in the number of entries with the mean for the pre group Pre-2 vs Post-2 1.6945 Sig Dif being significantly smaller than the mean for the post group. This general trend continues with significant differences Pre-3 vs Post 3 1.6888 Sig Dif evident between the Pre level 2 and Pre level 3 groups, Figure 6. 2-Tail t-Test results for Pre & Post-Experience Entries (p=9.5127) as well as the Pre and Post level 2 groups, and the Pre and Post level 3 groups (p=16945). It should be noted In addition, there is a notable significant difference that there were level 4 results for the Post-experience group, between the overall Pre and Post-Experience groups and none results for level 4 for the Pre-Experience group. (p=2.8396). The results presented in Figure 6 are available in While there was no significant difference between the Pre more visual options in Figure 7 and Figure 8, with the level 1 and level 3 data, there is a substantial statistical result information clearly different between the Pre-Experience for the Post level 1 and level 3 (groups (p=9.8487) and Post-Experience collected data. Figure 7. Graph of Pre vs Post Means of Entries Per Level (Bar chart) Universal Journal of Educational Research 3(11): 787-792, 2015 791 Figure 8. Pre vs Post-Instruction of mean entries per concept map level (Line chart) 5. Conclusions depth of knowledge. Students are likely to retain these types of knowledge throughout their preparation program and into From the analysis of the data it is apparent that there was a their professional practice. change in the understanding of the students about effective Lastly, the overall pre-experience and post-experience teaching, and how they were able to articulate these changes. means, and the statistically significant difference between This is identifiable through overall larger values in key areas. the pre-experience and post-experience overall number of The greater number of entries on the concept maps, as well as entries demonstrate growth and understanding by all the greater number of entries for any series of connections students in the group as a result of participation in a short demonstrates a deeper understanding and application of term global field experience. available knowledge. Due to the consistent growth demonstrated by all members In this project, concept maps developed as a part of the of the study, and the key statistical significant differences pre-experience and post-experience process have been between the pre-experience and post-experience groups, as well as within the pre-experience and post-experience groups, shown to demonstrate student growth and understanding in it is likely that the global field experience participated in by at least four substantial ways in their preparation for being a all students had a positive impact on students’ growth and classroom teacher. understanding of effective teaching. Of course additional First, students participating in the study demonstrated, study is needed. However, it appears that global field 100% of the time a growth in their understanding of what it experiences have the potential to impact student growth and takes to be an effective teacher. This conclusion is based on learning in an important manner. the overwhelming comparative data, as well as the organization of the study where the key event in the program for students between the pre-experience and post-experience development of the concept maps was the global field experience. REFERENCES Second, the hearty significant differences between pre-experience and post-experience entries on the concept [1] Holland, B., Holland, L., & Davies, L (2005). An maps at the level 2 and level 3 are indicative of student investigation into the concept of mind mapping and the use of mind mapping software to support and improve student learning, and an enhanced processing of information. These academic performance. Taken from the internet on 7/1/2014 significant differences indicate the students were building from the URL: and expanding their understanding of effective teaching http://wlv.openrepository.com/wlv/bitstream/2436/3707/1/M while engaged in their global field experience. ind%20mapping%20pgs%2089-94.pdf. Third, there was a very strong significant difference [2] West Virginia Department of Education (2014). Vocabulary demonstrated between the post-experience level 1 and level Graphic Organizers. Taken from the internet on June 10, 3 entries. This indicates that students processed the 2014 from the URL: information not as a breadth of understanding, but rather as a http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/VocabularyGraphicOrg 792 Demonstrating Pre-service Teacher Learning through Engagement in Global Field Experiences anizers.html assessment tools: defining understanding. A paper presented at the Lilly North Conference on College Teaching and [3] Bernard, K. (2013). Research based education strategies and Learning. Traverse City, MI (Sept, 2013). methods. Taken from the internet on June 4, 2014 from the URL: [5] Francis, R.W. (July 2013). Using concept maps as http://makingeducationfun.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/graph assessment tools: defining understanding. A paper presented ic-organizers/ at the Lilly North Conference on College Teaching and Learning. Traverse City, MI (Sept, 2013). [4] Francis, R.W. (July 2013). Using concept maps as