The purpose of this study was to understand student teachers' experiences of the high school English classroom and the influence, if any, of their experiences on their decision to become teachers, particularly teachers of English. This study also found a difference between student teachers' experiences of urban schools and rural/urban schools.
Introduction
Thus, it is the fundamental right of students to be educated in a language as prescribed by the Constitution and enshrined in the curriculum. It is also a cultural and aesthetic tool commonly shared by people to give meaning to the world they live in.
Rationale and Motivation
The teaching and understanding of the English language becomes not only the most important as the language of teaching and learning, but also as a language of assessment in other subjects, apart from other languages. It aims to find out whether students' current experiences of studying English in the School of Education and their decision to become teachers are influenced by their high school experiences.
Purpose of the study
This is one of the major problems with education, which Freire (1974) refers to as the "banking concept of education". My research therefore sought to understand the experiences of English teachers in a South African third-year secondary school classroom. I specifically chose student teachers from the School of Education because they had experience in South African secondary English classrooms.
Please write a narrative account of your experiences in a South African high school English classroom.
Location of Study
Contextualising the South African Classroom
Overview of Key Studies Dealing with the Topic
Research Objectives and Questions
Objectives
Questions to be asked
Overview of the Research Process
De-limitations
Organisation of the dissertation
Introduction
I then undertook a literature review that addressed student teachers' secondary school experiences, the particularities of the South African school system and how it contributes to that experience, and how or if these experiences influenced these students' decision to become English language teachers. Additionally, I considered the possibility that these high school experiences might influence student teachers' current English learning.
Theoretical Framework
Intentionality
Husserl introduced the concept of 'intentionality', which aims to explain consciousness at the root of lived experiences, including perception, imagination, anticipation and recollection, as well as thinking, feeling and social behavior (Churchill & Wertz, 1985). Humans have different ways of relating to their surroundings, as perception involves a perceiver relating to a perceived, and seeing is a function of what one is looking for.
The life world
The subject's description functions as a medium through which, as the meanings of the subject's experience begin to resonate in the researcher's own experience, the researcher gains access to the subject's world and at the same time grasps this world as a function of the subject's presence. , or intentionality. How each participant makes sense of his experiences will be personal as well as the understanding and interpretation of the same.
Review of Literature
Teaching English in High school
The way you guide and teach reading helps students improve their understanding and use of the English language a lot. Improving the school and strengthening the culture of teaching and learning is not only the task of the classroom teacher, but also of the school management, especially the principal.
High school Experiences
This calls for a better understanding of students and their backgrounds and why their view of schools conflicts with the norms and standards set out in the Constitution through the curriculum. It is true that they have the opportunity to become collectors or catalogers of the things they store.
Motivation to Become Teachers
More than half of the respondents in this study chose to be teachers because of the positive impact their teachers had on them in high school. It is obvious that method and content cannot be the same in high school and university. Some students had a positive high school experience, which made their life at university less stressful.
A case study of the secondary school experiences of student-teachers of English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Conclusion
Introduction
The purpose of this research is to understand how student teachers of English at university experienced the learning of English in the South African high school English classroom and whether this experience influenced their learning of English and their choice to be teachers .
Research Paradigm
The previous chapter dealt with a review of relevant literature which set the tone for a discussion of the methodology that informed the study. The students' decision to become a teacher would have been driven by various reasons, both subjective and arbitrary.
Research Design
The purpose of the case study in this case is to understand the secondary school experiences of student teachers, particularly as it involved an English language classroom. My research used an educational case study as it aims to understand the experiences of students and the reasons and circumstances that accompany such experiences.
Research Approach
Sampling
My participants were drawn from students attending under-resourced and under-resourced rural and urban schools. For the purposes of this research, under-resourced schools will refer to all schools that lack equipment or resources (personnel and infrastructure) that are used as aids to achieve outcomes or outcomes (Nyuswa, 2003), while resource-rich schools are those schools, for it mostly private and former model C schools which boast quality infrastructure (libraries, laboratories) both in staff and teaching aids/equipment to help achieve results.
Data Collection Strategies
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a list of questions to be answered by respondents and may contain open-ended or closed-ended questions” (Bertram & Christiansen, 2014, p. 72). Open-ended questions are structured in such a way that respondents can answer them however they wish.
Interview
A closed question is a question format that restricts respondents with a list of answer choices from which they must choose to answer, while open-ended questions give respondents enough space and freedom to be detailed in their answer based on articulation of questions that given to them. I chose this data collection method because, according to Oppenheim (as cited in Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011), closed questions are very useful in that they prescribe a range of answers from which participants can make choices.
Written Narrative Account
I chose a semi-structured interview because 'it does not follow a system of predetermined questions; the interviewer is free to develop any situation in any way” (Rao, 2005, p. 101). Each of the participants has had different experiences and different approaches to telling those experiences; a semi-structured interview method gives them that freedom.
Data Analysis
Organization and analysis of data begins with considering each statement relevant to the topic as of equal value. This process, according to Wertz et al. 2011) are called "noeses" the "how" of the experience and "noemata" meaning and what is experienced.
Credibility, Trustworthiness and Rigour
Credibility
It is the use of two or more methods of data collection in the study of some aspect of human behavior (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011, p.195). Triangulation can take several forms, but usually refers to the use of multiple data sources and data collection methods to achieve credibility or validity (Long & Johnson, 2000).
Trustworthiness
This was done by taking the interview transcripts and narrative back to the participants to cross-check and confirm their accuracy. Another important way to increase credibility was the use of "thick description", which refers to the depth that the researcher must report (Bertram & Christiansen, 2014).
Rigour
By using a thick description, the researcher provides enough detail so that the reader can judge whether the findings can be transferred to another context (Scott, as cited in Bertram & Christiansen, 2014). This is why I included narrative accounts as a method of data collection as it added to the information available to me, particularly information that was not captured by either questionnaires or interviews.
Ethical Issues
Methodological Problems/Limitation
Introduction
Setting and Personal Data of Participants
From the above responses, it is clear that most urban schools have better facilities, quality teachers and teaching, and a more conducive environment for teaching and learning compared to rural and urban schools. Student teachers of English's experiences of learning English in South African secondary English classrooms.
Experiences that student teachers of English have about learning
- Context Vs Experience
- Discipline
- Context and Schooling
- Schooling and family Impact
We struggled a lot because of the marked difference between primary and secondary school and their particular context. It is unfortunate that her university experience is not as useful as her high school experience.
The Role played by Student Teachers’ Experiences of the High School
The decision of student teachers of English to become teachers of English
Teachers and the practice of teaching
I want to be a teacher who is motivated, because if you are motivated, your students will be motivated too.” I don't want to be a teacher who goes to class knowing everything and makes everyone listen to what I have to give.”
The Role of Student Teachers' Experiences of their High School
Student teachers' high school English experience vis-à-vis current
Conclusion
At the heart of students' choice to become teachers is the desire to play a role in the future of young people. It should further be noted that all schools in this survey in rural and urban areas were perceived by participants to be under-resourced, while all schools in urban areas were well-resourced.
Main Findings
This may be due to the type of management running the school, the teaching staff or both. Some students chose to become English teachers because of the impact that teaching English had on them in high school, while others chose to become English teachers for other reasons that were both personal and contextual.
Significance of Study
Limitations of the current Study
Do you think your experiences in high school English class played a role in your decision to become a teacher? Do you think your experiences in high school English class played a role in your decision to become a teacher?
Areas of future Research/Reccomendations…
Implication for Teaching and Teachers
Conclusion
Do you believe that your experiences in your high school English classroom have influenced or shaped your current experiences studying English in college? Do you believe that your experiences in your high school English classroom have influenced or shaped your current experiences studying English in college?
