Field Research in Teacher Training Colleges of English as a Foreign Language run by Buenos Aires City Government

Author: Licenciada María de los Ángeles Rodríguez
Title: Field Research in Teacher Training Colleges of English as a Foreign Language run by Buenos Aires City Government
Date: July 2010
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Key words: Trabajo de Campo (Field Research) – Teacher Training College – Initial teacher education – educational research - latest curricula

ABSTRACT

Owing to the complexities of the present educational context that teachers face nowadays, the curricula of the state Teacher Training Colleges run by the Buenos Aires city government have incorporated substantial changes. Among such changes, a new subject has been implemented: Trabajo de Campo [Field Research]. It is the purpose of this dissertation to analyze Field Research as a new subject in the curricula. Therefore, this dissertation aims at exploring how this new subject is being implemented in initial teacher education, and how and to what extent student teachers perceive Field Research contributes to their teaching practice. To accomplish such aim, in the first place, content analysis has been carried out of the curricula and other Field Research-related documents. Secondly, questionnaires have been administered to 54 student teachers. Finally, results from the content analysis and the answers elicited from the questionnaire have been triangulated. Such triangulation discusses areas of divergence and convergence between the documents analyzed and the perception of student teachers. The results show that most student teachers perceive Field Research is a formative tool that contributes to their teacher education and teaching practices in the following aspects: (a) approach to reality, (b) reflective and critical attitude, (c) production of knowledge and a teacher-researcher stance, (d) articulation between theory and practice, and (e) classroom teaching skills. (Contains 52 references)