ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS: PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Quality enhancement of teacher education programs has been a debatable
issue all over the world. The present study was aimed to assess the quality
of teacher education programs being offered in a public sector university
in Pakistan. Three programs were randomly selected and prospective
teachers studying in the final semester were selected as sample of the
study. Prospective teachers studying in last semester of teacher training
programs were the respondents. Questionnaire, containing 55 statements
divided into six factors, was used as data collection tool. Data were
analyzed by SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics showed that the
respondents were more satisfied about the selection criteria, effectiveness
of teaching strategies used by teachers, behavior modification practices,
appropriateness of courses, timely feedback, and teachers’ content
knowledge but they were less satisfied with the statements related to
availability of multimedia in the classes, sharing of faculty offices, no
distortion of external factors, space to conduct activities, cleanliness and
neatness of classrooms, and environment helpful for learning. The results
of inferential statistics revealed significant difference in mean score of
respondents from different programs on the factors of admission criteria,
use of technology, assessment procedure, and quality of paper
development and marking. It is recommended in the light of results that the
university should allocate special budget to improve the quality of
infrastructure. Furthermore, availability of technology and its proper use
should be ensured by the university administration.