A Study of the Perceptions of Teacher Trainees Towards the Two-Year Teacher Education Programme Being Run in India

Abstract

The present study assesses the perceptions of teacher trainees towards the two-year teacher education programme being run in Jammu (India). The Teacher Trainees Perceptions Assessment Questionnaire (TTPAQ) was developed by the researchers for achieving the objectives of the study. The questionnaire consisted of four scales namely, Duration, Pedagogical Aspects, Curriculum and Innovation. A sample of 200 students enrolled in the two-year B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes of a private and Government college of education were chosen for the study. The results of the study showed that the TTPAQ was a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the perceptions of the teacher trainees towards the two-year teacher education programme. The mean scores of the different scales of the TTPAQ were high which indicated that teacher trainees of the B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes had positive perceptions towards the duration, pedagogical aspects, curriculum and innovativeness of the programme. No gender differences were observed in the results of the study. Significant differences were observed between the students of private and government colleges and also between the teacher trainees of B.Ed. and M.Ed. classes on all the four scales of the TTPAQ. This research study happens to be the first of its kind in this region that assesses the perceptions of teacher trainees due to a sudden stretch in the duration of M.Ed. and B.Ed. programmes from one to two years.