Exploring quality teacher education programmes in Lebanon, Qatar, and China

Abstract

The present quantitative study explored pre-service teachers’ perspectives regarding the quality of their Teacher Education Programme (TEP) in Lebanon, Qatar, and China. The sample consisted of 326 pre-service school teachers who completed a survey designed to examine their perception of the following indicators of TEP quality: (1) a shared vision of good teaching, (2) coherence, or alignment among TEP courses, and (3) opportunities for pre-service teachers to enact their own teaching practice. An exploratory factor analysis indicated the underlying factors were instead theory and vicarious experiences, reflections on authentic experiences, and programme coherence. Overall, pre-service teachers in all countries rated their TEP highest on programme coherence, while reflections on authentic experiences received the lowest ratings. Pre-service teachers in Lebanon and Qatar rated their TEPs significantly higher than did participants in China (p < .01), which could be attributed to differences in TEP structure. Practical implications and recommendations were discussed.