Teacher's Place as an Educator in Social Interaction, in the Digital Age, From the Point of View of Preservice Teachers Completing Student Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

In the course of their training, preservice teachers learn about the importance of interaction in the educational process, and their student teaching experience in schools exposes them to different models of interactions between teachers and students. The research question for this study was how and to what extent is the role of the teacher as the educator in social interaction, in the classroom as a social group, in face-to-face, distance, and blended learning environments, reflected in schools and in higher education? The perspective was that of preservice teachers during their student teaching in primary and secondary schools. The mixed-method study involved 291 preservice teachers studying at academic institutions for teacher training in Israel. The data show that the function of a “teacher of social interaction” is present, to some extent, in schools and in higher education, but preservice teachers think that the current situation is unsatisfactory and that change is needed to place greater emphasis on interaction. Participants in the study stated that it is necessary to bring about change in higher education to encourage collaboration, networking, peer feedback, and an exchange of views. All teachers at all educational levels should strive for a combination of three components— knowledge, skills, and interactions—in all learning environments: face-to-face, blended, and distance.

Keywords: preservice teacher education, teacher-student relationships, practice-based teacher education, blended learning, information and communication technology (ICT), distance learning, digital environment, social presence

https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2022.19.1.5