Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Training Programme

Abstract

The study reported here sought to determine how a cohort of beginning teachers perceived the training programme they completed at the Vanuatu Institute of Teacher Education to prepare them for the work expected of them in Vanuatu primary schools. All graduates of the programme in the study sample were in their first year of teaching and their opinions were surveyed by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Analysis of the data showed that the beginning teachers were generally positive about their training programme though some did express concerns about some important areas of it that they considered need improvement. Substantial implications of the study impinge on three areas: the quality of the teacher training programme; the roles and responsibilities expected of teachers in schools; and the quality of education provided to the nation’s children. Implications of the study have relevance for other teacher education institutions in the region and beyond in their professional preparation of teachers, at the pre-service stage, for the myriad demands of work expected of them in a range of school settings.