Initial training and access to the profession: teachers' demands

Abstract

Initial teacher education programs are under great pressure because they are expected to train teachers who are highly prepared for the complexity that their professional practice requires. However, we know that the teaching profession is extremely complex, and its professional development must be progressive. In this sense, initial training is an essential element. For this reason, this paper analyzes the perceptions about initial teacher education and access to the profession of active teachers of compulsory education in schools in Spain. The research followed an ex post facto design. An ad hoc questionnaire has been designed with a robust validation in four phases, applied to 1148 teachers. The analyses include both descriptive (percentage and median) and nonparametric inferential statistics (U-Mann Whitney and H de Kruskal Wallis tests). Results show a negative evaluation of the current systems for both initial training and access to the profession. However, significant differences are also found. In initial teacher education these exist, on one hand, between teachers who work in Primary Education and those who work in Secondary Education and, on the other hand, in questions related to access to the profession, significant differences are observed depending on the type of center in which they teach. There is general agreement among teachers on the relevance of modifying both initial training and access to the profession. It has also been confirmed that the teaching profession is a heterogeneous group and, therefore, the measures cannot be the same for all.