Implementing Narrative-Pedagogical Approaches in a Teacher Education Classroom

Authors

Pauline Swee Choo Goh, Sultan Idris Education University, MalaysiaFollow

Abstract

Preservice teachers can no longer be prepared using conventional teaching approaches as these are inadequate to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills they require to perform the tasks of teaching effectively. Teacher educators need to use new pedagogies, and narrative pedagogy is seen as a teaching method which can better prepare preservice teachers for the challenging classrooms of today. My study explored nine preservice teachers’ experiences after the enactment of a narrative pedagogical approach in one of their courses within their teacher education program. I used Ricoeur’s framework of the prefigured and configured arena of education to analyse the rich interview and reflective data which emerged. Three themes for the prefigured arena emerged: (a) feeling the sense of responsibility, (b) feeling anxious, and (c) feeling the lack of experience and confidence. Similarly, three themes were found for the configured arena: (a) learning through emotions, (b) learning through insights, and (c) learning through discussion. The preservice teachers have interpreted and discussed “lived” stories and this has shifted the way they think about teaching. The results do offer teacher educators and educational stakeholders a stepping-stone to further pedagogical insight into using narrative pedagogy in teacher education.

Keywords

Narrative Pedagogy, Narrative, “Lived” Experience, Teacher Education

Author Bio(s)

Pauline Swee Choo Goh received her doctorate from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and is currently an Associate Professor at the Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia. Her publications, research interests and expertise are focused on developing and improving both preservice and beginning teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, skills and practice. Her abiding interest in the areas of teacher education has enabled her to secure various international and national grants to undertake and apply educational research for the improvement and enhancement of teacher preparation. In 2019, she secured the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme from the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, to look into the readiness of teacher education in the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. She is currently authoring a book for beginning teachers in the Malay Language with topics ranging from the preparation of teaching, assessment to classroom discipline. Part of her portfolio also includes her role as the Chief Editor of the university’s teacher education journal – The Journal of Research, Policy and Practice of Teachers & Teacher Education. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: goh.sc@fpm.upsi.edu.my.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to my university - Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia, for providing the GPU (a university research grant) that has enabled me to carry out this study and to further improve teacher education in Malaysia. Thanks also go to the nine preservice teachers who gave their time for this study.

Publication Date

7-21-2019

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3869

Recommended APA Citation

Goh, P. S. (2019). Implementing Narrative-Pedagogical Approaches in a Teacher Education Classroom. The Qualitative Report, 24(7), 1731-1746. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3869