DEVELOPING A PROCESS FOR ENHANCING THE ART OF TEACHING AMONG PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS THROUGH COLLABORATIVE LESSON STUDY

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the initial level of the art of teaching among pre-service teachers. The sample consisted of 148 fourth-year pre-service teachers, undertaking teaching internships, from a public university. The sample size was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table from a population of 240. The research instrument was the Art of Teaching Assessment Scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data were collected through observations conducted by mentor teachers and analyzed using mean (M) and standard deviation (S), which then compared against the four-level art of teaching criterion. 2) To develop the process of enhancing the art of teaching through collaborative lesson study, five experts with more than ten years of professional experience in relevant fields were the data sources for process quality inspection. The research instrument was the Teaching Enhancement Process Evaluation Form with a reliability coefficient of 0.86. The inspection was conducted by five experts. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation and compared against a four-level suitability criterion. 3) This research also aimed to compare the art of teaching levels before and after development. This comparison was conducted with a purposive sample of seven fourth-year pre-service teachers from the same public university who were under the researcher’s supervision. The instrument used was the Art of Teaching Assessment Scale. The experimental procedure included a two-week pre-assessment, a twelve-week development phase, and a two-week post-assessment. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation and compared against the four-level art of teaching criterion. 4) To investigate the satisfaction of pre-service teachers toward the activities within the enhancement process, the teaching enhancement process was assessed among the same seven pre-service teachers. The instrument used was the Teaching Enhancement Process Satisfaction Scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.92. Data were collected through individual responses and analyzed using mean and standard deviation and compared against a four-level satisfaction criterion. The results revealed that 1) overall, pre-service teachers exhibited a moderate initial level of the art of teaching (M = 1.593). 2) The art of teaching enhancement process through collaborative lesson study consisted of five main components:1) principles, 2) fundamental concepts, 3) objectives, 4) a seven-step activity framework-(1) identifying problems in learning management, (2) planning collaborative learning activities, (3) developing the activities, (4) implementing them with students, (5) observing and reflecting on results collaboratively, (6) improving the learning management collaboratively, and (7) applying the process to other groups of learners-and 5) measurement and evaluation. The overall suitability of the process was rated at the highest level (M = 3.564). 3) The overall art of teaching level before development was moderate (M = 1.528), and increased to the highest level after development (M = 3.639), with a mean increase of 2.111. 4) Pre-service teachers’ overall satisfaction toward the activities within the enhancement process was at the highest level (M = 3.625).