How to foster the acquisition of core practices in preservice teachers. An experimental training study

Background: Core practices have been proposed as a solution to overcome the research-practice gap in teacher education. However, existing teacher trainings are largely rooted in practice-based teacher education and lack empirical validation, highlighting the need for theory-informed empirical research. Aims: This experimental study investigated how the acquisition of core practices can be supported in pre-service teachers by testing differently composed trainings. Sample: Preservice teachers (N = 128) from two German universities participated as trainees. They instructed 373 secondary school students in a small-group setting. Methods: We used a one-factorial between-subjects design, varying three theory-derived training components for the acquisition of core practices across four experimental conditions. The full training composition comprised a theory-based tutorial, an expert modeling, and enactment with a small student group; the remaining training conditions lacked one these components each. One week later, teaching performance and professional vision were assessed. Video and professional judgement data were analyzed to assess the acquisition of the core practices. Results: Participants who completed the full training composition performed significantly better on the performance test than those in the other conditions. Training compositions combining the tutorial with the expert modeling yielded superior results on the professional judgement test compared to compositions including only one of these components. Professional vision mediated training effects on teaching performance. Conclusions: Effective core practice trainings should include at least three components: theory-based instruction, expert modeling, and enactment with students. Thus, the study provides evidence-based building blocks for learning environments that foster the acquisition of complex teaching skills.