Outcomes of teacher education in Finland : subject teachers compared with primary teachers

Abstract

An exit survey performed for graduating students is an economical way to assess the outcomes of teacher education. In this study, exit survey data were collected from eight cohorts of Finnish student teachers who graduated between the years 2008 and 2015. A final sample consisted of 1102 preservice primary and subject teachers. A 10-item scale based on INTASC standards of teacher competency was used to measure graduates’ satisfaction regarding the knowledge and experience they had attained. This paper concentrates especially on the results of subject teachers and comparisons between the two teacher categories. The profile of the participants was uneven across domains. The highest means were observed in the domain of planning, while the lowest were in the domain of special education. Factor analysis of the scale produced two factors: instructional efficacy and pedagogic efficacy. Subject teachers scored higher than primary teachers in instructional efficacy, while primary teachers exceeded subject teachers in pedagogic efficacy. Arts, crafts and physical education teachers scored higher than other subject teacher groups. The results indicated the importance of teaching practice in the formation of teacher competence. In the future special attention should be given to the domains that obtained the lowest scores.