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ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF RESEARCH Copyright 2023 by THE PACIFIC
IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
Vol.17, No.3, September 2023, pp.163-184 ISSN 1976-1961
http://dx.doi.org/10.17206/apjrece.2023.17.3.163
163
Supervised Teaching Practice in
Initial Teacher Education
of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
Paulo Viana1) Marta Abelha Helena Inês Patrícia
Gramaxo
Filipa Seabra
Universidade
Aberta
Universidade de
Coimbra
Universidade
Aberta
Universidade
Aberta
Universidade
Aberta
Abstract
Supervised teaching practice (STP) is a fundamental stage of initial teacher education, including
preschool educators and teachers of the first cycle of basic education (1st CBE), which impacts their
future practices. Our objectives were: a) to characterize STP in the curricula of degrees habilitating
teachers for preschool education and teaching of the 1st CBE; b) to gather indicators about the process
of STP implemented by the same cycles of studies; and c) to describe the improvement
recommendations by the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) to the
same cycles of studies, concerning STP. The study was based on the documentary analysis of the plans
of study, and A3ES reports on the initial teacher education programs preparing preschool educators and
teachers of the 1st CBE of public higher education institutions (HEI) in Portugal, available during the
academic year of 2020/2021. The results point to discrepancies in the definition of contact hours and
the number of hours dedicated to supervised teaching practice across HEI. The recommendations for
improvement by the A3ES about STP encompass cooperating teachers, the accompaniment by the HEI,
and the conditions of reception at the cooperating schools.
Keywords: teacher education, teacher supervision, practicums, early childhood education
Corresponding author, 1) paulviana@gmail.com
Paulo Viana et al.
164
Introduction
Effective teachers during the initial years of a child’s education are fundamental to setting
the foundations for successful development in academic achievement and social and
emotional dimensions (NHCID, 2003; Hamre et al., 2014). Effective teachers must possess
a variety of non-academic attributes, but also a “finely tuned skill sets that allow them to
respond to classroom dilemmas”(Lindstrom et al., 2021, p. 23). Teacher candidates
experience of supervision in clinical contexts, where the roles of PreK-12 schools and
universities converge, is essential to developing that skill set (Burns et al., 2020).
Acknowledging childhood education as crucial, teacher preparation for early childhood
teachers should also be a primary concern. Associations, such as the National (USA)
Association for early childhood professional preparation, include reflective, collaborative
learning with experienced professionals as part of their standards: “Even as beginning
teachers, early childhood candidates demonstrate involvement in collaborative learning
communities with other candidates, higher education faculty, and experienced early
childhood practitioners” (NAEYC, 2009, p. 20). The practicum is a complex experience that
consists of “classroom-based opportunities carried out under the supervision of a lead
classroom teacher (i.e., cooperating teacher) provides opportunities for teacher candidates to
develop “experiential understanding” of children’s learning and appropriate teaching
strategies under the mentoring of a cooperating teacher” (Paro et al., 2018, p. 366). The
practicum or supervised teacher practice (STP) is widely recognized as an essential element
of teacher education (Ellis et al., 2020; Hoffman et al., 2015; Paro et al., 2018). Thus, we
were interested in studying the programs developed in Portuguese public Higher Education
Institutions (HEI) to habilitate teachers for early childhood education (including childhood
educators who teach preschool children aged three to six years and the first cycle of education
teachers (1stCBE) who teach children aged six to ten years), focusing primarily on the STP
they include, by legal mandate (Law-Decree no. 79/2014). Currently, teacher education is
under scrutiny and may soon be revised, as Portuguese teachers are an increasingly aged
professional group. Many are reaching retirement age, leading to a shortage of qualified
teachers in some areas of the country. This increases the relevance of studying teacher
education and STP as a particularly relevant element to ensure its quality.
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
165
Although supervised teacher practice is a wide and active field of research worldwide, and
its relevance to teacher education is well-established (Paro et al., 2018; Sumrall et al., 2017),
to the best of our knowledge, a study of all the Portuguese degrees that educate prospective
teachers, from a curricular standpoint, and looking specifically into the time dedicated to STP
in those degrees has not been done before.
In response to this scenario, our study aimed: a) to characterize the STP included in the
curricula of degrees habilitating teachers for Preschool Education and 1st CBE; b) to gather
indicators about the STP process in the curricula of degrees under study, and c) to analyze
the recommendations of the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education
(A3ES) for improvement the degrees under analysis in what concerns STP.
We conducted a qualitative study analyzing the curricular plans of Portuguese degrees
habilitating teachers for the education levels under analysis from public HEI and the year
2020/2021. Analyzing reports by the A3ES about the same degrees was a complementary
procedure.
Next, we will present a brief contextualization of STP and its place in teacher education in
Portugal after the Bologna process.
Literature Review
The Bologna Process and its implications for initial teacher education in Portugal
The Bologna Declaration, signed by several European countries (including Portugal) in
1999, aimed at creating a European Higher Education Space. The Bologna Process (BP)
promoted a generalized harmonization of European higher education structures. This
included a similar basis at HEI's structural and organizational levels, offering comparable
education programs and conferring diplomas of equivalent professional and academic value
(European Ministers of Education, 1999). This justified the adoption of a European system
of curricular credits based on students’ work hours – the ECTS (European Credit Transfer
and Accumulation System). This has led to greater transparency, making learning outcomes'
academic equivalence across institutions clearer.
Paulo Viana et al.
166
The ECTS expresses the number of total work hours necessary for the student to
successfully conclude a curricular unit, encompassing not only contact hours but also all the
time spent developing autonomous work by the student. A curricular unit is a “teaching unit
with specific training objectives, which is the object of administrative enrollment and
evaluation, translated into a final classification” (Law-Decree No 42/2005, 2005, art. 3,
section a). Contact hours are “the time spent in collective teaching sessions, namely in
classrooms, laboratories or fieldwork, and in personal guiding sessions of tutorial nature”
(Law-Decree No 42/2005, 2005, art. 3, section e).
It is estimated that one ECTS corresponds to 25 to 28 work hours by the student. The
number of ECTS to be attributed to each curricular unit is determined through the following
principles: i) work is measured in terms of estimated work hours by the student; ii) the
number of work hours to be considered includes all the hours predicted, including study time;
iii) the number of credits corresponding to one academic year is 60, which means a full-time
student should dedicate between 1500 and 1680 work hours to complete an academic year
successfully.
In Portugal, the implementation of the BP began in 2005, with the publication of the
principles regulating the European Higher Education Space and the introduction of changes
to the Law of Basis of the Educational System (Law No. 49/2005, 2005). The main alterations
affected the redefinition of the objectives of HE and the specification of guidelines for its two
subsystems (university and polytechnic), as well as the principles and conditions of access to
a higher education cycle of studies. The requirements for initial teacher education (ITE) and
the formative paradigm – a shift of focus from teaching to learning – were also relevant
changes introduced by the Bologna Process (Sousa-Pereira & Leite, 2018).
Concentrating on ITE, the Bologna Process transformed initial teacher training by
transitioning from a system based on transmitting knowledge to a system based on
competence development (Cabral, 2019).
The creation of a European HE area, by “defining the recognition of degrees obtained in
different European countries and the compatibility of HE systems, as well as the possibility
of transferring students within that space, has pushed the country [Portugal] to the creation
of systems that would guarantee the quality of the programs and therefore, their evaluation”
(Guerra & Leite, 2022, p. 349). In that line of thought, in 2007, Law-Decree No. 369/2007
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
167
created the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) to ensure
the quality of HE in Portugal by implementing the evaluation and accreditation of cycles of
study and HEI. This agency is currently responsible for analyzing the fulfillment of what is
legally stipulated for ITE degrees (Law-Decree no. 22/2014, 2014; Law-Decree No. 43/2007,
2007) and evaluating the quality of their functioning. ITE is governed by the same demands
in all public and private HEI, which the A3ES supervises.
As Mouraz, Leite, and Fernandes (Mouraz et al., 2012, p. 192) recognize, the Bologna
Process was at the roots of new teacher education policies in Portugal. Firstly, ITE programs
had to be restructured to respect the cycles of studies determined by Bologna (the first cycle
corresponding to a bachelor’s degree lasting three or four years, and the second cycle
corresponding to a master’s degree and lasting one and a half or two years), which faced HEI
with new challenges and called for changes in the qualification of teachers, namely requiring
them to obtain a master's degree to access the profession,
which demonstrates the effort to elevate the qualification level of the teaching body,
aiming at reinforcing the quality of its preparation and the valuing of their socio-
professional status (Law-Decree No. 43/2007, foreword).
However, “although teacher education now corresponds to a masters’ level, we cannot
conclude that the time dedicated to the pedagogical and didactic training and contact with
professional situations has increased” (Mouraz et al., 2012, p. 192). The evolution of these
requirements is expressed in Table 1, below.
Table 1. Required teacher education in Portugal, before and after the Bologna Process.
Before the Bologna Process A 4-year degree was mandatory for teacher education
(Law number 115/97, of September 19th).
After the Bologna Process (Law-
Decree no. 43/2007, of February 22nd)
A 3-year undergraduate degree in Basic Education (180
European Credit System Units, ECTS) complemented by
a master's degree ranging from 60 to 90 ECTS was
required for early childhood educators.
Law-Decree no. 79/2014, of May 14th
A 3-year undergraduate degree in Basic Education (180
ECTS) is still required. The mandatory masters’ degrees
now range between 90 to 120 ECTS.
Paulo Viana et al.
168
Early childhood teacher education in Portugal: an ongoing story
Currently, the training of early childhood teachers is guided by Law-Decree no. 79/2014,
which organizes initial training in two cycles of study: the first, with the duration of three
years, the bachelor’s degree in basic education, and the second cycle, a master’s degree,
which has several options, including preschool education and teaching of the 1st CBE (2
years). According to that law, the different initial teacher education programs include the
following areas: teaching, general education, specific didactics, cultural, social, and ethical
area, and introduction to professional practice (IPP). Integrated within the scope of the
curricular units of other domains, the following dimensions are also included: cultural, social,
and ethical training and educational research methodologies. This compartmentalization
conflicts with the holistic character of learning in early childhood education.
Several criticisms have been pointed out to this normative (Folque, 2018):
- the overvaluation of the teaching area, namely in the domains of Mathematics and the
Portuguese language;
- the residual percentage (13%) defined for the general education area, which includes
psychology, school administration, curriculum management, and work with students
with special educational needs;
- specific didactics being guided by disciplinary contents, disregarding pedagogy;
- STP in initial teacher education is mainly at the end of the training program, which
induces a sequential logic, from theory to practice (Idem), instead of an integrated
training logic.
Even in the first cycle of studies in Basic Education, a minimum of 15 ECTS must be
dedicated to IPP (introduction to pedagogic practice) – evidencing some concern with the
contact of prospective teachers with their professional contexts. We also note that, in the
second cycle of studies (master’s degree), there is a higher investment in Supervised
Teaching Practice (STP), requiring a minimum of 48 ECTS.
However, the preparation for the teaching exercise occurs late in the program, hindering
conditions to ensure socialization into the teaching profession (Leite & Sousa-Pereira, 2022,
p. 5). Craveiro (2016) suggests that STP should occur in all ITE programs that provide
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
169
professional qualifications for teaching in early childhood education. A gap between theory
and pedagogical practice remains in initial teacher education (Mark et al., 2020). This view
is shared by students who mentioned a mismatch between the initial education received and
the institutional and social demands attributed to schools and teachers (Jesus, 2019). It is,
therefore, essential to promote opportunities for STP beginning in the early years of training
(Brown et al., 2017). It is fundamental to create conditions for contact with real professional
situations, particularly the planning of classes, construction of evaluation procedures and
elements, preparation of activities related to the school educational project, contact with
families and other stakeholders, and collaborative work in defining responses to students with
learning difficulties and disabilities. The articulation between schools and HEI rests on the
shoulders of supervisors and cooperating teachers (Cabral de Oliveira et al., 2019). Paro et
al. (2018, p. 365) stress the relevance of the role of the cooperating teacher when they
consider that “The relationship between the cooperating teacher and teacher candidate can be
viewed as a central element in the experience”.
In addition to the curricular plan, the profile of teacher educators is essential to ensure the
quality of teacher education. Indeed, “students’ learning is more influenced by who is
teaching them than by the content being taught” (Furlong et al., 2000, in Leite & Sousa-
Pereira, 2022, p. 3). Considering that supervision affects the quality of training (Winaryati et
al., 2020), adequate academic and professional profiles are necessary for teacher educators.
In this sense, training is intended to be scientific and social to promote learning how to act in
the diversity and complexity of real situations. As such, in this comprehensive and broad
sense of training, the importance of supervised professional experiences supported by
dynamics of individual and shared reflection is recognized. This education praxis will
contribute to preparing teachers in training to prepare for the challenges of schools, to gain
confidence (Wee et al., 2014), to make curricular decisions, build their professional identities,
and integrate professional communities oriented toward continuous pedagogical and didactic
improvement (Leite & Sousa-Pereira, 2022).
Concerns with the quality of education have gained centrality, in a globalized world,
mainly in HE, and after the creation of the European Higher Education Area (2010), which
boosted the need to demonstrate the good management of public funds, as well as the
scientific and social recognition of institutions (Guerra & Leite, 2022, p. 349). This concern
Paulo Viana et al.
170
with quality is anchored in training teachers who reflect, collaborate, and research, making
them agents of change, also in early childhood education (Cabral, 2019; Figueiredo, 2020).
However, we note that teacher training does not end with a degree. Professional identity is
built throughout the professional life (European Education and Culture Executive Agency
(European Commission), 2020).
Method
Research site: The study took place in Portugal, considering the scope of all initial teacher
education courses that prepare teachers for early childhood education in that country. The
choice of this context was due to the researchers' origin and place of work, leading to a
specific concern with the Portuguese reality, as well as to the current interest in the country
in question about changing initial teacher education.
The study is based on documentary analysis (Mayring, 2014) of public documents and has
a descriptive nature (Creswell, 2002, 2013).
The documents under analysis are curricular plans and reports from the A3ES. The
curricular plans refer to study plans that prepare and habilitate prospective teachers for early
childhood education (Preschool and 1st CBE), taught by public HEI in Portugal. The plans
were gathered in the curricular year 2020/2021 – therefore, some may have been altered since.
Twenty plans of bachelor’s programs in Basic Education and seventeen curricular plans of
master’s programs in Preschool Education and 1st CBE teaching were gathered – these are
all the plans available at the time of data gathering and therefore represent the universe of
programs preparing teachers for these two levels of education, simultaneously.
The A3ES reports pertaining to the same higher education programs were also analyzed.
These correspond to the evaluation years 2014 and 2020. These reports evaluate the degree
of implementation of norms, certify the internal systems of quality assurance of HEI in
Portugal, and culminate in recommendations for improvement. Thus, they present an external
perspective on the programs under analysis, allowing for data triangulation (Stake, 2010).
The following reports were analyzed: 16 reports of preliminary evaluation/accreditation of
new cycles of study; 2 reports from the External Evaluation Committee of functioning cycles
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
171
of study; 7 deliberations of the Council of Administration on the evaluation of functioning
cycles of study; 2 special requests for renewal of accreditation of cycles of study and 18
reports of accreditation of functioning cycles of study.
The choice of these sources of information was determined by how they may assist the
researchers in answering their research questions. Objectives a) and b) relate to the curricula
of degrees habilitating teachers for Preschool Education and 1st CBE, whereas objective c)
is specifically linked to the recommendations of the Agency for Evaluation and Accreditation
of Higher Education (A3ES) for improvement the degrees under analysis in what concerns
STP.
Concerning the analysis of curricular plans, the categories of analysis were deductive
(Bardin, 2014), derived from the legislation concerning initial teacher education in Portugal
(Law-Decree no 79/2014), which defines the presence of STP teacher training plans. Based
on Law-Decree no 107/2008, we sub-categorized the types of work hours expected from the
students. The analysis of the A3ES documents was inductive, and categories were related to
Table 2. Categorisation Scheme
Categories Subcategories
Types of supervised teaching present in
bachelor’s degrees’ curricular plans
And
Types of supervised teaching practice present
in master’s degrees’ curricular plans
Theoretical-practical classes
Fieldwork
Internship
Laboratorial sessions
Seminars
Supervision
ECTS attributed to STP
General educational area
Specific didactics
Initiation to Teaching Practice or
Supervised Teaching Practice
Field of teaching
Hours dedicated to STP Number of hours
A3ES recommendations
Curricular plans
Teaching staff
Cooperating teachers (at the schools)
Students’ accompaniment
Research and publication
Monitoring instruments
Infrastructures
Percentage of conclusion
Paulo Viana et al.
172
our research objectives. Table 2 represents the categorization scheme used.
Since STP was the focus of our research, when analyzing curricular plans, we looked at
the curricular areas where it could be implemented: in the case of the bachelor’s degrees –
initiation to pedagogical practice (IPP), and in the case of masters’ degrees – supervised
teaching practice (STP). One university did not categorize the curricular areas of their
programs according to this terminology (University of Aveiro) – for that university, the areas
more directly related to STP, and where STP was included were didactics and educational
technology in case of the bachelor’s degree and teaching in the Masters’ degree. Therefore,
we considered those curricular areas equivalent to IPP and STP.
Results
We will present results organized according to our research objectives.
Characterizing the practice of STP in the curricula of programs that prepare and
habilitate teachers for early childhood education
The first level of analysis was focused on the number of work hours each HEI allocates to
STP in both cycles of studies (Bachelor’s degree and master’s degree).
The average number of hours allocated to the subjects related to IPP in the bachelor’s
degrees under analysis was 468 hours (SD = 114). In the master’s degrees under analysis, the
average number of work hours dedicated to STP was 1399 (SD = 172).
These data evidence that the investment in STP is predominant in second cycle degrees
and that there are expressive differences among programs, as is clear in the high standard
deviations.
The bachelor’s degree from the University of Aveiro attributes 918 work hours to
curricular units under the scientific area related to IPP, which is far above the average. We
should note, however, that because this university used a different way of organizing
curricular units into scientific areas, the area most directly related to IPP – didactics and
educational technology – includes a broader range of curricular units, not all of which are
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
173
practical in nature. The remaining degrees attribute a number of work hours to STP, which
is close to the national average.
Concerning the second cycle of studies, the Polytechnic Institute (P. I.) of Coimbra stands
out by having the highest number of hours attributed to STP in the master’s program HEI
offers (over 2000 work hours) (Table 2).
Table 2. Total Number of Hours and ECTS Dedicated to IPP/STP Curricular Units by Institution an
d
Cycle of Studies
Work hours ECTS
HEI 1st
Cycle
2nd
Cycle
1st
Cycle
2nd
Cycle Total %
University of Açores 448 1 344 16 48 21,3%
University of Aveiro 918 1 296 34 48 34,2%
University of Algarve 420 -* 15 -* 8,3%
Polytechnic Institute of Beja 425 1 250 17 50 22,3%
Polytechnic Institute of Bragança 432 1 350 16 50 22%
Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco 432 1 350 16 50 22%
Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra 420 2 016 15 72 29%
University of Évora 390 1 248 15 48 21%
Polytechnic Institute of Guarda 432 1 431 16 53 23%
Polytechnic Institute of Leiria 432 1 392 16 50 22%
Polytechnic Institute of Lisboa 388 -* 15,5 -* 8,6%
University of Madeira 504 1 400 18 50 22,6%
University of Minho 420 1 400 15 50 21,6%
Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre 400 -* 16 -* 8,9%
Polytechnic Institute of Porto 440 1 391 16 51,5 22,5%
Polytechnic Institute of Santarém 432 1 350 16 50 22%
Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal 513 1 323 19 49 22,6%
University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro 486 1 296 18 48 22%
Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo 486 1 485 18 55 24,3%
Polytechnic Institute of Viseu 542 1 458 20 54 24,6%
Average 468 1 399 17,37 51,56
Standard Deviation 114 172 4,2 5,7
-* - These institutions did not offer, at the time, a master’s program in preschool education and teaching
Paulo Viana et al.
174
Considering the sum of the number of work hours of IPP and STP in both cycles of studies
(Bachelor’s and master’s degrees), the University of Évora shows the lowest number of hours
dedicated to STP.
Since the number of ECTS is closely linked to the number of work hours, unsurprisingly,
the distribution of this indicator is similar. The Law-Decree no. 79/2014 indicates a minimum
of 14 ECTS attributed to IPP in bachelor’s programs and a minimum of 48 ECTS dedicated
to STP in masters’ degrees. All the programs analyzed followed those guidelines. In fact,
most exceeded them, as the average number of ECTS is higher than the minimum number
determined by law.
The data also reveal that students who frequent both the bachelor’s degree in basic
education and the master’s degree in preschool education and teaching of the 1st CBE at the
same HEI will dedicate at least 21% of their whole workload, as calculated in terms of ECTS,
to STP.
Indicators about the process of STP in the degrees under study
Besides the number of hours and ECTS attributed to STP and IPP, it is important to
characterize the distribution of those hours by types of contact hours to look deeper into the
amount of time dedicated to effective contact with the schools and supervision (Table 3).
Curricular units distribute their total workload in terms of: a) autonomous work,
characterized as a time of study and research the student should dedicate to the themes of this
curricular unit; b) fieldwork, which seems to be considered equivalent to internship, since
HEI tend to classify their work hours as one or the other, alternatively; c) internship –
moments effectively spent at the schools; d) laboratory work, characterized as didactic
approaches to develop and reflect about the contents to be developed in the future work
contexts; e) theoretical-practical lessons, typically configured as classroom activities at the
HEI; f) supervision hours, dedicated to providing support, accompaniment, clarification, and
evaluations of the teachers in training; and g) seminar hours, dedicated to lectures and
moments of scientific dissemination.
We begin by analyzing the data relative to the bachelor’s degree (1st cycle of studies), as
reported in table 3. Concerning autonomous work, there are vast discrepancies, ranging from
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
175
Table 3. Type of Work Hours, per HEI, in Bachelor’s Degrees in Basic Education Curricula
HEI Aut. W Field Intern Lab Th-P Tut Sem School HEI
U. Açores 133 75 0 0 150 90 0 165 150
U. Aveiro 403 131 0 10 162 120 92 251 264
U. Algarve 219 120 0 6 0 15 60 135 66
P. I. Beja 185 0 175 0 0 65 0 240 0
P. I. Bragança 243 87 0 0 39 36 27 123 66
P. I. Castelo Branco 124 0 240 0 0 8 60 248 60
P. I. Coimbra 43 0 160 0 155 62 0 222 155
U. Évora 180 140 0 0 55 15 0 155 55
P. I. Guarda 222 0 150 30 0 30 0 180 30
P. I. Leiria 262 0 0 60 83 28 0 28 143
P. I. Lisboa 117 43 145 0 43 26 14 214 57
U. Madeira 246 0 60 45 180 18 0 78 225
U. Minho 240 30 0 30 120 0 0 30 150
P. I. Portalegre 200 0 80 0 0 25 50 95 50
P. I. Porto 230 0 130 0 80 0 0 130 80
P. I. Santarém 80 0 200 0 144 8 0 208 144
P. I. Setúbal 286 0 54 0 65 66 42 120 107
U. Trás-os-Montes and
Alto Douro 288 75 0 0 105 18 0 93 105
P. I. Viana do Castelo 294 0 0 0 192 0 0 0 192
P. I. Viseu 265 0 158 0 30 0 90 158 120
P. I. – Polytechnic institute. Aut. W – autonomous work; Field– fieldwork; Intern – internship; Lab – laboratory
work; Th-P – theoretical-practical classes; Tut – tutorial guidance; Sem – seminars.
School – Fieldwork, internship, and tutoring guidance, combined, representing activities likely developed at the
cooperating schools.
HEI – Laboratory work, theoretical-practical classes, and seminars combined, representing activities likely held a
t
higher education institutions.
43 hours at the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra to over 400 hours at the University of Aveiro.
Concerning internship or fieldwork hours, the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco takes
the lead, with 240 hours, far above the average of 112 hours.
Few HEI include laboratory work hours among the activities they promote. The
Polytechnic Institute of Leiria is where more hours are dedicated to this component (60).
Theoretical-practical classes are quite relevant among the 1st Cycle of Studies activities,
taking up an average of 80 hours. However, some institutions do not attribute any IPP hours
Paulo Viana et al.
176
to activities of that nature. The Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo dedicates the largest
number of hours to this component – 192; that means the entirety of IPP curricular units at
the bachelor’s degree of this institution are classified as independent work and theoretical-
practical classes.
Supervision hours are present in most of the curricula analyzed, with the exception of the
University of Minho, the Polytechnic Institutes of Porto, Viana do Castelo and Viseu. The
University of Aveiro dedicates 120 hours to these activities.
Whereas most HEI do not attribute any work hours to seminar activities within IPP
curricular units, the University of Aveiro and the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu allocate over
90 hours to such activities.
Overall, there seems to be no pattern in how the mandatory ECTS dedicated to IPP and
STP practices are translated in terms of the number of contact hours, or types of activities
developed. Also, different interpretations of what constitutes each type of contact hours may
exist. Fieldwork and internship hours seem to be interpreted by many HEI as the same thing
– only one HEI includes both types of contact hours in the curricular units related to
introduction to pedagogical practice, and one includes no contact hours in either category. In
most cases, either one or the other category is present. To simplify the interpretation of these
data, we created a new variable called hours in the school context, and hours in an academic
context. The number of hours in the school context is the sum of contact hours dedicated to
fieldwork, internship, and tutorial guidance. It intends to be an indicator of the number of
hours probably spent at the cooperating schools, interacting with children, cooperating
teachers, and colleagues, and, therefore, the actual STP activities. On the other hand, the
number of contact hours in the academic context is the sum of hours allocated to theoretical-
practical classes, laboratory practices, and seminars, which should be an indicator of the
number of hours preparing for the presence at the schools, likely at the HEI institution. The
number of hours in the school context may be a closer proxy to indicate the weight of
supervised teaching practice in teacher education programs.
The analysis of these indicators further highlights the discrepancies among cycles of
studies that range from attributing 0 contact hours to types of activities likely conducted in
the school context and 251 hours.
We will now present data about the second cycle of studies (master’s programs) (Table 4).
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
177
Autonomous work ranges between 502, and 1350 hours, with an average of 758 hours. Unlike
what happened with the bachelor’s programs, no HEI lists fieldwork or laboratory work as
activities among STP curricular units.
Table 4. Type of STP Work Hours, per HEI, in Masters’ Programs in Preschool Education an
d
Teaching of the 1st CBE, per Institution
HEI Aut. W Field Intern Lab Th-P Tut Sem School HEI
U. Açores 707 0 460 0 30 57 90 517 120
U. Aveiro 596 0 540 0 0 40 120 580 120
P. I. Beja 590 0 605 0 0 55 0 660 0
P. I. Bragança 1350 0 420 0 0 126 54 546 54
P. I. Castelo Branco 681 0 575 0 15 29 50 604 65
P. I. Coimbra 936 0 600 0 0 0 480 600 480
U. Évora 522 0 588 0 0 18 120 606 120
P. I. Guarda 711 0 570 0 45 105 0 675 45
P. I. Leiria 502 0 708 0 0 60 122 768 122
U. Madeira 790 0 360 0 0 190 60 550 60
U. Minho 845 0 360 0 0 0 195 360 195
P. I. Porto 845,5 0 440 0 45 8 60 448 105
P. I. Santarém 750 0 460 0 0 40 100 500 100
P. I. Setúbal 735 0 190 0 40 191 167 381 207
U. Trás-os-Mo ntes e Alto
Douro 654 0 480 0 0 42 60 522 60
P. I. Viana do Castelo 913 0 390 0 186 0 0 390 186
P. I. Viseu 750,5 0 550 0 0 22,5 135 572,5 135
Aut. W – autonomous work; Field– fieldwork; Intern – internship; Lab – laboratory work; Th-P – theoretical-
p
ractical classes; Tut – tutorial guidance; Sem – seminars.
School – Fieldwork, internship, and tutoring guidance, combined, representing activities likely developed at the
cooperating schools.
HEI – Laboratory work, theoretical-practical classes, and seminars combined, representing activities likely held a
t
higher education institutions.
An average of 488 hours is dedicated to internship activities, but once again, there is a
wide variation between a minimum of 190 hours and a maximum of 708 hours.
Theoretical-practical classes are less prevalent among the curricula of the masters’ degrees
under analysis – only six HEI attribute any hours to those activities. However, the P. I. of
Viana do Castelo does not follow that tendency, as 186 hours are dedicated to such activities
in the curriculum of the master’s program this HEI offers.
Paulo Viana et al.
178
As for tutorial guidance, the University of Minho and the Polytechnic Institutes of Coimbra
and Viana do Castelo do not attribute any time for those activities. On the other end of the
spectrum, the University of Madeira and the Polytechnic Institute of Setubal dedicate 190 or
more hours to supervision.
Again, with seminars, there are discrepancies in the number of hours attributed to those
activities, including HEI where they are absent and one where 480 hours are allocated to
seminars (Table 4).
Again, considering the indicators of hours likely to be in the school context and hours
likely to be in an academic context, we find evident discrepancies between a minimum of
360 contact hours likely to take place at the cooperating schools (University of Minho) and
a maximum of 768 contact hours likely to take place in the school context (Polytechnic
Institute of Leiria) – a difference greater than 100%.
Recommendations for improvement by the A3ES concerning STP/IPP
This study analyzed the A3ES reports concerning the first cycles of studies in Basic
Education and the second cycles of studies in preschool education and 1st CBE, particularly
the recommendations for improvement of those programs. The majority of the HEI received
at least one recommendation for improvement directly related to IPP/STP (15 HEI).
The need to promote greater proximity with school contexts and ensure that the number of
hours in school context was implemented was pointed as an area for improvement in two
cycles of studies, specifically two bachelor’s programs of the University of Aveiro and the
Polytechnic Institute of Beja – curiously none of which were among the institutions that
attribute a lower number of work hours to activities in the school context. One of these
bachelor's degrees also had the recommendation of improving the relationship between
theory and practice (P. I. Beja).
Cooperating teachers were the focus of numerous recommendations, including the
promotion of their specialized training in pertinent areas, such as pedagogical supervision (in
seven master’s degrees), the definition of criteria for choosing or evaluating cooperating
teachers (in two bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree), and the presentation of the
curricula of cooperating teachers (one bachelor’s degree).
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
179
The internship contexts were also the focus of some improvement recommendations,
including the promotion of their diversity (seven bachelor’s degrees), the improvement of the
reception of the students in those contexts (one bachelor’s degree), and the establishment of
protocols with the cooperating institutions (one bachelor’s degree).
Finally, the conditions of accompaniment of STP at the HEI were also considered,
including the promotion of progression between the curricular units devoted to IPP (in one
bachelor’s degree), to revise the moments of tutorial guidance (in two bachelor’s degree and
one masters’ program), and to ensure that the teachers who are responsible for IPP or STP
curricular units have adequate scientific training and production, as well as professional
experience adequate to those curricular units.
Discussion and Conclusion
We begin the conclusion with the final analysis – that of the recommendations of the A3ES.
The prevalence of recommendations related to STP and/or IPP is evidence of the recognition
of their importance in the frame of ITE, as has been sustained by multiple authors (for
instance, Ellis et al., 2020; Hoffman et al., 2015; NAEYC, 2009; Paro et al., 2018; Sumrall
et al., 2017). At the same time, and on a less positive note, it is also evidence that despite the
legal framework allocating a relevant number of ECTS to IPP and to STP in ITE programs
(Law-Decree no. 79/2014) the implementation of those practices is not always evaluated as
being of irreprehensible quality. In particular, cooperating teachers are the focus of concern
in several programs of study, with recommendations affecting how they are chosen and
evaluated, as well as their continuing education in supervision or other areas relevant to their
roles. This is in agreement with the perspectives expressed by Leite and Sousa-Pereira (Leite
& Sousa-Pereira, 2022) or Winaryati and collaborators (Winaryati et al., 2020) who stress
the importance of the profiles of the cooperating teachers and supervisors to the success of
STP and the learnings it enables, as part of a social learning process.
The HEI are also the focus of some recommendations for improvement relative to the
profiles of teachers who are responsible for the STP and IPP curricular units, as well as to
the relevance of tutorial guidance from the part of the HEI during those processes, which,
Paulo Viana et al.
180
again, points to the relevance of the profiles of teachers (Winaryati et al., 2020).
A more global concern relates to the relation between theory and practice, including the
scope and diversity of the placements offered or how students are involved in the cooperating
institutions. This criticism echoes those of Folque (Folque, 2018) and Mouraz and
collaborators (Mouraz et al., 2012) when they stress that IPP/STP tends to be subsequent to
the theoretical components of the programs of study, which is not ideally suited to promote
the articulation between theory and practice, and that the requirement of a master's degree to
become a teacher does not directly imply an increase in STP experiences.
This remark leads us to the first two objectives we pursued with our study. The analysis of
the work hours and ECTS attributed to IPP and STP in the cycles of studies under analysis
reveals that, while the number of ECTS is in agreement with the legal dispositions and even
tends to surpass them, the ways how those ECTS are translated into contact hours, and even
more importantly between types of contact hours is extremely discrepant, leading to
important inequalities in students’ access to learning in practical contexts. There seems to be
no pattern in how work hours are distributed between contact hours and independent work
hours. Contact hours were analyzed by aggregating those probably spent in the school context
(Practicum, Fieldwork, and Tutorial guidance) and those probably spent in an academic
context (Theoretical-practical, Seminar, and Laboratory). That organization further
highlighted these inconsistencies, ranging from one degree where no hours were attributed
to activities expected to be carried out in a school context to others where over 700 hours
should happen in that context. However, we do not propose a linear interpretation of this
result – we do not expect a program where no activities took place in a practical context to
be accredited, and, in fact, the A3ES report refers to practical activities – that implies that the
ways in which HEI interpret and apply the concepts of contact hours are not uniform. This
aspect calls for further research and may be the motto for complimentary research based on
interviews with course coordinators. The principles of the Bologna Process, calling for
greater transparency, translatability, and equivalence of degrees (European Ministers of
Education, 1999) may be put at stake by this dispersion, and this concern also carries political
implications, recommending the clarification of such concepts and the monitoring of how
they are applied by HEI.
We acknowledge that basing our study exclusively on documentary evidence is a
Supervised Teaching Practice in Initial Teacher Education of Early Childhood Teachers in Portugal
181
limitation. To circumvent this limitation, we propose future studies may take into account the
perspectives of the participants directly involved – degree coordinators, supervisors,
cooperating teachers and students, as well as evaluators associated with the A3ES. We
propose that future studies may complement the present research by conducting interviews
and observation in context, enriching and deepening the understanding of how IPP and STP
are happening in the programs preparing teachers for preschool education and the 1st CBE.
Another limitation stems from our data: since reports by the A3ES predate the moment of
data gathering, some of the recommendations may already be implemented. Therefore they
do not necessarily correspond to the current situation of the programs analyzed.
Despite these limitations, our results may be useful to policymakers, suggesting that closer
attention may need to be given to the amount of time spent in the school context, as this is
not a necessary correlate of the number of ECTS attributed to those areas. Furthermore, they
may be relevant for A3ES evaluators and degree coordinators alike, when evaluating or
revising programs, to take this dimension into account, paying close attention to promoting
practical experiences to prospective teachers during their initial education. This is currently
the focus of intense debate in the national Portuguese context, as teacher education is being
rethought to fight the current paucity of prospective teachers.
Finally, given the pivotal role of early childhood education (preschool and 1st CBE) in the
social, emotional, and academic results of students (Hamre et al., 2014; Sumrall et al., 2017),
and the relevance of STP to ensure the quality of education at those levels (NAEYC, 2009),
we consider that continuing research on ITP, including the roles of the cooperating teachers
and HEI is a necessary undertaking.
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