Insights from Spanish Language and Linguistics
Students on Theory-Practice Balance in Teacher Education
Perspectivas de los
estudiantes de Lengua Española y Lingüística sobre el equilibrio
teoría-práctica en la formación del profesorado
|
Inés Lucas-Oliva[1], Universidad Pablo de Olavide (España) |
|
|
Irene Moreno-Medina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (España) |
Abstract
This study aims to explore the expectations and
desires of students pursuing Education Sciences degrees regarding their
studies. To meet this objective, and employing a mixed-methods approach with
content analysis, the study examined the perspectives of a sample of 423 students
enrolled in Primary Education, Early Childhood Education, and Pedagogy
programs. Findings reveal a discrepancy between students' anticipated outcomes
and the reality of their university education. While students expect primarily
theoretical knowledge from their studies, they express a desire for more
practical and professionally oriented training. In conclusion, these insights
underscore the need for enhancements in teacher training programs to bridge the
gap between academic learning and professional-world pedagogical demands.
Addressing these gaps holds the potential to shape a more equitable and
sustainable educational landscape for the future, fostering a student body that
is more motivated and equipped with the required teaching competence. Further implications
of this study
are also discussed.
Resumen
Este estudio pretende
explorar las expectativas y deseos de los estudiantes universitarios de
Ciencias de la Educación en relación con sus estudios. Para cumplir este
objetivo, y empleando un enfoque de métodos mixtos con análisis de contenido,
el estudio examinó las perspectivas de una muestra de 423 estudiantes
matriculados en programas de Educación Primaria, Educación Infantil y
Pedagogía. Los resultados revelan una discrepancia entre los resultados
previstos por los estudiantes y la realidad de su formación universitaria.
Mientras que los estudiantes esperan principalmente conocimientos teóricos de
sus estudios, expresan su deseo de una formación más práctica y orientada a la
profesión. En conclusión, se subraya la necesidad de mejorar los programas de
formación del profesorado para salvar la distancia entre el aprendizaje
académico y las exigencias pedagógicas del mundo profesional. Abordar estas
lagunas tiene el potencial de configurar un panorama educativo más equitativo y
sostenible para el futuro, fomentando un alumnado más motivado y dotado de la
competencia docente necesaria. Además, se
discuten otras implicaciones del estudio.
Keywords / Palabras clave
Preservice teacher education; Teaching skills;
Teaching profession; Career development; Professional training; Higher
education; Education and employment; Educational sciences.
Formación
preparatoria de docentes; Aptitud pedagógica; Competencias del docente;
Desarrollo de la carrera; Formación de profesionales; Educación superior;
Educación y empleo; Ciencias de la educación.
1. Introduction
Knowing what the teachers of the future think about their
university degrees is essential for the development of educational changes and
innovations that lead to higher quality teaching in our universities
2. State of the art
Several studies have focused on the expectations of
university students regarding their studies. Alves et al.
Regarding the latter, students
expect to receive quality training, and this implies providing them with the
possibility of acquiring the skills and autonomy they will be required in the
future
The concept of professional
competencies and, in the context of this study, teaching competencies, has been
studied and defined from different perspectives. The present study draws on the
concept based on Shulman
It is common for higher education
to focus its teaching on content knowledge (which is directly related to the
knowledge of theoretical content), while leaving learning related to the
development of skills and competencies in the background
According to this, the European
Commission issued a report on Education and training, which states that a
balance between the educational programs followed by university students and
the skills and knowledge demanded by the labour market would increase employment
opportunities
In view
of the above, it is considered necessary to carry out a study that will lead to
knowing the expectations of students regarding their higher education. This
will serve policymakers and university faculty as scientific support for making
decisions regarding curricula and programs, particularly in the implementation
of improvements and educational change projects that will directly benefit
students as well as society as a whole.
In short, bringing the curriculum and the
teaching closer to students' expectations increases motivation and decreases
dropout rates
3. Methodology
2.1. Methodological approach
The analysis of open-ended survey
data is not new in educational research, despite its historical underuse due to
complexity. To fulfil the research objective, we employ content analysis—a useful
method for an objective, systematic, and quantitative review of text content,
as per communication principles (Berelson
& Lazarsfeld, 1948). It also enables comparisons during analysis
and interpretation (Bécue Bertaut,
1991).
3.2. Variables – Coding
Nine categories were created for
qualitative variables. Table 1 illustrates the coding process used for these
variables (Bécue Bertaut,
1991), conducted post data collection. The open-ended responses were initially
read and grouped based on their meaning and content, with the coding aimed at
refining their meaning for objectivity.
Table 1
Coding
|
Nr. Code |
Coding |
Meaning |
MF Q11 |
MF Q22 |
|
1 |
Tools and resources |
Theoretical understanding of strategies,
techniques, dynamics, tools or resources applicable
to teaching and pedagogical activities. Despite their practical utility,
these are predominantly taught from a theoretical standpoint in universities.
It involves acquiring theoretical knowledge on the use of teaching tools and
resources, with no emphasis on practical application. |
27 |
27 |
|
2 |
Theoretical contents |
Theoretical knowledge on any aspect related to
teaching or pedagogical work. This category includes knowledge of
methodological paradigms, learning procedures and processes, content on
special needs or learning difficulties of both children and adults, etc.
These are both general and specific theoretical foundations. |
188 |
96 |
|
3 |
Motivation |
Encouragement, enthusiasm, and positive
emotional positioning towards teaching and/or pedagogical activity, both
related to professional work and to the learning about it. |
5 |
9 |
|
4 |
Titling |
This category includes answers related to
access to the teaching and/or pedagogical profession: compulsory
qualification, information on career opportunities, professional future,
working conditions and job positions. |
17 |
11 |
|
5 |
Practicum |
Professional internships in which students
carry out teaching and/or pedagogical tasks, but under the tutelage of
professionals who act as mentors and guides. This is practical experience in
the workplace and in direct relationship with the students. |
10 |
48 |
|
6 |
Professional competencies |
Development of competency learning, i.e.,
acquisition of skills, abilities or capacities that allow the application of
contents. These are aptitudes that enable professional activity. |
29 |
31 |
|
7 |
Training |
Broad category covering the sum of theoretical
knowledge (code 2), tools and resources (code 1) and professional competences
(code 6). It implies having both the theoretical and practical preparation to
enter the profession, i.e. being equipped with the theoretical and practical
training, even if professional experience is lacking.. |
96 |
66 |
|
8 |
Soft skills |
Social and interpersonal skills. These are
skills that are non-technical and not specific to the profession in question,
but necessary for successful performance in any work environment where other
people are involved. These skills include creativity, effective and assertive
communication, interpersonal relationships, team/people management and
leadership, emotional management, problem solving. Also included are
self-perceptive skills such as self-knowledge, self-confidence, or self-values. |
32 |
10 |
|
9 |
Life experiences |
A broad category that encompasses different
types of non-training or non-professional life experiences. These include
aspects related to friendship, fun, the future, personal growth, and
happiness, among others. |
14 |
12 |
|
|
Total |
|
418 |
310 |
Source: Own elaboration. Note1: MF Q1 = Marginal frequency
Question 1. Note2: MF Q2: Marginal frequency Question 2.
3.3. Sample
The target population of this work
were students of Education Sciences of the University of Seville. Specifically,
of degrees of Early Childhood Education (ECE), Primary Education (PE) and
Pedagogy (P) of the academic years 2019/2020, 2021/2022, 2020/2021, and
2022/2023. Table 2 and graphs 1 and 2 show some of the characteristics of the
sample participant.
Table 2
Sample characteristics
|
Degree |
Number of Respondents |
% |
|
ECE |
65 |
15 |
|
PE |
270 |
65 |
|
P |
88 |
21 |
|
Total |
423 |
100 |
Source: Own elaboration. Note: Early Childhood
Education (ECE), Primary Education (PE) and Pedagogy (P).
In the total sample, most students are women, representing 87%, while men
make up only 13% (Graph 1). This distribution varies when considering the
different degrees: in Early Childhood Education, 13% corresponds to women, in
Primary Education 56%, and in Pedagogy 18%, leaving the remaining percentage
for men. In detail, 3% of students in Early Childhood Education are men, 8% in
Primary Education and 2% in Pedagogy (Graph 2).
(1) (2)
Graph 1. Percentage Distribution of students by
degree. Graph 2. Percentage distribution of students by gender
Convenience sampling was used, as the sample
was chosen according to the teaching involvement of the researchers with the
degrees of Education Sciences to be investigated. Finally, data were collected
from students of 4 different subjects, in 3 courses and 3 different degrees.
First, the compulsory subject Spanish language applied to child linguistics, of
the 2nd year of the Degree in Early Childhood Education; second, the compulsory
subject Development of linguistic skills and their Didactics in Primary Education,
of the 2nd year of the Degree in Primary Education; third, the compulsory
subject Spanish language and its didactics, of the 3rd year of the same degree
just mentioned; and lastly, the optional subject Curriculum counselling and
basic competencies in Language, Literature and Mathematics, of the 4th year of
the Degree in Pedagogy. The data were collected in these subjects over four
academic years: 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.
3.4. Instruments for gathering information
To meet the objective of the
research, a questionnaire w used. The creation of this questionnaire had, as
its first function, to complete the information that was collected through the
institutional survey of the university degrees of the University of Seville to
improve the subject. Being aware of the potential of this and the good
reception of the students to give information in a more detailed way,
modifications were made to answer the objective of the study. This adaptation
of the instrument was done following the steps of the one used by Professor
Joaquín Mora Roche in his teaching project
The instrument was configured
with the following blocks of questions: a) identification questions, b)
questions about professional characteristics, c) questions about the evaluation
of the subject, d) open-ended questions about their expectations and desires
about the career. Open-ended questions have limitations
The validity of the instrument
was carried out through a group of expert researchers who were provided with
the questionnaire in Excel with a comment column so that they could make
indications if necessary. These experts were selected for their academic training
and professional experience in line with the objective of the instrument.
Finally, professors of Research and Diagnosis Methods in Education and
professors of Language Didactics participated. Likewise, a first pilot test was
carried out with one of the classes of the sample. With this pilot test, some
of the questions were better developed and others were eliminated since it was
necessary that the questionnaire did not take more than 30 minutes since it was
going to be administered in class and the intention was to alter the classroom
dynamics as little as possible.
3.5. Field work
The questionnaire was applied
through Google form to obtain an online version that would not have problems in
any type of browser or device and ensure the maximum participation of the
students. For its application, a time slot of the subjects in which the researchers
had a classroom was used. The participants were explained the objective of the
study and given the necessary instructions to answer the questions. Once
explained, their voluntary participation was requested, and it was guaranteed
that the data processing would be carried out under anonymity procedures.
This study complies with all the
requirements established by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of
Seville. All subjects have signed an informed consent form after receiving information
about the project. In the case of underage subjects, consent was signed by
their legal guardians.
3.6. Data analysis
The coding process of the open questions allowed a greater exploitation of
statistical data to check the relationship between variables. To check if there
is an association between the degree of belonging and the answers (coded
nominal variables), the χ² Test is used, which is formulated as follows:
To check the intensity of the relationship, Cramér's
V is used, which is formulated as follows:
For the analysis of open-ended
questions, a coding was carried out following the steps of Ghiglione (1989):
coding with a reduced number of categories. It is at this point that a
qualitative methodology based on content analysis is used, as it is done in a
similar instrument already applied previously by Aguilera
4. Results
4.1. General overview
As noted above, the objective of
the research is to learn about the expectations and desires of the students of
the undergraduate degrees of the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the
University of Seville. A first approximation is made with the word counting
(Table 3). It stands out that the word knowledge is the word that appears most
frequently both in the question on expectations and in the question on desires.
In general, the content of this counting is similar in both dimensions, with
words from the semantic field of training, knowledge and skills being the most
frequent. However, there are also notable differences. While in the
expectations dimension, the terms teacher, career, teaching, and methodologies
appear exclusively; the concepts life experiences, ways and resources appear
only in the desires dimension.
Table
4
χ² test, critical value, and Cramer's V of
students' Expectations.
|
Expectations |
Desires Frequency |
||
|
Frequency |
Word |
Frequency |
Word |
|
223 |
Knowledge |
93 |
Knowledge |
|
97 |
Faculty |
39 |
Future |
|
57 |
Academic training |
38 |
Faculty |
|
56 |
Children |
37 |
Children |
|
51 |
Education |
32 |
Academic Training |
|
45 |
Teacher |
30 |
Tools |
|
44 |
Future |
27 |
Practicum |
|
38 |
Skills |
25 |
Students |
|
32 |
Degree |
39 |
Practice |
|
31 |
Job |
22 |
Education |
|
31 |
Tools |
19 |
Learning |
|
66 |
Teaching |
19 |
Skills |
|
30 |
Students |
18 |
Work |
|
28 |
work |
18 |
job |
|
40 |
Classes |
17 |
Classes |
|
22 |
Practicum |
16 |
Life experiences |
|
38 |
Learning |
15 |
Ways |
|
16 |
Methodologies |
15 |
Resources |
Source: Own
elaboration. Note: Nouns were chosen (verbs have been nounized), eliminating
other types of words with less semantic load such as articles, prepositions,
etc.
To confirm whether there was a relationship between the type of responses
and the degrees, the χ² test was performed for each of them. For both
questions, on expectations (Table 4) as well as on desires (Table 5), H₀ was rejected. This indicates that there is an
association between the students' answers and their degree. This means that the
responses are not random. To test the degree of association, Cramer's C
coefficient test was performed for both. V for expectations is 0.21 and for
desires is 0.322. These results, since they are between 0.2 and 0.6, are
considered moderate, which shows that the variables are moderately related.
Table
5
Word
counting of open-ended responses.
|
Degree Answer |
ECE |
PE |
P |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
1 |
5,66 |
2,07 |
0,01 |
|
2 |
12,51 |
0,90 |
3,14 |
|
3 |
0,01 |
0,07 |
0,08 |
|
4 |
0,74 |
5,57 |
15,15 |
|
5 |
0,42 |
0,56 |
0,19 |
|
6 |
3,12 |
5,51 |
2,62 |
|
7 |
1,06 |
0,35 |
2,82 |
|
8 |
0,00 |
0,22 |
0,48 |
|
9 |
0,88 |
0,19 |
0,05 |
|
1 |
5,66 |
2,07 |
0,01 |
|
2 |
12,51 |
0,90 |
3,14 |
|
3 |
0,01 |
0,07 |
0,08 |
|
4 |
0,74 |
5,57 |
15,15 |
|
5 |
0,42 |
0,56 |
0,19 |
|
6 |
3,12 |
5,51 |
2,62 |
|
7 |
1,06 |
0,35 |
2,82 |
|
8 |
0,00 |
0,22 |
0,48 |
|
9 |
0,88 |
0,19 |
0,05 |
|
χ² |
64,39 |
||
|
Critical
value of χ² |
26,30 |
||
|
V |
0,322 |
||
Source: Own
elaboration. Note: Early Childhood Education (ECE), Primary Education (PE) and
Pedagogy (P).
Once it is confirmed that the students and their responses are related, the
results of the content analysis are shown divided between expectations and
desires.
4.2. Expectations of students about their university
education
The students' response probabilities are presented in Table 6. Clearly,
expectations fall especially on theoretical content (45%), but general training
(theory, practice, tools, and training:) represents 74% of the total.
Table
6
Probabilities
of responses on expectations.
|
Degree Answer |
ECE |
PE |
P |
TOTAL |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
||
|
1. Tools and
resources |
3% |
7% |
7% |
6% |
|
2. Theoretical
contents |
65% |
41% |
43% |
45% |
|
3. Motivation |
5% |
1% |
0% |
1% |
|
4. Titling |
2% |
5% |
5% |
4% |
|
5. Practicum |
6% |
2% |
1% |
2% |
|
6. Professional competencies |
6% |
8% |
3% |
7% |
|
7. Training |
11% |
25% |
27% |
23% |
|
8. Soft skills |
2% |
9% |
7% |
8% |
|
9. Life experiences |
2% |
3% |
7% |
3% |
|
TOTAL |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Source: Own elaboration.
4.2.1. Acquisition of theory, resources,
and training
Students expect their university studies to prepare them for the successful
performance of their work as professionals in the field of education. This
implies receiving training of a holistic nature, unifying theory, and practice.
In this sense, they consider that the university should provide them with
opportunities to learn (OTL) or acquire theoretical knowledge about learning
methodologies and processes, but also about resources and tools for practical
application. They expect with this type of training to know how to respond to
everyday situations that occur in the performance of teaching work. This is
what the students say:
In
addition to theoretical knowledge, I hope that the degree will provide me with
methodologies that are flexible and that allow me and my students to develop
creativity and innovation. In addition, I hope that it will provide me with
real cases and situations to which I can propose feasible and effective
solutions. In this way, I will be better prepared to
face them when they come up in the future (Student 116: 7).
Effective
teaching methods and confidence to develop my work with autonomy (Student 145:
1).
As a complement to the above and as an inherent part of the training, many
students expect the university to provide them with competency-based learning.
This means that, beyond mere knowledge, they expect to be able to develop
competencies, skills and abilities that will enable them to face their future
work in a more professional manner. Moreover, in line with this
competency-based learning, some students also refer to the critical capacity
and sensitivity acquired thanks to their university education. They express
themselves about it in the following terms:
I hope
that my career will train me as a teacher by providing me with all the
knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do so, as
well as teaching me to have a more sensitized and detailed vision of the world
around me (Student 222: 7).
Sufficient
knowledge to be able to train tomorrow good persons (Student 205: 2).
Similarly, there is a recurring reference to innovation among the students'
expectations. Students expect to receive not only training in teaching
methodologies, but also training in teaching innovation. In this sense, some of
the informants indicate that they expect the university to help them acquire a
broader and more innovative vision of the world of education, providing them
with a greater openness of mind. This is reflected in the following
interventions:
I hope
it will give me an innovative view of education (Student 370: 2).
I hope
that thanks to the career I will be able to know better how to treat children,
increase my knowledge on how to offer them the best education and I hope it
will increase my creativity and provide me with many resources to be able to
carry them out in the classroom and be an innovative teacher. (Student 55: 2).
Another
line of thought, within the expectations related to training, raises the
relevance of being trained to provide a good public service in the future, when
they will be teachers and pedagogues. Under this perspective, students show
their concern for obtaining from the university the training that will allow
them to be good professionals in order to offer
quality work to society. This is what they say:
At this
point, the career has already given me a lot of knowledge. However, I hope that
the career will provide me with training to deal with people and understand
their needs in order to provide solutions (Student
398: 2).
Knowledge
about the development of children and their possible needs, knowing how to act
in different situations, knowing possible difficulties that may arise with
future students and knowing how to deal with them (Student 46: 2).
4.2.2. Career as access to the labour
market
One of the
most differentiated expectations of students with respect to their time at
university is that it will help them access the labour market in the world of
teaching and pedagogy. There are two different perspectives in this regard. The
first of them conceives their university studies in a more superficial and
mercantilist way, considering that it is the procedure required to obtain the
degree that will open the doors to the labour market. Thus, their expectations
are deposited mainly in the material attainment of the degree and not -or not
so much- in the acquisition of learning, as can be seen in the following
responses:
A
title. (Student 264: 4).
A
diploma. (Student 394:4).
Unnecessary
information and a degree to go out with under your arm. (Student 229: 4).
The
second line of thought that alludes to the university as a way of accessing the
labour market is oriented towards the attainment of a specific job. In this
sense, students expect the university to be an access route to develop the job
they want and to develop professionally in the field of education. This is how
students put it:
A
pathway to become a teacher (Student 136: 4).
My
dream job in hospital pedagogy (Student 380: 4).
To be
able to become a teacher in primary education (Student 73: 4).
Despite
these ideas about access to the professional world, according to which students
assume that their university degree will provide them with the necessary
qualifications for the desired position, there are students who feel that their
training is not sufficiently broad to feel confident about that future. This is
how they express this criticism:
Facilities
to get into a job, but not to gain a lot of experience and feel prepared to
work (Student 261: 4).
For the
time being, I feel that it is not helping me to prepare myself to work as a
teacher (Student 263: 4).
4.2.3. Soft skills acquisition
In
addition to the above, students expect the university to enable them to develop
soft skills. Among them, special attention is given to skills related to
effective and assertive communication, which is linked to the ability to
establish satisfactory interpersonal relationships, both to transmit content
effectively and to manage groups of people with positive leadership. This is how
the informants put it:
The
necessary skills to correctly transmit values and knowledge to primary school
children (Student 206: 8).
Freedom
in expressing myself and a more extensive or adequate vocabulary (Student 195:
8).
More
vocabulary and self-confidence when speaking in public and
also knowing how to explain myself (Student 106: 8).
However,
the expectations of acquiring soft skills also encompass the development of
skills related to creativity, emotional management, self-confidence, and
personal growth. This is illustrated by the following comments:
It will
give me confidence to communicate appropriately in class, pedagogical
strategies to interact with students, and knowledge to teach the relevant
subjects (Student 256: 8).
Learning
to work with people I don't like (Student 185: 8).
Social
and emotional skills to deal with people (Student 396: 8).
4.3. Students' desires regarding their university
education
The
probabilities of students' responses according to their desires are presented
in Table 7. Again, expectations fall especially on theoretical content (31%),
but general training (theory, practice, tools, and training) account for 71% of
the total. However, the content of the answers regarding the desires varies:
they want a training that differs from the one they are receiving and whose
content they consider essential.
Table
7
Probabilities
of responses on desires.
|
Degree Answer |
ECE |
PE |
P |
TOTAL |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
||
|
1. Tools and resources |
0% |
12% |
9% |
9% |
|
2. Theoretical
contents |
55% |
27% |
20% |
31% |
|
3. Motivation |
3% |
3% |
3% |
3% |
|
4. Titling |
2% |
0% |
11% |
4% |
|
5. Practicum |
12% |
18% |
14% |
15% |
|
6. Professional
competencies |
3% |
16% |
5% |
10% |
|
7. Training |
15% |
19% |
30% |
21% |
|
8. Soft skills |
3% |
3% |
5% |
3% |
|
9. Life experiences |
6% |
3% |
3% |
4% |
|
TOTAL |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
Source: Own
elaboration.
4.3.1. Acquisition of theory, resources,
and training
In
contrast to the expectations, the students also expressed their desires
concerning what they would like the university to provide them with. Numerous
students maintain a critical position, identifying inconsistencies in
university teaching and indicating aspects that should be modified. One of
these aspects refers to the way in which they receive their training and how
professors carry out their teaching. They criticize that, although their
classes advocate training future teachers and pedagogues in innovative teaching
methodologies, the methodologies followed to carry out these teachings are
completely traditional, which generally translates into insufficient training.
These inconsistencies are expressed in the following terms by the students:
I would
like to be taught different methodologies and feel part of it, because many
teachers promote new evaluation methodologies, doing with us the same as
always, therefore, we can never put ourselves in the other place in a real way,
but always in an imaginary context (Student 238: 2).
A more
complete training not only in contents, but in innovative methodologies that
are explained, but not put into practice (Student 234: 7).
4.3.2. Need for practical implementation
Another of the most recurrent
criticisms expressed by the informants in their desires refers to the lack of
practical content as opposed to the excess of theoretical content. Students are
concerned about the scarcity of competency-based learning, which they believe
can only be acquired through practice. Two perspectives can be distinguished in
this regard. On the one hand, they would like to see an increase in content
applied to the reality of teaching work, i.e., learning about tools, dynamics,
or strategies for practical application. This is expressed by the informants as
follows:
Learning
how to implement education in a classroom (Student 274: 7).
I would
like it to be more focused on training and practice rather than on the
acquisition of theoretical content that will be forgotten over time (Student
405: 7).
In this
sense, the merely rote learning is also criticized, as reflected in the
following quote:
A new path to a more learning-oriented
education, rather than learning by rote. Dynamics, new learning tools (Student
295: 7).
On the other hand, they would like to have more
opportunities to learn in immersion, that is, through experiential learning.
Students feel that they should be able to learn from real experiences and would
like more practice-based learning with direct links to authentic contexts. This
is what the students say:
Experience,
knowledge and, above all, ways to apply them in a classroom (Student 96: 5).
Practical
experience, innovative methodologies, useful resources to put them into
practice (Student 281: 5).
I would
like it to give me experience, the necessary resources to be a good teacher and
plenty of values to then know how to apply them in our day to
day life both at school and in our daily lives. (Student 273: 5).
4.3.3. Teaching practices and approach
to professional reality
In relation to the above, students would like to
obtain more practical work (as they do, for example, in the Practicum). In this
sense, they state that they would like to learn through direct experiences with
the professional world, i.e., they advocate learning in action. This is
reflected in the following testimonies:
I would
like to see more time spent in practical classes, working with children
(Student 108: 5).
Something
much closer and more realistic to what I am going to find in a classroom
tomorrow. What good is a theory going to do me if I don't know how to put it
into practice (Student 26: 5).
In addition, some students
express particular concern about practical work with regard
to one of their worries: education in the field of therapeutic pedagogy.
This is what some students say:
I would
like or would have liked to learn many more practical things and, as I said,
related to special education, practical techniques to help in the educational
field, etc. (Student 367: 5).
I would like the career to be
more linked to the practices and to deal more with the subject of learning
difficulties/disabilities and how to make adaptations for this target group
(Student 363: 5).
5.
Discussion
The research achieved its aim by
shedding light on the expectations and desires of Education Sciences university
students. Nine key categories were identified from students' responses: Tools
and resources, Theoretical contents, Motivation, Degree, Professional
practices, Professional competencies, Training, Soft skills, and Vital
experiences. These findings closely parallel Alves et al.'s
The findings reveal two
predominant aspects: Firstly, students expect their higher education to
primarily provide them with theoretical knowledge, aligning with prior insights
by Appova & Taylor
Part of this criticism contend
that universities must offer opportunities to learn more closely tied to
practical and future professional realities. Our study's findings align with
the literature on experiential learning
This significantly impacts
motivation, tying expectations, motivation, and academic success together. In
words of Ferrão & Almeida
Some strengths of this study
involve understanding the students' concerns about their university studies
directly from their own voices. Acknowledging their role and engaging them in
this study marks the initial stride toward effecting changes that genuinely
address their interests and needs This work also presents some limitations. The
sample includes only students of linguistic subjects and only from Educational
Sciences and the University of Seville. Further studies could extend the sample
and implement comparative analyses. Furthermore, this work could be
complemented with discussion groups that would allow us to deepen some of the
most relevant ideas of this first analysis and answer other questions about the
expectations and desires of the students according to the year of study or the
differences between sexes (although, as shown in the sample, these are
feminized careers).
6.
Conclusions
This study carries implications
across various dimensions, directly influencing decision-makers involved in
shaping university curricula. This study illuminates a prevalent issue in
contemporary higher education, notably in countries like Spain. University
curricula suffer from a dual misalignment: on the one hand, they don't
effectively cater to the professional objectives of higher education as
perceived by students; on the other, they fail to meet the societal demands for
profiles capable of autonomous adaptation in today's rapidly evolving
professional landscape. Given the uncertainty surrounding future professions,
educators of the near future must possess a versatile skill set enabling swift
adaptation to the needs of present and future societies. Therefore, providing
higher education with a stronger emphasis on practical experience and direct
teaching exposure, complementing the still essential theoretical knowledge,
becomes imperative. In this regard, university professors must introspect on
their teaching methodologies, engaging in an exercise of self-criticism and
striving for greater coherence between how they teach and how they say it
should be taught.
Knowing students' expectations and desires and analysing them from a
scientific perspective will furnish decision-makers in academia with crucial
information to drive actionable insights and define and implement enhancements
in teacher training rooted in scientific research. Enhanced competence among
pre-service teachers inherently leads to an improvement in tomorrow's
education. In turn, quality education significantly enhances the potential to
narrow social gaps, thereby fostering a fairer and more sustainable society.
CredIT authorship contribution statement
Inés Lucas-Oliva: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal
Analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Resources; Supervision;
Validation; Visualization; Writing – original draft; Writing – review &
editing. Irene Moreno-Medina: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal
Analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Supervision;
Validation; Visualization; Writing – original draft; Writing – review &
editing.
Fundings
This
work is supported by two sources of funding from the European Union "NextGenerationEU", by the Recovery, Transformation and
Resilience Plan and by the Ministry of Universities, in the framework of the
Margarita Salas grants for the Recualification of the
Spanish University System 2021-2023.
Inés
Lucas-Oliva: Called by the University Pablo de Olavide,
Spain, in collaboration with the University of Seville under the State Project PID2019-104557GB-I00.
Irene
Moreno-Medina: Called by the Autonomous University of Madrid, in collaboration
with the University of Seville (Code CA4/RSUE/2022-00208).
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