Abstract
Pre-service teachers should be afforded the opportunity to practise core teaching practices in addition to learning about them in course content to be effectively prepared for the teaching profession. A core teaching practice that this study focused on was the use of questioning. The teacher’s ability to ask questions plays a significant role in advancing learning, and if not done well, learning could be obstructed. This study explored how pre-service teachers’ utilisation of questioning as a core teaching practice was enhanced in a Grade 3 simulated classroom through the use of Mixed Reality Simulation (MRS). The objectives that supported this aim were:
• Explore pre-service teachers’ experience of MRS as a means to develop their teaching competence in using questions.
• Explore how the MRS process supports pre-service teachers to learn about using questions as a core teaching practice.
• Capture the MRS-facilitated learning journey of a sample of pre-service teachers.
The research approach of this study was qualitative with an aim to discover how individuals involved in the research interpret their lived experiences. This study further employed a basic qualitative research design. The eight-month-long MRS project involved a sample of 5 (five) final-year students from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Bachelor of Education (BEd) foundation phase program. The data collection methods were firstly, inclusive of focus group interviews, and these were conducted to understand the pre-service teachers’ experiences of using MRS as a means to develop their teaching competence in using questions. Secondly, stimulated-recall interviews were conducted to closely track two (2) pre-service teachers’ experiences. In addition, observations were conducted to track how the pre-service teachers used the identified questioning techniques in the MRS sessions. Lastly, the coaching and reflection sessions that accompanied the MRS were observed to identify how the coach engaged with the pre-service teachers, and how the pre-service teachers engaged in the reflection process with the coach after each session. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method of data analysis. The data sets were first analysed separately and compared to search for similarities and differences which resulted in the generation of categories per data set and eventually themes, that were presented as findings. The findings of the study were that: (1) the pre-service teachers’ involvement in MRS coupled with the coaching sessions developed their competence in using
vi
questioning techniques; (2) involvement in MRS in combination with coaching enabled self-reflection and reflection with others for improvement; (3) and MRS provides pre-service teachers with an opportunity to practise the use of questioning in a low-risk simulated classroom setting that is experienced as realistic. What was learned from this study that has wider implications for teacher education is that MRS can be utilised to assist pre-service teachers in deliberately practising various teaching practices to help prepare for real teaching and learning conditions.
The study concludes with the understanding that using MRS can assist pre-service teachers in practising the core teaching practice of questioning in a safe environment that allows repeatable experiences with guidance from the coach to help them utilise questioning meaningfully and purposefully.