‘I wasn't worried because I wasn't being judged’: The development of pre-service teacher professional capital, pedagogical instinct and discretionary judgement during an overseas teaching placement

Witt, Marcus; Lewis, Fay; Knight, Ben

Abstract

Assertions that experiences of teaching abroad encourage professional growth for pre-service teachers (PSTs) are discussed, with reference to reflections from 20 PSTs from a British university after a volunteer teaching placement in South Africa (SA). PSTs compare their overseas and domestic placement experiences. Data reveals that capacity for decisional judgement, willingness to follow professional instincts and take risks are influenced by perceived levels of professional scrutiny. Teacher expertise is discussed through the conceptual lens of professional capital. We conclude that decisional judgement and the skills to think on one's feet, are more likely to flourish under non-judgmental conditions.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 13, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jan 29, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 30, 2024
• Journal: Teaching and Teacher Education
• Print ISSN: 0742-051X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 112
• Article Number: 103642
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103642
• Keywords: Education
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8704413
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: ‘I wasn't worried because I wasn't being judged’: The development of pre-service teacher professional capital, pedagogical instinct and discretionary judgement during an overseas teaching placement; Journal Title: Teaching and Teacher Education; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103642; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.