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Professional Passive Practice Mentoring System in Study Program 'Teaching for Pre-School Education' in Albanian HEI-s

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Title: Professional Passive Practice Mentoring System in Study Program 'Teaching for Pre-School Education' in Albanian HEI-s
Language: English
Authors: Valbona Nathanaili
Source: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. 2024 32(2):192-207.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Early Childhood Education
Preschool Education
Elementary Education
Kindergarten
Primary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Colleges, Teacher Educator Education, Preschool Education, Mentors, Progress Monitoring, Student Teaching, Lesson Observation Criteria, Teaching Methods, Barriers, Preservice Teachers, Partnerships in Education, Kindergarten
Geographic Terms: Albania
DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2023.2247590
ISSN: 1350-293X
1752-1807
Abstract: The aim of the article is to provide an analysis of professional passive practice mentoring system for the course of (passive) teaching practice, in the study program 'Teaching for pre-school education' of Albanian HEIs and highlights important areas for improvement to better prepare teacher candidates for the demands of the labour market. The analysis is based on the three factors: monitoring of student progress (MSP); quality of support from the kindergarten; duration, in time, of course. The methodology used is a combination of quantitative content analysis and qualitative focus group interviews. The MSP for teacher candidates is based on two dimensions: their ability to identify the methodology used by the teacher in an observed practical lesson and quality of their lesson analysis as observers. A conclusion drawn from this analysis is that students' progress is poor. Regarding the quality of support that students receive in kindergarten, judged as personal, social and/or professional, the conclusion is that is mainly on the personal level, random and unstructured. Another weak point, which contributes negatively to deepening the skills mismatch between the qualifications of HEI graduates and the actual skills required by the labour market, is the short duration of this professional practice.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1413631
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0175640889;h3h01apr.24;2024Feb27.06:24;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0175640889-1">Professional passive practice mentoring system in study program 'Teaching for pre-school education' in Albanian HEI-s </title> <p>The aim of the article is to provide an analysis of professional passive practice mentoring system for the course of (passive) teaching practice, in the study program 'Teaching for pre-school education' of Albanian HEIs and highlights important areas for improvement to better prepare teacher candidates for the demands of the labour market. The analysis is based on the three factors: monitoring of student progress (MSP); quality of support from the kindergarten; duration, in time, of course. The methodology used is a combination of quantitative content analysis and qualitative focus group interviews. The MSP for teacher candidates is based on two dimensions: their ability to identify the methodology used by the teacher in an observed practical lesson and quality of their lesson analysis as observers. A conclusion drawn from this analysis is that students' progress is poor. Regarding the quality of support that students receive in kindergarten, judged as personal, social and/or professional, the conclusion is that is mainly on the personal level, random and unstructured. Another weak point, which contributes negatively to deepening the skills mismatch between the qualifications of HEI graduates and the actual skills required by the labour market, is the short duration of this professional practice.</p> <p>Keywords: Education; curriculum; passive professional practice; progress monitoring; teacher candidates</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-2">Introduction</hd> <p>The pre-university education system in Albania is governed by two main laws: Law no. 69/[<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref1">17</reflink>] 'On Pre-University Education System in the Republic of Albania' and Law no. 10171, date 22.10.2009 'On regulated professions in the Republic of Albania', as well as the bylaws issued in their implementation. According to Law no. 69/2012, Article 57/1, (a) 'the preschool teacher must have obtained a university diploma of the first cycle of university studies Bachelor'.</p> <p>This diploma is obtained, according to the Law no. 9741 date 21.05.[<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref2">18</reflink>] 'On the Higher Education in the Republic of Albania', Article 26 'Cycles and titles of university studies', after completing: (b) the first cycle education programs with 180 European Credits (ECTS) and their normal duration is 3 academic years. The same article, point (c), requires that 'upon the completion of the first cycle education programs, the university degree Bachelor in the field of performed education shall be issued'.</p> <p>However, although teaching in Albania is a regulated profession, preschool teachers are exempted from the obligation to follow the 6-month pedagogical professional internship at the end of their study program. Law no. 69/2012, Article 57/4, indirectly exempts them from this requirement: 'The teachers of the initial education and secondary education shall be entitled to practice the profession of the teacher following successfully completing the professional internship and having successfully passed the state exams'.</p> <p>Therefore, to enter the job market as a preschool teacher, the only requirement is to obtain a 3-year diploma of studies in the relevant study program in higher education. No state exam, pedagogical professional internship in kindergarten after graduation, or license is necessary, as is the case for other levels of education.</p> <p>However, despite the fact that the law does not require the development of a professional practice at an educational institution after graduation, part of the curriculum for the teacher of pre-school program of study in all Albanian HEIs includes a professional practice work outside the premises of the university, as an obligatory experience intended to complete the university education of our students. Professional practice takes place in two forms: passive and active.</p> <p>During the professional practice, students are required to work at public or private kindergartens for a semester or entire academic year of their first cycle of studies. The amount of practice hours varies from one HEI to another.</p> <p>By passive practice (or hearing/observing practice), we mean that the student is present in the lesson organising by the teacher in charge, in the role of observer. In the case of active practice, the student conducts certain teaching hours, in the role of a teacher. During practice, students and teacher candidates in preschool education need support in three dimensions: personal, social and professional.[<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref3">1</reflink>]</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-3">The teaching profession in Albania – a brief story</hd> <p>Until the 1990s, the teaching profession was highly esteemed and recommended, especially among women. It's worth noting that salary and status of teachers were equal to that of a doctor, lawyer or other professions requiring university degrees. The system was high-performing. The status with quality were in proportional relationship and can be compared with the system of Finland today – the late described carefully by Hargreaves and Fullan ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref4">15</reflink>], p. 81). Following the political changes of the 1990s, the salary and status of teachers began to decline, and the teaching profession lost its appeal. For the same job, the salary did not increase the same as other professions, and suddenly, teachers found themselves at the bottom of the professional hierarchy. Currently, teacher training programs at higher educational institutions (HEIs) are under-enrolled, with the country experiencing a shortage of teachers for preschool and basic education, as well as science teachers, especially in remote areas.</p> <p>Despite the Ministry of Education's declaration of the teaching profession as a national priority and offering financial support to high school graduates who choose to pursue teaching, teacher training programs, especially those related to natural sciences, are at risk of being closed due to low enrolment. On average, only one to two students per city choose to enrol in study programs that graduate teachers and usually are those with lower average grade (almost equal to the minimum average which is 7.5[<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref5">2</reflink>]). It should also be adding that the Ministry of Education has lowered the minimum average grade of applying for those programs to 6.5, but with the condition of exclusion from the possibility of future employment in the education system. Consequently, if your high school average grade is in the range of 6.5–7.5, you can enrol in a Bachelor's in teaching, but not pursue a Master's in the same field, a measure that is demotivating and absurd. Furthermore, the long years of schooling, internship requirements, and licensing procedures, which total 6 years of preparation, discourage many from pursuing the teaching profession.</p> <p>To address this situation, higher education institutions need to fill not only the gap between HEI graduates' qualifications and the actual skills required by the labour market but also the skills gap between high school qualifications and those required by universities. Additionally, while preparatory courses could help reduce this gap, the Albanian university education system does not recognize such courses. Recognizing preparatory courses would lengthen the years of preparation and entry into the profession.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-4">Professional practice courses as part of teaching program study curriculum in higher educatio...</hd> <p>In all higher education institutions offering study programs for pre-school teachers in Albania, professional practice is an essential part of the curriculum. This part of the study aims to answer the research question, 'What is the weight of professional practice courses in the curricula for pre-school teachers in different higher education institutions in Albania?'</p> <p>According to Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 41/[<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref6">9</reflink>], amended by VKM no. 185/2021, professional practice is considered a type D supplementary subject in the teaching program for pre-school education. It constitutes 10–15% of the total weight, together with other subjects of the same nature.</p> <p>Different Higher Education Institutions that provide this study program have made various choices, led by 'Aleksandër Xhuvani' University of Elbasan, which develops such a course in all 3 years of study, with a total of 25 credits, occupying approximately 13.9% of the total credits and 75.1% of the weight as a D-type subject. 'LOGOS' University College occupies an intermediate place in this distribution of weights. In general, the range varies from 5.0% to 27.0% (as a share of course credits compared to total credits) to 13.9% and 75.1% (as a share of course credits to the total credits they have in relation the group of subjects of typology D) [Table 1, last two columns and Figure 1].</p> <p>Table 1. Professional practice (active and passive) in Albanian HEIs that offer study programs for pre-school teachers, credits and weight.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr><td>Program study 'Teacher for pre-school' Bachelor, 3 years, 180 credits</td></tr><tr><td>The institution of Higher Education</td><td>Faculty/Department that provides the program</td><td>Professional practice <xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn9" /></td></tr><tr><td>Year I</td><td>Year II</td><td>Year III</td><td>Total</td></tr><tr><td>Typology/Credits</td><td>Typology/Credits</td><td>Typology/Credits</td><td>Credits</td><td>Weight (%)</td></tr><tr><td>/180</td><td>/33.3</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1. University 'Fan S. Noli', Korçë<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn10" /></td><td>Faculty of Education and Philology</td><td>N/A</td><td><italic>Data from the web are missing</italic></td><td><italic>Data from the web are missing</italic></td><td>N/A</td><td char=".">N/A</td><td char=".">N/A</td></tr><tr><td>2. University 'Aleksandër Moisiu', Durrës<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn11" /></td><td>Faculty of Education</td><td>N/A</td><td>Hearing practice/3</td><td>Active practice/6</td><td char=".">9</td><td char=".">5.0</td><td char=".">27.0</td></tr><tr><td>3. University of Gjirokastra 'Eqrem Çabej'<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn12" /></td><td>Department of education and teaching methodology</td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td><td>Professional practice/13</td><td char=".">13</td><td char=".">7.2</td><td char=".">39.0</td></tr><tr><td>4. 'LOGOS' College University</td><td>Faculty of Humanities and Linguistic Communication/ Department of pedagogy and psychology</td><td>N/A</td><td>Professional practice I (passive) / 3</td><td>Administration practicum/6 Professional practice II (active)/4.5</td><td char=".">13.5</td><td char=".">7.5</td><td char=".">40.5</td></tr><tr><td>5. University 'Luigj Gurakuqi', Shkodra<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn13" /></td><td>Faculty of educational Science, Teaching</td><td>N/A</td><td>Professional practice/6</td><td>Practice in kindergarten/12 (Passive module I/6 and Active module II/6)</td><td char=".">18</td><td char=".">10.0</td><td char=".">54.1</td></tr><tr><td>6. 'Albanian University'<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn14" /></td><td>N/A</td><td>N/A</td><td>Practice in kindergarten/12</td><td>Practice in kindergarten and basic school (I &II /12</td><td char=".">24</td><td char=".">13.3</td><td char=".">72.1</td></tr><tr><td>7. University 'Aleksandër Xhuvani' Elbasan<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn15" /></td><td>Faculty of educational Science, Department of teaching methodology</td><td>Professional practice/5</td><td>Professional practice/7</td><td>Professional practice /13</td><td char=".">25</td><td char=".">13.9</td><td char=".">75.1</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>Graph: Figure 1. Professional practice weight in per cent (per total credits and per D typology).</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-5">How professional practice is organized in other university study programs that have it as par...</hd> <p>It is important to note that professional practice is not unique to pre-school teacher study programs in Albania. Many other university study programs also have it as part of their curriculum. However, the organization of professional practice varies depending on the university and the specific study program.</p> <p>For example, the Didactic Regulation of 'Polis University', Article 6, states: 'The organization of professional practices takes place: 1. when the teaching practice is foreseen as part of the teaching plans and the number of necessary credits, students are obliged to complete her. Professional practices take place in an institution selected by the student and approved by the Head of the Department. 2. At the end of the professional practice, the student submits the relevant form for the realization of the professional practice.'[<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref7">3</reflink>]</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-6">Literature review</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0175640889-7">Job-embedded learning</hd> <p>Teachers need support for their commitment, energy and skill over their careers (Day et al. [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref8">8</reflink>]). Also, teachers are the best lifelong learners. The concept of job-embedded learning evolves from adult learning theory and include, also, learning on the job. Professional practice as part of HEI curriculum is one of the opportunities dimensions of job-embedded learning, because of its very nature – it occurs in site, providing content in context – and so is very relevant to the learner (Zepeda, p. 125). Partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and firms mediated by students' curricular internships allow increased mutual benefits in the form of the exchange of knowledge and innovation, and play a crucial role in students' entry into a labour market (Franco, Silva, and Rodrigues [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref9">10</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-8">Good guidance makes better professionals</hd> <p>Through the process of professional practice, the expectations are to gain learning based on mentoring generated feedback (Zepeda, ibid). Good guidance and effective supervision are essential for improving the quality of professional practice experiences for pre-school teachers in Albania. Despite existing regulations that require the approval of the institution where professional practice is conducted, many students choose based on personal connections and location. This often leads to suboptimal choices, as the local business community, including schools and kindergartens, is generally not able to meet the expectations for quality supervision and monitoring mechanisms. The same issues are reported by Boyd et al. ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref10">5</reflink>], 12), in Australia: the required number of good quality early childhood centres for student's placement is not available and in some universities students organise their placement, which do not guarantee good quality. Further, there is a very little relationship between a typical organisation school and the demands of serious teaching and learning (Darling-Hammond and Bransford [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref11">7</reflink>]).</p> <p>According to a report of European Commission, 'the labour market in Albania is dominated by small enterprises, which operate based on family connections and do not need very specialized qualifications'.[<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref12">4</reflink>] From the other hand, employers usually have no desire to collaborate closely with HEIs. Therefore, despite the fact that the HEI regulation requires that the selected institution shall approved by the head of the department, the fact is that the local business community, including schools and kindergartens, is generally not able to meet the requirements, with a certain level of expectation, which is also a quality of the labour market in Albania. Consequently, faced with such a fact, the University often closes its eyes and accepts the student's choice. That is means that work experience gained through this internship scheme is not instrumental in improving graduates' future job prospects. The skills mismatches and gap are deepening even more.</p> <p>From the same report 'professional practice, in general, it is not well organised, lacking professional supervision and monitoring mechanisms, which are necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the experience'.[<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref13">5</reflink>] In general, as a first step, we can state that this kind of professional practice, in general, shall considered as insufficient.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-9">Other issues</hd> <p>Professional practice helps teacher candidates to increase their confidence in developing as professionals. But the professional practice (known differently with the term internship[<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref14">6</reflink>]) after graduation from the institution of higher education as part of the journey to gain the right to enter for the state exam and obtain the license to exercise the profession is different from the professional practice organized by the university, at least in one aspect – the monitoring of progress. The former is done by Ministry of Education and Sports, through its subordinate institutions, while the latter is the responsibility of HEI. However, in both cases, it is the teacher candidate who chooses the place of internship/practice.</p> <p>It is encouraging to know that the Ministry of Education and Sports of Albania, through its agencies, draws up the list of schools where professional practice will take place, together with the mentor teachers in those schools and that the law recognizes the rights and duties of the mentor teacher in basic and secondary education and states that the educational institutions that can provide the development of professional practice must have selected based on the criteria and procedures determined by the Law no. 69/2012 'On Pre-University Education System in the Republic of Albania' (article 57, point 5). But shall be emphasised that the status of a mentor teacher in those schools does not require the certification from an HEI, with certain credits, which must be a concern. Meanwhile, in the case of kindergartens, since there is no requirement for such practice at the end of studies, both the list of kindergartens of this nature and the concept of the mentor teacher are missing. So, challenges faced by teacher candidates in gaining practical experience are harder and shall be summarised to: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref15">1</reflink>) The lack of physical time from the institution to dedicate itself to the process of transmitting skills to the candidate who is following the internship. (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref16">2</reflink>) The lack of teachers trained for this purpose and certified by a higher education institution. (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref17">3</reflink>) The use of candidates as a good opportunity to have more staff. (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref18">4</reflink>) The disinterest of private kindergartens in hiring young teachers. (<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref19">5</reflink>) The lack of interest from public institutions to invest in such a candidate, because the chances are it will never have the opportunity to hire him/her, due to highly centralized recruitment practice protocols, completely administered by state bodies.</p> <p>Finally, the role of university professor mentor in following the students' practice is also challenging, given the large number of students and the extended geographic area of chosen kindergartens based on personal choice.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-10">Research question</hd> <p>How effective is passive professional practice in Albanian higher education institutions in preparing future teachers for their careers?</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-11">Methodology</hd> <p>Students' progress monitoring is a mixture of content analysis of student's portfolios with qualitative focus group interviews. The indicators of student's progress used by the one course is examined for their improving ability to analyse the different elements of teaching from one observed lesson to another, and vocabulary used to analyse it.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-12">I. Participation</hd> <p>The study involved five female students in their second year of the Teacher for Preschool Education program at 'LOGOS' University College. At the beginning of the course, students were given worksheets that formed part of their assessment portfolio. Students submitted their portfolios at the end of the passive practice course. The students had not the task to construct new lessons materials. The practice attendance frequency and dates were optional for each student. Likewise, the choice of the kindergarten and city where the practice would take place.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-13">II. Content analysis of student's portfolios</hd> <p>For the content analysis, the data were taken from the students' assessment portfolio for this subject, at the end of the passive practice, attended in 4 different private and public kindergartens, over a 4-month period. The student portfolio was compiled based on methodology and indicators of "National Inspectorate of Pre-University Education ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref20">20</reflink>]). Inspection and internal evaluation of the kindergarten. Guide to the complete kindergarten inspection" document and "Professional standards of general training of preschool teachers ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref21">21</reflink>]). Institute of Education Development Albania, UNICEF".</p> <p>The aim was to evaluate the student progress: how much they are able to evaluate different aspects of the teacher's work, by observing a lesson. Student progress bases on two dimensions:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> The ability to identify different elements of a lesson, from each of the three rubrics offered from the portfolio: the organization and use of time for the realization of educational activities; daily routine and observance of rhythms in a stimulating and interactive environment; the methodology used for the implementation of the teaching-educational activity. The scale used is from one to four. Each rubric was accompanied by at least 5 complementary elements, to make it easier to identify. Scale 1: Unable to distinguish any rubric; Scale 2: identifies a rubric; Scale 3: identifies two rubrics; Scale 4: identifies all four rubrics.</item> <p></p> <item> The quality of the analysis of the observed lesson. The estimation of the quality, based on the difference between narrative and analyse, required the use of a professional vocabulary. While the vocabulary used to describe the narrative was without any further requirements, the vocabulary to analyse the observed lesson suggested having three keywords: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref22">1</reflink>) Knowledge (explained as refers to the concepts and information that children receive in kindergarten); (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref23">2</reflink>) Skills (explained as related to the frequency with which children perform certain actions and movements according to the program) and (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref24">3</reflink>) Expressions (explained as related to the ability to perform actions immediately). The vocabulary used for the analysis was coded and estimated using a scale from 1 to 3. Scale 1 indicated that the vocabulary used for the narrative was the same as that used for the analysis and did not contain any of the suggested keywords. Scale 2 indicated that the vocabulary changed with at least 50% of the words, and Scale 3 indicated essential changes.</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0175640889-14">III. Qualitative focus groups interviews</hd> <p>To complement the content analysis, qualitative focus group interviews were conducted first with the same students who submitted their portfolios at the end of the passive practice course. The aim was to explore students' perceptions about the effectiveness of passive practice and its contribution to their professional development. The focus group interviews were conducted after the portfolios were collected, to avoid influencing the content of the portfolios. The interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis.</p> <p>The quality of the support that the students received from the kindergarten director and the mentor teacher is evaluating in three dimensions – personal, social and professional. Students were all females.</p> <p>Regarding the received formal and informal professional support, the main axis of the questions was structured based on the Múñez et al. (<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref25">8</reflink>): (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref26">1</reflink>) Have they received any advice in teaching problems? (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref27">2</reflink>) Do they talk about teaching problems? (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref28">3</reflink>) Did they share any ideas about educational improvement? (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref29">4</reflink>) Did they share any way of teaching together? (<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref30">5</reflink>) Did they share any ideas about children counselling? (<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref31">6</reflink>) Did they make, together, any agreements about way of teaching? (<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref32">7</reflink>) How do they percept the receiving coaching of guidance? (<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref33">8</reflink>) Does the mentor asks for student's feedback?</p> <p>Regarding the social support, the director of kindergarten was asking to make a brief presentation of the children social background, while the personal support for our students was reducing to specific requirements, such as if they have any ethical requiring about wearing at the kindergarten premises (part of the portfolio practice was a communication plan).</p> <p>Finally, the study conducted one-to-one non-structured interviews with four instructors who lead professional practice courses of study at 'LOGOS' College University, 'Fan S. Noli' University in Korçë, and 'Alesandër Moisiu' University in Durrës. The interviews focused on the kind of difficulties challenged during professional practice with their students. Key questions included: 'Do you think that we have to change the way of organization of passive practice?' and 'How can we improve the partnership between HEI-hosting institutions mediated by students, to have a better outcome for our students?'</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-15">Data analyses</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0175640889-16">Content analysis of student's portfolios</hd> <p>The content analysis of the portfolios will be conducted using descriptive statistics to determine the average score for each rubric and vocabulary analysis category. From the data, the progress of students in the subject of passive professional practice, in the way it is developed, is negligible. During passive practice, students are unable to evaluate many aspects of teaching. Students fail to rate the work of the teacher they are observing on a scale from 1 to 4.</p> <p>Figure 2 and Figure 3 show that the student progress is almost the same at both aspects of evaluations.</p> <p>Graph: Figure 2. Student progress: Identification of the rubrics used by the teacher in the observed lessons (scale 1–4).</p> <p>Graph: Figure 3. Student progress: The quality of the analysis of the observed lesson, based on the vocabulary difference between the narrative description and its analysis (scale 1–4).</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-17">Focus groups</hd> <p>Only one student reported that she had a meeting with the director at the beginning of the internship, although the communication plan with the director required him to introduce various policies of the kindergarten community (including elements of the ethics code, such as the nature of the wearing clothing). Regarding the mentor teacher, all students reported that the communication was very formal and at the level of the hosting, not of the expert. The conclusion was that the professional practice has been reduce only at the level of outsider observer. No formal or informal professional support, no social or personal support. One of the students emphasized the fact that the portfolio was entirely an individually effort 'because if it had been completed in collaboration with the mentor teacher, they would have told us to complete all the rubrics'.</p> <p>Colleagues covering the same subject from 'LOGOS' University College, as well as from 'Aleksandër Moisiu' University in Durrës and 'Fan S. Noli' University in Korçë, all located in Albania, reported the same difficulties, problems and challenges. The methodology used with this group is the same with the one used by Granone and Stokke ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref34">13</reflink>]): The interviews were not recorded, but the most important concepts were noted and immediately reconstructed by the researcher. Subsequently, the researcher discussed the transcribed notes with the interviewed colleagues, to check the accordance between the will of the interviewed and the meaning of what was reported.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-18">Discussion and conclusion</hd> <p>In conclusion, it appears that there are several challenges facing professional practice for teacher candidates in Albania. Addressing these challenges will require collaboration between the government, educational institutions, and the business community to ensure that teacher candidates receive effective and quality practical experience.</p> <p>One of the most important priorities for Albanian higher education institutions should be to improve the program studies that prepare teachers for pre-university, with the aim of reducing the gap between the skills that the study program provides and the requirements of the labour market.</p> <p>The second, according to Bartlett et al. ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref35">4</reflink>], 9):</p> <p>This transition from is not helped by a relatively low level of cooperation between HEIs and employers in relation to curriculum design and recruitment. Few employers discuss changes to curricula on a regular basis.</p> <p>Although 'LOGOS' University College provided students with all needed materials to support all actions and attempted to standardize the university-kindergarten relationship during the development of passive professional practice, it remained at the level of timing formality on the part of the kindergartens, which made the students' progress even more difficult. There was an absence of both, formal oriented professional support, including the kindergarten mentor-led and work-embedded, which does not allow students to reflect on their teaching practices and to learn from mentor teacher. Further, the students do not receive either informal professional support, neither planned or unplanned, structured or unstructured. Múñez et al. ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref36">19</reflink>]) reports the same challengies.</p> <p>On the other hand, mentoring of the students from the part of the university was harder because of a silent resistance from the kindergartens, which see the presence of the university professors as a way to evaluate their work as teachers, too.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-19">The most salient findings of this study are:</hd> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Lack of sustainable kindergarten-university partnership: kindergartens lack the desire to experiment with new methods; kindergartens usually want to use the teacher candidates to fill the shortages they have in the staff.</item> <p></p> <item> Lack of investments by universities to have more staff as supervisor for student practice. Usually, the Albanian HEIs apply the 'expert approach' (Bailey, Barber, and Nelson [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref37">3</reflink>]), that is to appoint one of the academic staff for a group of students, as supervisor. In general, the role of expert consists only in making an evaluation at the end of the practice, not helping in improving experiential learning techniques, setting personalised objectives or integrating theory with practice, because usually this course is under evaluating by the departments. The excerpt, called the supervisor, seldom is the methods instructor and may or may not know what occurred in the methods course (Cochran-Smith and Zeichner, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref38">6</reflink>], p. 71).</item> <p></p> <item> Limited supervision and feedback, and diverging views on teaching education between the university and the schools as the most difficult to deal with (Rosas, Ormeño, and Aguilar [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref39">22</reflink>]).</item> <p></p> <item> An indirect related issue emerged during the literature review and made a good reason to include on recommendations was that the duration of the program studies for teachers varied between different countries. In Albania, the Undergraduate Degree in 'Teachers for Early Childhood' requires only 3 years of study. Different countries in Europe have chosen different schemes. In Greece[<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref40">7</reflink>] and Kosovo[<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref41">8</reflink>], the Undergraduate Degree in 'Early Childhood Teaching' requires 4 years of study. In Portugal, the Bachelor's study program for Preschool and Primary Education teachers start with the same 3-year Bachelor, compiled as a Bachelor in basic teaching, and then specialize according to a second-level study program, Master with 90 credits for teachers in preschool education and Master with 120 credits for Teacher in Basic Education (Friães et al. [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref42">11</reflink>]).</item> <p></p> <item> Lack of mentoring program in kindergarten. Preschool education in Albania is the responsibility of the local communities. According to a study of University of Zurich, Switzerland (on behalf of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation), municipalities have different forms of organization for preschool education: some municipalities have a directorate, some a single person, and some a person covering several sectors. They employ teachers, through a centralised electronic platform, named e-Albania, based on formal documents, which are the candidates' grade point averages of Bachelor diploma in pre-school education and other qualifications delivered at the time of application. The platform makes the list of all candidates. On top are those with the best results and have the right to choose and fulfil vacancies. However, due to the lack of expertise in educational issues, human and financial resources, the local communities do not organize or support any mentoring programs in kindergartens.</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0175640889-20">Proposal to modify the design of undergraduate degree in early childhood</hd> <p>Efforts to improve the quality of teacher preparation programs for early childhood education are urgently needed. It seems to be generally recognised today that the workforce is central for achieving the ambitious policy goals of increasing both the quality and quantity and quality of the provision (Urban, [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref43">24</reflink>], p. 7). To narrow the gap between the qualifications of graduates from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the actual skills required by the labour market, there is a need to strengthen and better target the needs of students and kindergartens. This will also help integrate them better into the profession.</p> <p>A very first recommendation in Albania HEIs case that offer study programs for teachers for pre-school and elementary school would be to follow a modified Portuguese HEIs. This involves a first cycle, called a Bachelor in Basic Education, with a duration of 3 years, which qualifies students to enter a second cycle. The second cycle is a Master's Degree in Teaching, which qualifies students, by choice, as teachers for pre-school or elementary school (Friães et al. [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref44">11</reflink>]). This recommendation is based on the fact that Albanian HEIs are relatively small in terms of the number of enrolled students. The Ministry of Education and Sports will need to adopt this new proposal, while from the part of HEIs will be a good option, from the perspective of Bologna Chart and curriculum design.</p> <p>The second recommendation is to call for evidence-based reform of teacher preparation programs (Henry et al. [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref45">16</reflink>]) for all Albanian HEIs. There is an urgent need for collaborative curriculum design to be implemented. The functionality of collaborative curriculum design in design teams depends on whether the conditions for working in teams are in place and on how the management of the educational institutions lends support to their activities. (Akomaning [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref46">1</reflink>]). Capacity is currently lacking in the organization of student passive professional practice, and students are facing many challenges.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-21">Proposal to local communities</hd> <p>The third recommendation is to raise awareness among local communities, who are accountable and responsible (Allen et al. [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref47">2</reflink>]) for human resources to make a positive impact on learning potential and to understand the importance of investing in the professional training programs for kindergarten teachers. 'Job-embedded learning' here is the key: learning of educators leads to learning of children and teachers itself, and to HEI students as future teachers. For Zepeda ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref48">25</reflink>]:, 126), sufficient resources must be available to support job-embedded learning, which make appeal for creative use of human resources.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-22">Proposal to Albanian ministry of education and sport</hd> <p>Fourth, it is essential to introduce the role of mentor teachers for kindergartens, based on specific criteria and specifications, including professional experience and pedagogical university courses designed for this purpose. This will ensure that students have access to experienced mentors who can guide them in their professional development.</p> <p>Finally, this paper focuses on one country, Albania. As such, it provides a good basis for further research involving all of the aforementioned stakeholders, which is essential for qualitative change in the identified problem in the initial training of educators.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-23">Ethics statement</hd> <p>The study is undertaken within the context of pre-school study program provisions and practices in Albanian HEIs. All subjects gave written consent and were aware about the aims of this study and the dissemination of findings.</p> <p>The author has respected the confidentiality of all participants' information shared through focus groups and has asked that all do the same.</p> <p>The privacy and confidentiality of all participants is in line with the integrity of this research design and the autonomy of research participants. The information collected and used in this paper does not contain any identifiable dimension, and the risk of being able to attribute data to particular individuals is zero.</p> <p>The author was the only person with access to participant's data.</p> <hd id="AN0175640889-24">Disclosure statement</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).</p> <ref id="AN0175640889-25"> <title> Notes </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref3" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> 'Professional practice program for the regulated teaching profession' https://arsimi.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/dok-0001.pdf</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref5" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Decision of the Council of Ministers, No. 436, dated 3.6.2020 for 'Determining the criterion of the average grade for the admission of candidates in the first cycle study programs and in the integrated second cycle study programs or the transfer of studies in the intermediate years of these programs in the institutions of higher education, for the academic years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 and following'. According to this decision, the lower grade for a candidate to be accepted at program study that graduate teacher for pre-university system must be 7.5 (out of 10).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref7" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> <ulink href="http://www.universitetipolis.edu.al/sites/default/files/pdf/Rregullore%20Didaktike.pdf">http://www.universitetipolis.edu.al/sites/default/files/pdf/Rregullore%20Didaktike.pdf</ulink> (dt. 21.04.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" idref="ref12" type="bt">4</bibl> <bibtext> European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture. From University to employment: Higher Education Provision and Labour Market Needs in the Western Balkans Synthesis Report. (2016) pp. 27–28.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" idref="ref10" type="bt">5</bibl> <bibtext> Ibid, p. 40.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" idref="ref14" type="bt">6</bibl> <bibtext> Albanian education legislation requires a six months' work-based learning for higher education graduates, who receive a payment equivalent to 100% of unemployment.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib7" idref="ref11" type="bt">7</bibl> <bibtext> https://<ulink href="http://www.psed.duth.gr/en/general-information/">www.psed.duth.gr/en/general-information/</ulink> (<emph>dt.</emph> 12.4.2022)</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib8" idref="ref8" type="bt">8</bibl> <bibtext> https://<ulink href="http://www.uamd.edu.al/index.php/sq/fakulteti-i-edukimit/departamenti-i-pedagogjise/">www.uamd.edu.al/index.php/sq/fakulteti-i-edukimit/departamenti-i-pedagogjise/</ulink> arsim-parashkollor/ (<emph>dt.</emph> 12.4.2022)</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib9" idref="ref6" type="bt">9</bibl> <bibtext> Decision of Councils of Ministers 41/2018, adopted by No. 185/ 2021 (Typology D, complementary subject: 10-15% of total weight).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://moodle.unkorce.rash.al/course/index.php?categoryid=33%26browse=courses &perpage = 20 & page = 1 (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://<ulink href="http://www.uamd.edu.al/index.php/sq/fakulteti-i-edukimit/departamenti-i-pedagogjise/arsim-parashkollor/">www.uamd.edu.al/index.php/sq/fakulteti-i-edukimit/departamenti-i-pedagogjise/arsim-parashkollor/</ulink> (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> <ulink href="http://www.uogj.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/Test/upload/Plan%20programet%202020/Arsimi%20">http://www.uogj.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/Test/upload/Plan%20programet%202020/Arsimi%20</ulink> Parashkollor.pdf (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://unishk.edu.al/fileadmin/user%5fupload/2019-2020/plane%5fweb%5f2019-2022/FSHE/Bachelor% 20n%C3%AB%20 M%C3%ABsuesi%20p%C3%ABr%20Arsimin%20Parashkollor.pdf (dt. 12.4.2022)</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://albanianuniversity.edu.al/sq/fakulteti-i-shkencave-shoqerore-2 / (dt. 12.4.2022)</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://uniel.ems.al/school/program/e89cbec8-3e43-4dc8-b14c-a82b00a19dda.aspx (dt. 12.4.2022)</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <ref id="AN0175640889-26"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibtext> Akomaning, E. 2019. " Improved Internship Practices as a Result of Collaborative Curriculum Design." In Collaborative Curriculum Design for Sustainable Innovation and Teacher Learning, edited by J. Pieters, J. Voogt, and N. Pareja Roblin. Cham : Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20062-6_15.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Allen, Sh, M. Whalley, M. Lee, and A. Scollan. 2020. Developing Professional Practice in the Early Years. McGraw-Hill Education.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Bailey, S. F., L. K. Barber, and V. L. Nelson. 2017. " Undergraduate Internship Supervision in Psychology Departments: Use of Experiential Learning Best Practices." Psychology Learning & Teaching 16 (1): 74 – 83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725716671234.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Bartlett, W., M. Uvalić, N. Durazzi, V. Monastiriotis, and Tanguy Sene. 2016. " From University to Employment: Higher Education Provision and Labour Market Needs in the Western Balkans Synthesis Report." 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" Models, Structures and Analogical Thinking in Early Childhood Education and Care and Primary School: A Qualitative Study on Teachers' Perception About Those Concepts." Creative Education 12 (11): 2505 – 2517. doi: 10.4236/ce.2021.1211187.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Guskey, T. R. 2000. Evaluating Professional Development. Corwin Press.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hargreaves, A., and M. Fullan. 2012. Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. Teachers College Press.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Henry, T. G., Sh.L. Campbell, Ch. L. Thompson, L. A. Patriarca, K. J. Luterbach, D. B. Lys, and V. Martin Covington. 2013. " Predictive Validity of Measures of Teacher Candidate Programs and Performance: Toward an Evidence-Based Approach to Teacher Preparation." Journal of Teacher Education 64 (5): 439 – 453. doi: 10.1177/0022487113496431</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Law no. 69/2012. 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" Teaching Practicum and the Development of Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge." Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice 15 (1): 67 – 90. doi: 10.1558/jalpp.35061</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Smart processes and Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland. Study on behalf of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. Analysis of preschool education processes in Albanian municipalities. Guide for professionals.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Urban, M. 2012. " Dealing with the Uncertainty: Challenges and Possibilities for Early Childhood Profession." In Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care: International perspectives, edited by K. Dalli, and M. Urban. (1st ed., pp. 4 – 21). Routledge.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Zepeda, S. J. 2017. Professional Development: What Works. Routledge.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> <ulink href="http://www.universitetipolis.edu.al/sites/default/files/pdf/Rregullore%20Didaktike.pdf">http://www.universitetipolis.edu.al/sites/default/files/pdf/Rregullore%20Didaktike.pdf</ulink> (dt. 21.04.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> <ulink href="http://www.uogj.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/Test/upload/Plan%20programet%202020/Arsimi%20Parashkollor.pdf">http://www.uogj.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/Test/upload/Plan%20programet%202020/Arsimi%20Parashkollor.pdf</ulink> (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://albanianuniversity.edu.al/sq/fakulteti-i-shkencave-shoqerore-2 /(dt. 12.4. 2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://moodle.unkorce.rash.al/course/index.php?categoryid=33&browse=courses&perpage=20&page =1 (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://uniel.ems.al/school/program/e89cbec8-3e43-4dc8-b14c-a82b00a19dda.aspx (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://uni-gjk.org/upload/dokumentet/1637306582-2.%20Edukim%20Parashkollor.pdf / Study plan / Faculty of Education / Program: Preschool Education / Level: Bachelor (dt. 22.12.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://unishk.edu.al/fileadmin/user%5fupload/2019-2020/plane%5fweb%5f2019-2022/FSHE/Bachelor%20n%C3%AB%20M%C3%ABsuesi%20p%C3%ABr%20Arsimin%20Parashkollor.pdf (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://<ulink href="http://www.psed.duth.gr/en/general-information/">www.psed.duth.gr/en/general-information/</ulink> (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://<ulink href="http://www.uamd.edu.al/index.php/sq/fakulteti-i-edukimit/departamenti-i-pedagogjise/arsim-parashkollor/">www.uamd.edu.al/index.php/sq/fakulteti-i-edukimit/departamenti-i-pedagogjise/arsim-parashkollor/</ulink> (dt. 12.4.2022).</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> https://ualbania.al/theme/files/VKM%20p%C3%ABr%20p%C3%ABrcaktimin%20e%20kriterit%20t%C3%AB%20not%C3%ABs%20mesatare%20p%C3%ABr%20vitet%20akademike%202020-2021%20DHE%202021-2022.pd.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Valbona Nathanaili</p> <p>Reported by Author</p> <p></p> <p>Valbona Nathanaili is a lecturer at the department of pedagogy-psychology at LOGOS University College, Tirana, Albania. She is a Bachelor in physics and a doctoral degree holders in the science of pedagogy, both from University of Tirana. At the undergraduate level, at LOGOS, she teaches the methodology of teaching science, didactic of mathematic, natural sciences and citizenship. Major areas of research over the last few years are the politics and reforms in Albanian Education System, education under occupation, methodology of teaching science, university pedagogy, science and religion, the future of schooling and internationalization of HEIs. She was previously based at the European University of Tirana, where contributed to a range of different duties and chaired publishing department. She is analyst, writers and contributor for different periodic Albanian newspaper and television outlets. Some sole authored books: "The difficult journey of Albanian school (1912–1944)" (2016) and "Our ambassadors. The meeting point of diplomacy with creativity" (2014).</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref20"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref21"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref34"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref36"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref39"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref42"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref43"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref45"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref48"></nolink>
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  Data: 10.1080/1350293X.2023.2247590
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  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1350-293X<br />1752-1807
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The aim of the article is to provide an analysis of professional passive practice mentoring system for the course of (passive) teaching practice, in the study program 'Teaching for pre-school education' of Albanian HEIs and highlights important areas for improvement to better prepare teacher candidates for the demands of the labour market. The analysis is based on the three factors: monitoring of student progress (MSP); quality of support from the kindergarten; duration, in time, of course. The methodology used is a combination of quantitative content analysis and qualitative focus group interviews. The MSP for teacher candidates is based on two dimensions: their ability to identify the methodology used by the teacher in an observed practical lesson and quality of their lesson analysis as observers. A conclusion drawn from this analysis is that students' progress is poor. Regarding the quality of support that students receive in kindergarten, judged as personal, social and/or professional, the conclusion is that is mainly on the personal level, random and unstructured. Another weak point, which contributes negatively to deepening the skills mismatch between the qualifications of HEI graduates and the actual skills required by the labour market, is the short duration of this professional practice.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1413631
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1413631
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/1350293X.2023.2247590
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 192
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Colleges
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Educator Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Preschool Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mentors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Progress Monitoring
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Teaching
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lesson Observation Criteria
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teaching Methods
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Barriers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Preservice Teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Partnerships in Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Kindergarten
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Albania
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Professional Passive Practice Mentoring System in Study Program 'Teaching for Pre-School Education' in Albanian HEI-s
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Valbona Nathanaili
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1350-293X
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1752-1807
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 32
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal
              Type: main
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