Research has shown that pre-service teachers have many concerns as they progress through teacher education programs. Fuller (1969) categorized teaching concerns into three stages: self, task, and impact and suggested that teachers progressively move through the stages with the final stage being impact where the teacher becomes concerned about the impact of their teaching on the learning of the students. Several studies have looked at the change in teacher concerns during field experiences; however, there was a disagreement in literature about influence of teaching experiences. The purpose of this study was to use the meta-analytic approach to evaluate the effect of teaching experiences on pre-service teacher concerns as measured by Fuller's Model.
Method
Studies were identified using computer searches of the following databases: ERIC, Google Scholar, Physical Education Index, Academic Search Premier, Proquest, and Dissertation Abstracts International. The main key words used for the search were: teaching concerns, preservice teachers, and Fuller model. The effect size (ES) was computed using a mean difference from pre and post tests divided by pooled standard deviations.
Analysis/Results
A total of 45 ESs were calculated from 14 studies; 15 ESs for each of the three concern categories. Using a random model, the quantitative synthesis of the self concern yielded a weighted mean ES of -0.02 (95% CI = -0.29, 0.25), for task concerns the mean ES was -0.44 (95% CI = -0.23, 0.14), and for impact concerns the mean ES was 0.01 (95% CI = -0.23, 0.26). The weighted mean ES was heterogeneous for self (Q = 412.03, df = 14, p < .000), task (Q = 211.07, df = 14, p < .000), and impact (Q = 332.37, df = 14, p < .000) which supported an examination of moderator variables. The three moderator variables examined were level in the teaching program, declared major, and length of field experience and ES was not influenced by those moderator variables.
Conclusions
Overall, pre-service teachers did not show a significant difference from pre to post tests for self, task, or impact concerns. Future studies should implement specific interventions to see if the teacher concerns change when they are being guided more towards one concern over others.