Student perspectives on vocational teacher education in the English program : – With an epilogue on the counselors’ Perspective by Leena Härkäpää & Riitta Larna
Manninen, Niina (2009)
Manninen, Niina
HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences
2009
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-5685-45-9
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-5685-45-9
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this qualitative study is to evaluate the vocational teacher education in the English Program in the HAAGA-HELIA School of vocational teacher education from students` points of view. The study focuses both on the theme of intercultural learning and on the general evaluation of the English program. The English Program provides the teacher students with a general teacher qualification to work as teachers at all educational levels in Finland but the emphasis of the studies is on vocational education. The English Program is intended for students who plan to work in universities of applied sciences or vocational colleges and who are not proficient in Finnish and want to take their studies in English. How does intercultural learning and multiculturalism appear in the educational practices of the English Program in the HAAGA-HELIA School of Vocational Teacher Education? How former teacher students of the English Program evaluate their studies in HAAGA-HELIA? Multicultural issues have become a topical subject in the Finnish educational field. The need to develop multicultural practices has been addressed in various levels of educational institutions. The student teachers in the English Program come from various cultural backgrounds and most of them have lived in Finland for many years and worked as teachers. They have an important viewpoint for intercultural aspects of education. As a result of this study, it seems that intercultural issues should be taken under discussion and intercultural learning should be instructed more in the English Program. In terms of general evaluation, the former teacher students brought out that more emphasis should be placed on practical matters of teaching.