This edited book presents a comprehensive analysis of South Africas Foundation Phase (FP) Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, drawing on four years of longitudinal research conducted by the Global Institute for Teacher Education and Society (GITES) at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. It explores the preparedness of pre-service teachers and the programmes capacity to produce quality educators for transformative learning. Through data gathered from two universities between 2015 and 2018, the book examines four key areas: motivations and beliefs about teaching, subject-specific pedagogical experiences in Mathematics and Language, academic and historical journeys of student teachers, and the overall quality of the ITE programme, including teaching practicum and institutional support.
The book deepens the conversation around teacher education in post-apartheid South Africa. It critically engages with national ITE policies and highlights the urgent need to reconceptualise teacher preparation to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets. With evidence pointing to gaps in teacher competence and the quality of instruction, this volume offers timely insights and practical recommendations for enhancing ITE programmes. It is an essential resource for policymakers, educators and researchers committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning in South African classrooms.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Teacher Education in South Africa:
Motivational, Environmental, and Systemic Influences on Teacher Quality.-
Chapter 2 Diffusion of National Teacher Education Policies in the
Institutional Accreditation of the Foundation Phase B.Ed. Programme: A Case
Study of Two Western Cape Universities.- Chapter 3 Motivation to Teach.-
Chapter 4 Teacher Beliefs About Teaching.
Chapter 5 Learning to Teach
Mathematics.
Chapter 6 Learning to Teach Languages and Practices and Related
Pedagogical Practices in Initial Teacher Education.
Chapter 7 Professional
Life Histories of Pre-service Teachers: Motivations, Beliefs and Views About
Subject Teaching Preparation.
Chapter 8 Pre-service Teachers Professional
Life Histories: Experiences of Teaching Practice and B. Ed. Foundation Phase
programmes.
Chapter 9 Defining and achieving quality in teacher education: A
case of fourth-year preservice teachers experiences in a Bachelor of
Education programme.
Chapter 10 Towards a Conclusion: Way Forward for ITE in
South Africa.- Chapter 11 Conclusion and Reflections.
Zayd Waghid is Associate Professor and DSI/NRF South African Research Chair: Education, Social Justice and Society in the Faculty of Education at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.
Yohana William is a lecturer in the School of Education, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
