An analysis of primary teacher education in Trinidad and Tobago. Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project (MUSTER) Country Report Four
Abstract
This country report is a synthesis of reports of several sub-studies on primary teacher education in Trinidad and Tobago. This research project was a component of the Multi-Site Teacher Education Research (MUSTER) Project. The research for the Trinidad and Tobago component was conducted by a team of academic staff members at the School of Education of the Trinidad campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI).
Trinidad and Tobago is a twin-island, independent state in the Caribbean, which was formerly a British colony. Although it gained independence from Britain in 1962, some segments of the education system are still characterised by aspects of British colonialism. The system of primary teacher education is one such segment. Prior to this research project, there was little by way of documented research that explored the quality of the primary teacher education offered and this study sought to remedy this situation.
The study focussed on the following aspects:
- On-the-Job Pre-Service Teacher Training Programme (OJT Programme)
- Characteristics of beginning teachers' college trainees (post OJT)
- Trainees' views of themselves and the teaching profession
- The documented and espoused curriculum in the teachers' colleges
- Trainees' in-college learning experiences
- Learning to teach: Experiences of teachers' college trainees and newly qualified teachers
- Costs and financing, and demand for primary teacher education.
Citation
Educational Paper No. 49e, DFID, London, UK, ISBN 1 86192 549 2, 146 pp.
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