Preparing Teachers: Expectations and Existing Situation at Faculties of Education

Abstract

In-depth interviews were conducted to research the expectations of teacher educators from the prospective teachers and their opinions on the existing facilities provided by the faculty of education. Content analysis, performed on the data collected from a sample of eight teacher educators from different departments in one of the faculties of education, suggested that the expectations from teacher candidates had seven dimensions: content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, country specific realities, communication skills, teacher characteristics, scientific knowledge and research skills, and professional development. Regarding the results, implications for teacher education programs were discussed, and suggestions for further research were made