International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
In the present work, we assess the qualitative aspects of the APs teacher-training programs held at the
University of Sousse in 2011 and 2013 (No training programmed/took place in 2012) using a self-completed
web-based questionnaire. The latter allows us to elicit a description of the trainees’ experiences with the current
training model and introspection about their needs for training provisions. After a diagnosis of the major
problems encountered with the programs, we suggest a number of workable solutions and propose alternative
training models that would be tailored to the trainees’ needs.
ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT APs TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS
If we want to provide a valid assessment of the current teacher-training programs offered by the University of
Sousse, we need to identify the key elements that make up any professional development system (Borko, H.
2009: 4):
The professional development program;
The teachers, who are the learners in the system;
The facilitator, who guides teachers as they construct new knowledge and practices; and
The context in which the professional development occurs.
The professional development program corresponds to the teacher-training programs held at the University of
Sousse in 2011 and 2013. The learners here correspond to the freshly recruited Assistant Professors by the
University in question. As for the facilitators, they correspond to the trainers who are teachers qualified for
training. Eventually, the context in which the professional development occurs is within the district of the
University of Sousse.
Methodology
Participants
A group of nineteen diverse and accomplished Assistant Professors freshly recruited by the University of
Sousse, and teaching different subject areas took part in this study. 56% of the participants held a doctoral
degree.
Instrument and Procedure
We used a web-based questionnaire that was distributed to the participants by email. Self-completed web-based
questionnaire is a research tool that offers time and place flexibility, reduces biasing errors and provides a
higher degree of anonymity for the participants (Phellas et al. 2011). The questionnaire was partially adopted
from a project implemented by SPAN on improving the quality of in-service teacher training system in Croatia
(SPAN Consultants, 2013). It was designed and distributed using SurveyMonkey Software
(www.surveymonkey.com). The questionnaire was administered in French, Tunisians’ second language.
Results and analysis
The first part of the questionnaire aimed at eliciting information about the trainees’ experiences with the training
programs. When asked to describe the importance of the training program, 66. 67% reported that it was
important for their own job/educational process, 50% that it was important for their personal growth and
development, and only 33.33% thought it was important as a requirement for getting tenured.
Graph 1: Importance of teacher training program
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