A Study of the Achievement of Elementary School Children Who Were Taught by Student-Teachers with Children Who Were Taught by Regular Teachers

Abstract

That "we learn "by doing" has "been the theory upon which training schools for teachers were founded and the one upon which they continue to exist. Although schoolmen, in general, have acquiesced to this general principle and supported student teaching, large numbers in opposition have seriously questioned and criticized this action. The attitude of the latter group toward student teaching, makes the problem of student teaching a most important one. Those waging the campaign against student teaching tell us that it is not fair to the pupils; that teachers are changed too often; that inexperienced students cannot do the work of mature experts; that the quality of teaching is poor; that the interest of student-teachers is in the practice and not in guiding boys and girls; and that student teaching retards children. It was due to these objections that the writer's interest was aroused in conducting an experiment based upon the problem of comparing the achievement of elementary school children taught by student-teachers with children taught by regular teachers.