Development and Validation of an Instrument Exploring Factors Challenging Iranian Graduate Student-Teachers

Improvement in the quality of teacher education programs, especially in higher education, is an important issue. Failure to have an efficient teacher education program could lead to the training of graduates who are not prepared for the realities of the classroom. Accordingly, in an attempt to help improve the present situa- tion of teacher education programs especially at the graduate level, this study aimed to develop and validate an instrument for exploring the challenges Iranian student-teachers face and to present a model for these hurdles. To this end, a Likert-scale questionnaire was constructed based on the literature and through con- sultation of experts which included 32 items. The questionnaire underwent a rigorous validation process in a pilot study with 180 teaching English as a foreign language participants studying for their master’s degree using Cronbach alpha, exploratory factor analysis, average variance extracted, and composite reliability. Furthermore, employing structural equation modeling procedures, a six-dimensional model was presented for the investigated challenges. The obtained results called for the authorities’ further attention to teacher trainees’ problems in areas such as financing, educational facilities, educational planning, peers, teachers as well as a series of personal and social problems they may experience. Considering and dealing with the problems experienced by student-teachers in each of these areas can certainly provide the authorities and different stakeholders with an abundance of new knowledge and information which can be effectively used to improve the quality of teacher training programs.