Keyword: preservice teachers

ABSTRACT: Despite increasing global attention to learner-centered approaches in environmental education (EE), there is limited research on how preservice teachers in Ghana make sense of problem-based learning (PBL), particularly through the lens of their lived experiences and sociocultural contexts. This study addresses that gap by exploring how one Ghanaian preservice teacher constructs his understanding of PBL and environmental education using Bakhtin’s concepts of Ventriloquism and Voice. Through a dialogic analysis of a semi-structured interview, the study uncovers the multiple voices; personal, institutional, and environmental, that shape his evolving teacher identity and pedagogical vision. The findings reveal how narrative becomes a site for negotiating meaning, expressing professional intentions, and imagining education as a vehicle for environmental and social transformation. This research contributes to a growing body of work using dialogic and narrative frameworks to examine teacher development and highlights the need for more contextually grounded studies in EE and PBL within Ghana’s teacher education system.

ABSTRACT: This research aimed to examine the extent to which pre-service teachers utilize video conferencing applications for learning purposes. It further sought to find the most used applications for video conferencing and the challenges that pre-service teachers are confronted with in the use of video conferencing for lectures. A multi-stage sampling method was employed to choose 340 participants for this research. A questionnaire and interview guide facilitated the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data for the study. The quantitative data was analyzed using frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA, while the qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis with narrative discussion. The study found that most pre-service teachers mostly used the Zoom app for live video conferencing. However, the lack of internet data bundles remained the major challenge for students when they engaged in online video conferencing. Furthermore, the study revealed no significant difference in the readiness for online synchronous video conferencing lectures with respect to gender, age, and program of study. The study recommended the creation of academic online communities for every semester course and the institution of a minimum number of hours of online video conferencing for every semester course to promote blended learning in colleges of education. In light of the findings, practitioners do not require additional eLearning expertise and separate tools to implement online synchronous video conferencing lectures based on these demographic variables.