The Selective Direction of Attention in Students of Teaching and the Nature of Their Interpretations

Professional vision is an important link between professional knowledge and professional behaviour. This article presents the results of a study of the professional vision of students of teaching, some of them training for the second and third stage of Basic School and some for the first stage of Basic School (Primary School), and all just starting courses on general didactics and subject didactics. Analysing written responses (n = 211) to a video of a lesson, the researchers investigated the selective direction of attention and the extent to which and how students describe, rate and interpret the phenomena recorded in the video. The semantic units were coded using the Sharin and van Es category system (2009) and a modified version of the Stocker system (2008). Statements coded as theorisation, prediction and alteration were analysed qualitatively with the aim of identifying their nature. In the field of selective direction of attention the study confirmed some of the results obtained in students of maths teaching in preceding studies, but there were also differences. The students of 1st stage teaching devoted more attention to the pupil, while the comments of the students of 2nd and 3rd stage teaching were directed to pupil and teacher in equal measure. The students in both groups tended to comment more on general educational matters at the expense of subject issues and subject didactics and did very little in the way of interpretation (students of 1st stage teaching even less than students in the second group) and their comments were very general. In their commentaries we can see an emphasis on the pupil’s active approach to learning. The results of the study could contribute to innovation of the content of didactic disciplines in teaching training and the development of collaboration between specialists in different subject didactics.