ABSTRACT

This study aims to understand how student teachers think about poverty in the context of rising rates of child poverty as they begin their initial teacher education (ITE). Globally, increasing numbers of school-age children living in poverty is a pressing concern for teachers. Previous research has suggested that student teachers may hold negative stereotypical attitudes towards children and families living in poverty, which may influence their future professional practice. However, given the importance of ITE as a site for teacher preparation, there is a need for further research into student teachers’ views of poverty in the context of increasing levels of child poverty. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a survey questionnaire comprising closed response and open-ended questions, and analysed using descriptive statistical techniques and thematic analysis, respectively. Our findings suggest that, on entry to their ITE, the student teachers in this study largely held ‘multidimensional’ understandings of poverty. The student teachers also recognise poverty as a real issue affecting children and young people. These findings offer insights for initial teacher preparation in view of the challenges emerging from increased rates of child poverty.

抽象的

这项研究旨在了解学生教师在开始初等教师教育（ITE）时儿童贫困率不断上升的情况下对贫困的看法。在全球范围内，生活在贫困中的学龄儿童人数越来越多，这已成为教师的紧迫问题。先前的研究表明，学生教师可能对生活贫困的儿童和家庭持负面定型态度，这可能会影响他们未来的专业实践。但是，鉴于ITE作为教师准备场所的重要性，在儿童贫困程度不断提高的情况下，有必要进一步研究学生教师对贫困的看法。使用包括封闭式回答和开放式问题的调查问卷收集了定量和定性数据，并分别使用描述性统计技术和主题分析进行了分析。我们的研究结果表明，参加本研究的学生教师在很大程度上对贫困具有“多维”理解。学生教师还认识到贫困是影响儿童和年轻人的真正问题。鉴于儿童贫困率上升带来的挑战，这些发现为教师的初步准备提供了见识。