IN-PERSON: Learning. Life. Work

Abstract

In Norway, suitability assessment is included in 28 higher education programmes to ensure that the students are qualified for professional practice. From this perspective, simulation-based learning experience (SBLE) was designed for use in a teacher education context in general, and in suitability assessment of pre-service teachers in particular. The level of fidelity is a basic factor when designing SBLE, and the purpose of the study was to examine the processes of developing suitability assessment practices. This addresses the research question: How can the level of fidelity in simulation-based learning influence the development of pre-service teachers’ suitability? The first set of data underpinning the argument in this study were focus group interviews with pre-service teachers that emphasized the participants’ perceptions and experiences of the concept of fidelity in the simulation. Triangulation (Denzin, 2017) was performed with the second set of collected data, from in-depth interviews with the pre-service teachers’ facilitators. Preliminary findings suggest that the required level of fidelity in SBLE can contribute to pre-service teachers’ professional development when the learning outcomes are achieved, whether the fidelity is high or low. Different factors influenced the individual suitability progress and objectives involving skills, knowledge, attitude, and behaviour were operationalized. Furthermore, the findings and implications can be transferred to other education programmes.