World trends in the professional training of subject teachers
Abstract
The article offers a comparative analysis of subject teacher preparation in four countries: England, the Republic of Poland, Israel, and the Republic of Korea. The study is driven by the global shortage of subject teachers and the need to modernize Ukraine’s system of initial teacher education in light of the New Ukrainian School reform.
The aim of the article is to identify and substantiate international trends in the subject teacher training based on the examples of the four selected programs, as well as to outline promising pathways for adapting international experience to the Ukrainian system of teacher education. The methodological framework is grounded in qualitative comparative education and Bray’s cube. Empirical data were collected through the analysis of legislation, teacher training curricula, professional standards, and materials provided by the University of Warwick (England) and the School of Education at the University of Warsaw (Poland).
The research identifies five key trends: the standardization of teacher competency requirements; diversification of teacher education pathways; introduction of post-graduate programs for individuals without prior pedagogical training; technologization of teacher preparation; and strengthening of university–school partnerships.
Prospective directions for integrating international experience into Ukraine’s teacher training system include standardizing requirements for subject teacher preparation; piloting one-year retraining programs; updating curricula to incorporate modern pedagogical technologies; implementing a mentorship model for student teachers and novice educators inspired by the Polish experience; and creating a catalogue of evidence-based practices based on the English model. Implementing these initiatives may help mitigate the shortage of subject teachers and improve the quality of their initial preparation.
Downloads
References
Bray, M., Adamson, B., & Mason, M. (2014). Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods (2nd ed.). Hong Kong University Press.
Choi, H., Chung, S.-Y., & Ko, J. (2021). Rethinking teacher education policy in ICT: Lessons f rom emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Korea. Sustainability, 13(10), 5480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105480
Craig, C. J. (2016). Structure of teacher education. In J. Loughran & M. L. Hamilton (Eds.), International handbook of teacher education (pp. 69-135). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0366-0_3
Department for Education. (2021). Teachers’ standards. URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards
Department for Education. (2024). Initial teacher training (ITT): Core content framework. URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework
Department for Education. (2024). Initial teacher training (ITT): Criteria and supporting advice. URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria
Department for Education. (2024). Qualified teacher status (QTS): Qualify to teach in England. URL: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualified-teacher-status-qts
Dziennik Ustaw. Obwieszczenie Ministra Nauki z dnia 9 lutego 2024 r. w sprawie ogłoszenia jednolitego tekstu rozporządzenia Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego w sprawie standardu kształcenia przygotowującego do wykonywania zawodu nauczyciela. Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych. 2024. Poz. 453. URL: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20240000453 (viewed: 21.02.2025).
Elementary and Secondary Education Act : Act No. 19740 : as of 24 October 2023. Korea Legislation Research Institute. URL: https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_service/lawView.do?hseq=64084&lang=ENG (viewed: 21.02.2025).
European Commission. (2013). Supporting teacher educators for better learning outcomes. URL: https://schooleducation.ec.europa.eu/en/discover/publications/supporting-teacher-educators-better-learning-outcomes
European Education and Culture Executive Agency, Birch, P., Motiejūnaitė-Schulmeister, A., De Coster, I., Davydovskaia, O., & Vasiliou, N. (2021). Teachers in Europe: Careers, development and well-being. Publications Office of the European Union. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2797/997402
Eurydice. (2025). Initial education for teachers working in early childhood and school education. URL: https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/poland/initial-education-teachers-working-earlychildhood-and-school
Fisher, Y., Shatz-Oppenheimer, O., & Arviv Elyashiv, R. (2024). The effect of COVID-19 on a short-term teacher-education program: The Israeli case. Education Sciences, 14(9), 958. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090958
Government Digital Service. Apply for teacher training. GOV.UK. 2020. URL: https://www.gov.uk/apply-forteacher-training (viewed: 21.02.2025).
Kim, H., Choi, H., Han, J., & So, H.-J. (2012). Enhancing teachers’ ICT capacity for the 21st century learning environment: Three cases of teacher education in Korea. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.805
Kim, K. S., Chung, M.-K., & Kim, D.-K. (2012). Successful strategy for training teachers in Korean education. URL: https://cutt.ly/KrqWERom
OECD. (2016). Education policy outlook: Korea. URL: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/about/projects/edu/education-policy-outlook/418974-Education-Policy-Outlook-Korea.pdf
OECD. (2024). Education policy outlook 2024: Reshaping teaching into a thriving profession from ABCs to AI. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/dd5140e4-en
OECD. (2025). Education at a glance 2025: OECD indicators. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en
Orland-Barak, L. (2019). Introduction to part 4: The Israeli context. In Lessons learned from novice teachers (pp. 81-83). Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004413108_011
Pusan National University. (n.d.). Undergraduate: Department of Education. URL: https://ed.pusan.ac.kr/edEng/46190/subview.do
Shany, A., & Reingewertz, Y. (2022). A new horizon? The effect of a national education reform on student achievement and the academic environment. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4219514
Szkoła Edukacji. (2022). Program studiów. URL: https://szkolaedukacji.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/sylabusy_2022-2023docx.pdf
Szkoła Edukacji. (2024). Regulamin Programu “Szkoła Edukacji PAFW i UW”. URL: https://szkolaedukacji.pl/wpcontent/uploads/2024/04/REGULAMIN-PROGRAMU_2024_przyjety_8_02_2024.pdf
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center. (2015). TIMSS 2015 encyclopedia. URL: https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2015/encyclopedia/
Trauma Informed Schools UK. (n.d.). https://www.traumainformedschools.co.uk/
UNESCO. (2024). Global report on teachers: Addressing teacher shortages and transforming the profession. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54675/FIGU8035
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2021). Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP. URL: https://uis.unesco.org/
Teacher Education Program. (n.d.). Faculty of Education, Bar-Ilan University. URL: https://education.biu.ac.il/en/node/148
