An Evaluation of Performance of Teacher Trainees in Initial Teacher Education: A Case Study

Privatization and internationalization of education in Sri Lanka has created a demand for more trained teachers, unlocked teacher education to private teacher training institutes in Sri Lanka. To maintain the quality of the programme, tertiary authority registration of the relevant programme is required for the institute. Objectives of the study are to assess the current levels of performance of the trainee teachers, to investigate the challenges and issues faced by the institute and to examine the impact of the tertiary authority registration process on Teacher Education Diplomas. The sample size of this qualitative/quantitative research is 90 teacher trainees. Data collection methods were questionnaire, key informant interviews and documentary analysis. Study found that 63% trainees believed their performance is very good while 29% and 8% believed their performance is good and averaged respectively. However, there is no significant relationship between education and performance. Although the tertiary authority uses online platforms, the findings of the study revealed that the institute faces constant challenges due to procrastination practices and bureaucratic procedures. Furthermore, the institute struggles with the supervision of teaching practice. 87% trainees stated that registration of their diploma at the tertiary authority motivated them to enroll at the institute. yet the registration of the diplomas at the tertiary authority had on low impact on the learning teaching process.