California Pre-Service Teachers Support Systems in and Online Teacher Preparation Program: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study
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Authors
Gess, Lisa
Issue Date
2025-11
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
pre-service teachers , California , support systems
Alternative Title
Abstract
The problem addressed in this study was that online distance education California pre-service teacher preparation programs lack support systems to ensure student success. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology study was to understand pre-service teachers' lived experiences in an online distance education California teacher preparation program that often lacks support systems to ensure student success. Kolb’s experiential learning cycle was the lens that guided the study. The qualitative phenomenological study consisted of two research questions: (a) What are the pre-service teachers' lived experiences in an online distance education California teacher preparation program that often lacks support systems to ensure student success? and (b) What experiences do pre-service teachers in an online distance education California teacher preparation program have with support systems that have helped them succeed in the program? Ten pre-service teachers were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to unveil six themes. The six themes were a lack of timely communication, lack of specific feedback, mentorship, faculty guidance, building colleague relationships, and peer collaboration. Recommendations for practice were to set clear email-free time, adding schedule link to faculty email signatures, and embed the California Teaching Performance Assessment within the teacher preparation program, along with faculty training sessions. Recommendations for future research were to compare faculty email communication versus faculty, adding a schedule link to their email signature. The second recommendation for future research would be to compare two video recording digital tools to provide pre-service teachers’ specific feedback