Worry and the changing sense of responsibility in first year primary undergraduate student teachers

This paper explores how the sense of responsibility changes for undergraduate student teachers in their first year of training. It is part of a larger case study that sought to identify what undergraduate student teachers reported to be the key sources of worry in their first year at a university in the East Midlands. An initial online questionnaire was used to find out the main aspects that the student teachers were worried about in their first year. These results then fed into a second questionnaire designed to explore the intensity of worry about these aspects, with a focus on responsibility. The final data collection method comprised of a focus group discussion including 4 student teachers in their first year of the course. Data collection points were at the start and end of their first year of teacher training. The results concluded that the students initially worried about wider aspects of the responsibility of being at university for the first time such as living away from home as well as having a growing sense of realisation of the requirements of the course and the associated responsibilities. However, by the end of the first year, this worry had manifested into more significant worry about the responsibility of being a teacher and the specific aspects of the role that hold considerable responsibilities. This study highlighted that an area for further research could be around the potential normalisation of worry about responsibility in education and student experiences in their training about safeguarding. It also identified recommendations for future practice including pre-course training, timetabling considerations, personalised support and staff training.