Accountability in teacher education: Positioning pre-service teachers as evaluators of their performance

In the United States and elsewhere, the term ‘accountability’ is a buzzword in the discourses on initial teacher preparation. Various accountability measures which are believed to reinforce the integrity and effectiveness of initial teacher education programmes and to serve as evidence of the pre-service teachers’ competences are in place in teacher preparatory programmes. They include state-regulated initial certification for new teachers, high stakes state-required teacher testing for initial licensing and voluntary professional accreditation of teacher preparatory programmes and institutions. However, in countries such as South Africa, the concept of accountability in initial teacher preparation is seldom used. This action research study analyses the growth and development of pre-service teachers who, through the use of a debriefing form, underwent reflection and praxis which facilitated their growth and development. The debriefing form, which the pre-service teachers used to score their performance, became the instrument of data collection. The scores that the pre-service teachers assigned themselves were analysed quantitatively. In this article, it is argued that by scoring themselves, pre-service teachers were taking accountability for the outcomes of their performance. The findings suggest that with proper training on the objectives and use of the debriefing form, pre-service teachers can grow and develop as responsible individuals who can account for their actions and for the outcomes of their actions.