Docencia compartida en la formación inicial del profesorado: potencialidades y dificultades según los estudiantes y los profesores.

Abstract

Introduction: Co-teaching, when two teachers work together with the same group of students and share the same classroom, is considered a powerful tool for learning, both for students and for trainee teachers. The study aims to identify the benefits and difficulties of co-teaching in primary and higher education. Method: A sample of 108 education students was divided in two groups: one that was trained in co-teaching during two sessions using co-teaching methodology and one that received the same training but without co-teaching methodology. The research adopted a mixed design: a quantitative study using a quasi-experimental design with a comparison group that hypothesized certain improvements in knowledge and attitudes about co-teaching in the pre- and post- test; and a qualitative study based on the perceptions of students (through a questionnaire) and teachers (through interviews). Results: The quantitative results confirm the hypothesis and the qualitative study reveals some of the potentialities of co-teaching as observed in the teachers’ and students’ responses. Discussion: The benefits of co-teaching differ according to the setting; and despite the difficulties, especially in the university setting, the results point to the need to use co-teaching methodology in the initial stages of teacher education.