Co-teaching in higher education: implications for teaching, learning, engagement, and satisfaction

Area of Science:

• Sports Sciences Education
• Collaborative Learning

Background:

• Co-teaching is an instructional strategy involving two or more educators.
• Its impact on student learning and engagement in higher education requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effects of co-teaching on undergraduate student teachers in sports sciences seminars.
• To identify the benefits, drawbacks, and potential enhancements for collaborative learning environments.

Main Methods:

• Fifty undergraduate student teachers participated in jointly taught seminar courses.
• Data collected through student and teacher reflections, course evaluations, and word clouds.
• Thematic analysis applied to qualitative data.

Main Results:

• Students experienced positive emotional, social, and cognitive shifts, moving from negative to positive feelings and developing collaborative and critical thinking skills.
• Co-teaching fostered improved listening, support, and collaboration among students.
• Significant time and effort required for planning and management present a barrier.

Conclusions:

• Co-teaching can foster student development in inclusive and collaborative learning settings.
• Preparation for such environments is crucial for academic engagement and success.
• Further research is needed to address implementation challenges and optimize co-teaching effectiveness.