The role of informal and non-formal sources in supporting Graduate Teaching Assistants to learn to teach.

Lillie, Catherine and Ashwin, Paul (2025) The role of informal and non-formal sources in supporting Graduate Teaching Assistants to learn to teach. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This study concerns the initial teaching experiences of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in UK higher education (HE) exploring non-formal and informal sources which support their learning to be a teacher, the role that interactions with students play and how GTAs know if they have been effective in their teaching. Whilst the impact of formal training programmes for GTAs is well-researched, the more unstructured means of learning about and developing effective teaching, including the role of students, hasn’t received as much attention. Data was generated using semi-structured interviews with 15 GTAs at three English universities who were beginning to teach at HE-level. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate and investigate themes and patterns of meaning in the data. The data provides insights into the role of interactions with students during GTAs’ initial teaching experiences, showing that students have an unintentional but powerful impact on GTAs’ nascent sense of teaching self-efficacy and that these interactions are regarded by GTAs as key indicators of effectiveness in teaching. The study shows that GTAs use student-centred approaches both to benefit their students, and to give GTAs information about their teaching which they use to enhance their effectiveness. The study adds to the literature on non-formal and informal learning for initial teaching development by highlighting the importance of GTAs’ self-reliance and initiative when seeking and drawing from non-formal and informal sources and by showing that the role of student interactions is part of a reciprocal cycle of learning and development. The study has relevance for those who support the development of GTAs teaching practices, including GTAs themselves and concludes with recommendations for support during the initial teaching period.