Initial Teacher Education and the CE.F.I. Experience: An Exploratory Study of Good Practices, Challenges, and Critical Issues

Abstract

The article presents the experience of the Interuniversity Center for Initial Teacher Education (CE.F.I.), promoted by the Universities of Bergamo and Brescia during the first two cycles of activity (2023/24 and 2024/25) of the initial teacher education courses for secondary school teachers.

After briefly outlining the broader context of the implementation of the reform in initial teacher education and introducing the Center, the article reports the results of a mixed-methods qualitative–quantitative study. The study is based on monitoring questionnaires administered to professors, researchers and students, as well as on a critical reinterpretation of shared reflection and listening sessions and focus groups involving student representatives and coordinating tutors.

Despite several limitations — both external and internal — and numerous critical issues, the analysis highlights a range of good practices that can be further developed along with emerging challenges and areas for future exploration, with the aim of continuously improving both the training processes and the overall program.