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Challenges in Practicum: Two Sides of the Coin
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Published:
Nov 9, 2015
Updated:
2015-11-09
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Abstract
One possible way to eliminate the problems of beginning teachers would be to improve the quality of practicum component of teacher education programs since the practicum is where pre-service teachers (PTs) face realities of a classroom. The present study was conducted to find out the challenges that PTs and cooperating teachers (CTs) experience during practicum practices, in the hope that detection of the challenges may shed light on which aspects of practicum needs to be improved to increase quality. Data for the study were collected in the spring term of the 2013-2014 academic year through in-depth interviews with eight PTs studying at the English Language Teaching (ELT) department of a state university in Turkey and three CTs mentoring this group of PTs. The responses indicated that there were serious concerns about practicum practices conducted in Turkey, and thus a revision of those practices was needed.
Keywords: practicum, teacher development, pre-service teachers, cooperating teachers.
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How to Cite
Mutlu, G. (2015). Challenges in Practicum: Two Sides of the Coin. International Journal of Learning and Teaching, 7(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.18844/ijlt.v7i1.4
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References
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Sinclair, C., Dowson, M., & Thistleton-Martin, J. (2006). Motivations and profiles of CTs: who volunteers and why? Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, 263-279.
Smith, K., & Lev-Ari, L. (2005). The place of the practicum in pre-service teacher education program: the voice of students. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(3), 289-302.
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Stuart, C., & Thurlow, D. (2000). Making it their own: preservice teachers’ experiences, beliefs, and classroom practices. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(2), 113-121.
Tuzel, A. E. B., & Akcan, S. (2009). Raising the language awareness of pre-service English teachers in an EFL context. European Journal of Teacher Education, 32(3), 271-287.
Vaughn, S. Boss, C., & Schumm, J. (1997). Teaching mainstreammed, diverse, and at-risk students in the general education. Boston: Allyn &
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Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54 (2), 143-178.
YOK [The Council of Higher Education]. (2007). Ogretmen yetistirme el kitabı. [Manual for teacher training]. Ankara: YOK.
Yunus, M.M., Hashim, H. Ishak, N.M., & Mahamod, Z. (2010). Understanding TESL PTs’ teaching experiences and challenges via post-practicum reflection forms. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 722-728.
Cook-Sather, A. (2010). Between student and teacher: learning to teach as translation. Teaching Education, 12(2), 177-190.
Gan, Z. (2013). Learning to teach English language in the practicum: what challenges do non-native ESL student-teachers face. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3), 92-108.
Hastings, W. (2006). Emotions and the practicum: the CTs’ perspective. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 10(2), 135-148.
Kabilan, M.K., & Izzaham, R.I.R. (2008). Challenges faced and the strategies adopted by a Malaysian English language teacher during teacher practice. English Language Teaching, 1(1), 87-95.
Kagan, D. (1992). Professional growth among preservice and beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 129-168.
Kahn, B. (2001). Potrait of success: CTs and the student teaching experience. Action in Teacher Education, 22(4), 68-78.
Merc, A. (2010). Self-reported problems of pre-service EFL teachers throughout their practicum. Anadolu University Journal of Social Sciences, 10(2), 199-226.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage. Ministry of National Education - MoNE (2007). Ogretmen Adaylarinin Milli Egitim Bakanligi’na Bagli Egitim Ogretim Kurumlarina Yapacaklari Ogretmenlik Uygulamasina Iliskin Yonerge. [Prescription for practice teaching to be fulfilled by prospective teachers in educational institutions of Ministry of National Education]. Tebligler Dergisi, n° 2493.Retrieved March 14, 2014, from: http://mevzuat.meb.gov.tr/html/102.html
Murray-Harvey, R., Slee, P. T., Lawson, M. J., Silins, H., Banfield, G., & Russell, A. (2000). Under stress: the concerns and the coping strategies of teacher education students. European Journal of Teacher Education, 23(1), 19-35.
Richards, J. C., & Crookes, G. (1988). The practicum in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 22(1), 9- 27. Saglam, G. (2007). Perceived roles, responsibilities and challenges of CT’s in the procedure of teaching practice course in practicum. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
Sarıcoban, A. (2010). Problems encountered by student-teachers during their practicum studies. ProcediaSocial and Behavioral Sciences, 2, 707-711.
Salihoglu, U.M. (2012). Pre-service English teacher education: the Turkish case. Contemporary Online Language Education Journal, 2(1), 151-168.
Sinclair, C., Dowson, M., & Thistleton-Martin, J. (2006). Motivations and profiles of CTs: who volunteers and why? Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, 263-279.
Smith, K., & Lev-Ari, L. (2005). The place of the practicum in pre-service teacher education program: the voice of students. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(3), 289-302.
Somuncuoglu, Y. (2003). An analysis of change in pre-service education in Turkey by using chaos theory. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
Stoynoff, S. (1999). The TESOL practicum: An integrated model in the U.S. TESOL Quarterly, 33(1), 145151.
Stuart, C., & Thurlow, D. (2000). Making it their own: preservice teachers’ experiences, beliefs, and classroom practices. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(2), 113-121.
Tuzel, A. E. B., & Akcan, S. (2009). Raising the language awareness of pre-service English teachers in an EFL context. European Journal of Teacher Education, 32(3), 271-287.
Vaughn, S. Boss, C., & Schumm, J. (1997). Teaching mainstreammed, diverse, and at-risk students in the general education. Boston: Allyn &
Bacon.
Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54 (2), 143-178.
YOK [The Council of Higher Education]. (2007). Ogretmen yetistirme el kitabı. [Manual for teacher training]. Ankara: YOK.
Yunus, M.M., Hashim, H. Ishak, N.M., & Mahamod, Z. (2010). Understanding TESL PTs’ teaching experiences and challenges via post-practicum reflection forms. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 722-728.