Connecting theory and practice in teacher education: English-as-a-foreign-language pre-service teachers\u2019 perceptions of practicum experience

Judy Yin

doi:10.1186/s42862-019-0003-z

Abstract

The present study explores the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding their experiences in the university teacher-training course during the practicum. In particular, the study focuses on how the pre-service teachers perceived the effects of the university course, as they tried to connect theory and practice during the practicum. A total of 15 participants enrolled in the methodology course for teaching speaking attended a 4-week practicum in secondary schools. They recorded their reflections on their teaching experiences in their reflective journals and they were interviewed after the practicum. The results of the study showed that the university course prepared them the fundamental skills to prepare for lessons and reflect on their teaching practice. However, the course failed to prepare them adequately to cope with the realities of the classroom context, as the university course only provided them with an idealistic view of the classroom. The implication of the study suggests ways to better connect university courses with the actual classroom practices to provide pre-service teachers the maximum support to practicalize their knowledge during the practicum.

Highlights

The process of pre-service teachers’ path to professionalism requires active construction and reconstruction of knowledge from diverse sources (Borger and Tillema 1996)
The participants attended the class for 8 weeks, went on the practicum for 4 weeks, and returned to finish the coursework for the remaining 3 weeks. The participants wrote their reflective journals during their practicum period focusing on their observations and experiences of teaching speaking in the classroom context and gave presentations about their experiences, focusing on three questions: (1) how did the class help you during the practicum? (2) What gaps did you notice during the practicum? and (3) How can the course better prepare you for the practicum? Parts that were unclear or needed further explanation were identified and asked the participants to clarify them during the end of the semester
Some of the participants pointed out that they were able to obtain fundamental knowledge from the course, since they had not been taught speaking when they were in secondary school, unable to use their educational background for support: Since I had never been taught how to speak in middle school or high school, the theories and methods I learned in the class were new to me

Summary

Introduction

The process of pre-service teachers’ path to professionalism requires active construction and reconstruction of knowledge from diverse sources (Borger and Tillema 1996). As noted by Woodward (1991), training needs to include both knowledge and skills. In this regard, the objective of the teacher education program is to allow pre-service teachers to gain the fundamental knowledge of teaching theories by means of which they can observe and analyze practice in ways that can aid their actual teaching (Bobrakov 2014). As for practice, the practicum period provides pre-service teachers’ opportunities to act out their theoretical knowledge and connect theory and practice (Meijer et al 2002). Since there are constant revisions of educational policies in Korea, it seems pertinent to investigate whether the university training courses are adequately preparing pre-service teachers to deal with

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Conclusion