Kurdish EFL Students Teachers’ Practicum Experience: Some Basic Challenges

Abstract

Abstract—The present study highlights the main challenges faced by EFL student teachers (STs) of the Department of English - College of Basic Education - University of Sulaimani during their teaching practice. To investigate the challenges, a closed-ended questionnaire is designed which consists of 20 items focusing on a variety of relevant issues of practicum experience. The questionnaire is given to 50 EFL STs and the collected data is statistically analyzed. The study hypothesizes that EFL STs might have serious challenges in their teaching at basic schools, which could be related to the lack of motivation of basic school students, shortage of practicum period, supervisors’ evaluation, and lack of teaching technology. These challenges are proved true after the analysis of the data. Based on the conclusions of this current study, it is recommended that Kurdish EFL STs should be familiarized with different aspects of teaching profession. To this end, the university stakeholders should design a specialized program for ST practicum and create a strong link with basic school programs. The conclusions and recommendations could be taken into consideration by the STs, university teaching staff, and basic school principals to overcome the challenges and improve the practicum process. Thus, the study could have potentially significant implications for the senior administrators of the Department of English, College of Basic Education deanery, and the University of Sulaimani presidency for addressing the main challenges of practicum faced by EFL STs.