Tracing theoretical concepts in student/teacher conversations during a practicum

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to elucidate how a student teacher in Norwegian Early Childhood Education is enabled to relate practical experiences to theoretical concepts in conversations with a practicum teacher. We aim to demonstrate how the teacher and the student actually employ theoretical concepts during a practicum. The methodological approach in this study is audiovisual recordings from conversations between one practicum teacher and one student teacher that took place throughout a practicum. Transcriptions of these recording have been subject to discourse analysis. Findings reveal there is no room to articulate or reflect upon practical experiences. The practicum teacher dominates the conversations. Nevertheless, the student teacher does not seem to find the practicum teacher’s dominant role problematic and is very satisfied with the practicum. Thus, the satisfaction with and the lack of learning possibilities in the conversations seem to relate to how they both understand the student’s learning process.