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This article examines student teacher perceptions regarding the benefits of the teacher education practicum. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was performed using a questionnaire. Participants consisted of 455 students from the Early Childhood and Primary Education Degrees studying at a university in the Madrid community. The questionnaire was administered between the academic years of 2017/2018 and 2021/2022 (2019/2020 was excluded due to the pandemic), at the end of each practicum period of the 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th year courses of the distinct teaching student cohorts. Results were analyzed based on a quantitative perspective, revealing relevant benefit and utility profiles, confirming that the variable that most modulates student perception is the Practicum period (finding lower scores for the intermediate practicum), followed by the gender variable, and finally, the Degree variable, which has the most stable results. These findings are discussed, highlighting certain proposals to improve teaching practicum programs, and to encourage a better knowledge of the teaching practicum in terms of its benefits and usefulness, considering the teacher candidate perspective.

Purpose – International teaching practicum (ITP) is seen as an avenue for future teachers to broaden their world views and enhance their personal and professional development. Based on two teachers’ experiences of ITP in Bangladesh, in comparison to their teaching practicum experiences in Malaysia, this paper aims to examine the impact of the ITP on their professional development as future English language teachers. Methods – Two female teachers were involved in this qualitative research, whereby data were obtained from the teachers’ observations, reflective journals and face-to-face interview. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the data. Findings – Findings indicate that the two teachers had gained positive professional development experiences as a result of participating in the ITP, especially in terms of these four aspects: (i) confidence; (ii) teaching skills; (ii) perspective on education and culture; and (iv) interpersonal skills.    Significance – The study indicates that ITP could be an alternative platform for future teachers to gain positive professional development experiences, which then would prepare them for the challenging teaching environment.

PurposeThrough the present study, the authors investigate whether online practicum in teaching, with fellow teacher-candidates acting as students, can be effective and whether the teacher-candidates actually developed skills useful for their future teachings, through this form of practicum, which is necessary when, out of necessity, like in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no other option for universities.Design/methodology/approachThe method selected was qualitative research through in-depth interviews, since the present research question and the research topic in general have not been examined in the past. The authors gathered 45 teacher-candidates' journals on this experience, and, then, they interviewed them through semi-structured interviews.FindingsThe findings indicated that the teacher-candidates got acquainted with new technologies in education to a great extent. Moreover, they developed skills that will be proven useful for their future teachings, like adaptability, flexibility and handling of students' interaction in online settings.Originality/valueThe present case study consists of a paradigm of international value, since it fills in a gap in literature on an online alternative of practicum in teaching in cases of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Valuable insights are gained for researchers, practitioners and policymakers and best-practices for online teaching practicum have derived for future use.

The integration of mobile technologies into early childhood education presents promising opportunities; hence, this study examined how preservice teachers at a rural South African university utilise mobile technologies to support early science learning. Framed by the technological pedagogical content knowledge model, this qualitative case study investigated preservice teachers’ perceptions, practices, and challenges during teaching practicum. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations with ten preservice teachers and were analysed thematically. Findings reveal that while preservice teachers recognise the potential of mobile technologies to enhance curiosity and active participation in science lessons, they do not see clear connections between technology use and child-centred pedagogy; their implementation is often constrained by limited access to devices and contextual barriers. The study highlights the need for targeted support and professional development to equip preservice teachers with the skills and confidence to effectively integrate mobile learning strategies into early science learning. The study contributes to the growing discourse on digital pedagogies in early childhood science education.

With the rapid increase in the number of students learning Chinese as a second or foreign language (CSL/CFL), there is a great demand for Chinese language teachers. Although many teacher preparation programmes have been established, only a few graduates from these programmes enter the profession of Chinese language teaching. This has caused instability of the teaching team and has threatened the sustainability of Chinese language education. To explore the reasons why graduates leave this area and the role of professional identity construction in preservice Chinese teachers’ job motivation, this longitudinal qualitative study investigates the job motivation of three student-teachers as a goal of sustainability in teaching force retention. This study was conducted during the participating teachers’ teaching practicum as part of a master’s degree programme in China. By interviewing the three participants and analysing their self-reflective journals, we found that their job motivations changed considerably during the course of their training. Indeed, their professional identity construction did not determine their career choice. Extrinsic factors, such as income and permanent residence, seemed to significantly affect their motivation of entering the profession. Such findings are important, as they help us gain a better understanding of why preservice CSL/CFL teachers choose other careers upon completing teacher education. These results are especially pertinent to those working in Chinese contexts.

Academics have multiple identities, and their professional identities can sometimes be fragmented. This can lead to identity tensions and hinder their development as teachers. Our data consists of interviews with seven academics at a research-intensive university and the teaching portfolios created during their teaching practicums. All academics participated in 2 years of pedagogical studies, wherein teaching practicums played a central role. Their teacher identities developed significantly during the pedagogical studies. We examined the narratives two academics-Matti and Kari-that chronicled their development as teachers. Initially, Matti and Kari presented bias towards the pedagogical training. We found that the key features of their teaching practicums, such as a developmental project and reflexivity, facilitated the development of more holistic, relational identities. Our findings challenge some dominant views about academics' teacher identity development and argue for the need to redefine academics' teacher identity by taking into account the relational nature of the concept and the role of the research-teaching nexus. The study has an important implication for policy; for supporting holistic teacher-researcher development, developmental projects should be implemented as a vital part of pedagogical training. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).

Most previous studies focused on foreign language learning anxiety, whereas relatively few have ever examined the foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA), particularly experienced by pre-service EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. By administering the “Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety Scale” (FLTAS) and a semi-structured interview, the current study examined whether the EFL teaching practicum had an influence on FLTA by comparing the differences of FLTA between pre-service EFL teachers who had 4 months of practicum experience and those without the practicum, and explored the potential factors contributing to FLTA. Results of descriptive analyses showed that overall the pre-service teachers had a relatively high level of FLTA. Results of independent sample t-test analyses indicated that the practicum group had significantly higher FLTA compared to the non-practicum group. Furthermore, within the two groups, female teachers consistently showed higher FLTA than the male teachers. Results of the interview content analyses revealed that anxiety-provoking factors primarily originated from fear of negative evaluation, low self-perception of language proficiency, and teaching inexperience. The findings of the current study provide insights of anxiety research in EFL context and implications for teachers to better reduce anxiety in English teaching practice.

COVID-19 affected the teaching practicum placement of approximately 650 fourth year BEd Foundation Phase student teachers at University N in April and July 2020. The teaching practicum is seen as a purposeful, organised, supervised, mentored and assessed educational activity required for the completion of a teacher education programme. During the teaching practicum, the provision of feedback from teacher educators as well as mentor teachers forms an integral part of the learning process and enriches student teachers’ learning experiences. However, student dissatisfaction with feedback during the teaching practicum presents a “wicked” problem that requires a strategic partnership approach between the university and partnership schools as well as between the triad partners of teacher educator, mentor teacher and student teacher. The purpose of this exploratory case study is to provide an overview of student teachers’ perspectives on the innovative use of a social annotation platform to ensure greater collaboration on the “wicked” problem of feedback by all partners during the “learning from practice” component of the teaching practicum. The results indicated that student teachers, teacher educators as well as mentor teachers were actively engaged “on the same page” with constructive dialogic feedback that assisted student teachers to make crucial adjustments to the core practice of explaining/modelling content.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the perceptions of preservice teachers regarding their learning during the teaching practicum (TP) period in the context of the pandemic. Specifically, the objectives of this study are to analyze the difficulties and the learning consequences perceived by student teachers and also to identify proposals with which to improve the initial teacher education (ITE) during the TP period in times of uncertainty and crisis. Design/methodology/approach This study used a mixed-methods approach. The participants consisted of 89 preservice teachers (student teachers). An online questionnaire was used to collect data during January 2022 in two rounds. The data analysis was carried out from an integrative perspective and used both a descriptive approach and the content analysis of the participants’ narratives. Findings The results show the differences, adjustments and adaptations that have had to be implemented in schools as a whole. The findings also highlight the difficulties that the pandemic context has caused for the TP period in schools and the relevant implications that it has had on ITE during these past two academic years. Originality/value This research is relevant for a better understanding of the challenges faced during the pandemic in the field of early childhood and primary education. More specifically, this paper gives important clues to higher education institutions on how to carry out TP, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis.

This article explores the evolving trajectory of the Teaching Practicum (TP) models within a selected South African teacher education institution (TEI) to accommodate the localised challenges of shifting from face-to-face support of professional learning towards online modes of delivery during Covid-19 times. Over time, even before the onset of Covid-19, the specific institution was characterised by increasing diversification of its student body and increased enrolment of student teachers resonating with similar patterns across other TEIs nationally. The study draws on the ethnographic tradition of celebrating participants’ lived experiences within the field of teacher education by capturing how a teaching practicum coordinator attempted to deal with complex and multiple challenges to enact and sustain a re-imagined TP programme. The pattern of responsiveness continues even as the pandemic (potentially) wanes. A reconstructed dialogue represents the responses of the internal coordinator within the institution (foregrounding changing operational concerns) and a senior teacher educator external to the institution (foregrounding shifting theoretical and policy considerations). Drawing from ethnodrama traditions, this dialogical conversation acknowledges the lived experiences of everyday designing, delivering and using TP models. It includes the hesitance of school mentors, student teachers and teacher educator supervisors to adopt alternative practices to conventionalised rituals of TP. The conversation questions the academic rationale of the various models of TP in their bolstering of student teachers’ professional learning. The study’s findings indicate that the successful implementation of a meaningful and contextualised revised TP curriculum necessitates re-imagining the roles of the various partners involved in the TP endeavour: who are co-responsible for conceptualising and ensuring transformative professional growth and development.