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Student teacher experiences of the teaching practicum in an initial teacher education programme in the Western Cape
Author(s)
Malikebu, Fanny Nombulelo Agnes
Date Issued
2020
Type
Thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
Student teacher experiences of teaching practicum are crucial in attaining the level
of readiness necessary to qualify as competent teachers. Practicum is multifaceted
and its effectiveness is determined by several factors – adherence to the norms
and standards that govern an acceptable school-based mentorship, student teacher
assessment, student teacher assignment to teaching schools – as prescribed under
the teaching school-university partnership practicum model. The study design,
targeting ten student teachers who completed their teaching school-based
practicum after a 4-year B Ed foundation phase programme, explored student
teacher experiences of school-based mentorship and assessment. To substantiate
the findings, qualitative data were collected through biographical forms,
semi-structured interviews, the evaluation of teaching practicum portfolios and the
Teaching Practicum Manual for Sessions 1 and 2 as implemented by a selected
university offering an ITE programme with practicum mentorship. Content and
thematic analysis were used to identify themes, with a series of common themes
identified based on empirical, theoretical and policy findings to determine the
impact of the existing practicum approach, school-based mentorship model and
assessment model on student teacher levels of readiness to teach. The findings to
this research work are a true reflection that student teacher experiences of the
teaching practicum are determined by the nature of school-based mentorship and
its teaching school support and that such experiences are the most significant and
influential moments in shaping their development as a teacher. Student teachers
established that the assessment of practicum was either conducted inappropriately
or the number of visits were inadequate to determine the actual performance of the
student teachers, classifying the whole process as full of bias, unreliability and
inconsistencies. The study contributes to the ongoing research in programme
development and curriculum delivery assessment in relationship to teaching
practicum experiences of student teachers in initial teacher education programmes.
of readiness necessary to qualify as competent teachers. Practicum is multifaceted
and its effectiveness is determined by several factors – adherence to the norms
and standards that govern an acceptable school-based mentorship, student teacher
assessment, student teacher assignment to teaching schools – as prescribed under
the teaching school-university partnership practicum model. The study design,
targeting ten student teachers who completed their teaching school-based
practicum after a 4-year B Ed foundation phase programme, explored student
teacher experiences of school-based mentorship and assessment. To substantiate
the findings, qualitative data were collected through biographical forms,
semi-structured interviews, the evaluation of teaching practicum portfolios and the
Teaching Practicum Manual for Sessions 1 and 2 as implemented by a selected
university offering an ITE programme with practicum mentorship. Content and
thematic analysis were used to identify themes, with a series of common themes
identified based on empirical, theoretical and policy findings to determine the
impact of the existing practicum approach, school-based mentorship model and
assessment model on student teacher levels of readiness to teach. The findings to
this research work are a true reflection that student teacher experiences of the
teaching practicum are determined by the nature of school-based mentorship and
its teaching school support and that such experiences are the most significant and
influential moments in shaping their development as a teacher. Student teachers
established that the assessment of practicum was either conducted inappropriately
or the number of visits were inadequate to determine the actual performance of the
student teachers, classifying the whole process as full of bias, unreliability and
inconsistencies. The study contributes to the ongoing research in programme
development and curriculum delivery assessment in relationship to teaching
practicum experiences of student teachers in initial teacher education programmes.
Additional information
Thesis (MEd)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020
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