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Contextual factors in unsuccessful teaching practica : the perspective of the teacher candidate

University of British Columbia

Failure, or the need to repeat a practicum, in the Teacher Education program occurs for approximately 10% of teacher candidates (Clarke, 2015). This study examined ways in which the practicum context served or hindered teacher candidates who were required to repeat their practicum. Data were collected by an anonymous online survey of teachers who repeated and subsequently completed their practicum [to determine the factors believed to have contributed to their need to repeat their practicum], followed by interviews of three survey participants. Experiences of the researcher are also included in the data set. Five themes emerged from the data as contributing factors to needing to repeat a practicum. They are: excessive workload, inappropriate feedback, poor relationships with mentors, role models who could not demonstrate best practice, and personal limitations. The results of this study confirm the importance of attending to contexts of the practicum setting. In particular, there is a need for mentoring practices to be refined. The results also support the need for a more integrated approach to teacher education.

Text

2016-04-21

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/57744

Curriculum Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/