Student-teachers' Experiences During Practicum in Pre-service Teacher Education in Myanmar

Abstract

Teacher education program differs internationally in accordance with the admission, assessment, teaching practice period, induction program, professional learning, initial teacher learning, continuous professional development, and performance appraisal systems for recognizing accredited teaching. Experts in teacher education recommends that the practicum is the focus and an integral part of initial teacher education program. In most countries, teacher education programs face difficulties in finding the proper role and form of practice. Referring to National Education Strategic Plan (2016-21) of Myanmar, practicum in teacher preparation program is dull and it has limited guidance and supervision. Moreover, very few publications are available in Myanmar that label the perceptions of teacher candidate on their practicum experience. This study explores student-teachers' experience during practicum in their pre-service teacher education program. The doctoral research will focus on the role of practicum in pre-service teacher education in Myanmar. This document describes the results of the pilot study conducted in 2019, July. The researcher employed convergent mixed-method design to collect data for the pilot study. Data collection methods include semi-structured focus group interviews and questionnaires. The final year student-teachers (N=23) who were enrolled in 2014 academic year at the Yangon University of Education are the subject of the study. The questionnaire consists of 27 closed items. Fourteen final-year student-teachers discussed their practicum experiences in two focus group interviews. Student-teachers' responses to the questionnaire are mostly positive. In the focus group interview, they mentioned their critical point of views such as their university program could prepare them to some extent for their practicum. There were some differences in responses to the questionnaire and focus group interviews. From the results of the quantitative and qualitative part, the researcher could learn some potential problem areas that can affect the whole doctoral research.