Exploring The Practicum Experiences of Preservice Preschool Teachers

Abstract

Establishing a strong connection between the theory and practice that prospective teachers acquire during their education is one of the most important issues in teacher education. The teaching practice course in teacher education undergraduate programs serves this purpose. It is known that the experiences of pre-service teachers during the practicum process affect them positively or negatively both emotionally and cognitively. This situation plays a role in the quality of teaching and these effects can also be seen when teachers commit to the profession. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of emotional and cognitive experiences of pre-service preschool teachers during their teaching practice on their professional development. The study was conducted with 16 pre-service preschool teachers who were practicing within the scope of Teaching Practice I course. The data collected using a semi-structured interview form were analyzed by content analysis method. The data obtained showed that while the pre-service teachers had intense stress caused by uncertainty at the beginning of the practice, as their experience increased, their planning skills and communication with children improved, but the most common concern in the process was classroom management skills.