Evaluating the practicum from the perspectives of pre-service EFL teachers, mentors and supervisors

This study evaluates the teaching practicum from the perspectives of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pre-service teachers, mentor teachers, and university supervisors. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it gathers and examines both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected from 82 pre-service teachers who participated in the teaching practicum course during the 2021 fall and 2022 spring semesters, using the Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Practicum Reactions Scale developed by Kazaz and Alagözlü (2020). This scale included 39 close-ended items and four open-ended questions. Data from the close-ended items were analyzed using SPSS 22, while responses to the open-ended questions were categorized based on their context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with seven pre-service teachers, five mentor teachers, and four university supervisors. Afterwards, the researcher transcribed the interviews. The analysis of the data reveals that the teaching practicum is highly valued for providing practical teaching experience within the classroom setting. Findings from both the questionnaire and interviews similarly emphasized the importance of translating theoretical knowledge into practice. However, issues related to timing, scheduling, and the completion of required practicum tasks presented certain challenges. Some recommendations were made to deal with such challenges.