An evaluation of the teaching practicum at some thai universities a case study of efl student teachers at hue university college of foreign languages

COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------ TRAN THI NGOC BICH AN EVALUATION OF THE TEACHING PRACTICUM AT SOME THAI UNIVERSITIES: A CASE STUDY OF EFL STUDENT TEACHERS AT HUE UNIVERSITY – C

COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

- -

TRAN THI NGOC BICH

AN EVALUATION OF THE TEACHING PRACTICUM AT SOME THAI UNIVERSITIES: A CASE STUDY OF EFL STUDENT

TEACHERS AT HUE UNIVERSITY – COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

CODE: 60.14.10

MA THESIS IN EDUCATION

SUPERVISOR: TRAN VAN PHUOC, ASSOC PROF DR

HUE, 2012

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ

LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ NGÀNH LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP

DẠY – HỌC MÔN TIẾNG ANH

NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC : PGS.TS TRẦN VĂN PHƯỚC

HUẾ, 2012

I hereby acknowledge that this study is mine The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates and have not been published elsewhere

Author

Above all, I am sincerely grateful to my supervisor, Prof Dr Tran Van

Phuoc who has given me much enthusiastic instructions, invaluable advice as well

as encouragement since the very beginning of my thesis

I am also very much indebted to the teachers of English Department who have been willing to provide me with requisite materials and to create favorable conditions for my implementation of this study

I would like to thank all research participants for completing the questionnaires and take part in the in – depth interview that contribute an essential part to the achievement of the research

Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents and my friends for their love, support and encouragement during the completion of this paper

Although much time and effort has been invested in this thesis, mistakes and shortcomings are inevitable due to limitations of my knowledge and experiences Therefore, I would appreciate all critical comments and suggestions from teahers and friends

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Statement of Authorship

Acknowledgements

Table of contents

List of Symbols and Abbreviations

List of Figures and Tables

Abstract

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 9

1.1 Rationale 9

1.2 Aims of the study 10

1.3 Research questions 11

1.4 Scope of the study 11

1.5 Structure of the thesis 12

Chapter 2 LITURATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 13

2.1 The review of previous studies 13

2.2 Theoretical background 13

2.2.1 Teaching practicum 13

2.2.1.1 Definition 13

2.2.1.2 Purposes of teaching practicum 15

2.2.1.3 Benefits of teaching practicum 15

2.2.1.4 Requirements of teaching practicum 17

2.2.2 The student teacher 18

2.2.2.1 Definition 18

2.2.2.2 Requirements for student teachers in teaching practicum 19

2.2.3 The student teaching 19

2.2.3.1 Definition 19

2.2.3.2 Requirements of student teaching 21

2.2.4 Supervisor 22

2.2.4.1 Definition 22

2.2.4.2 Requirements of supervisor in teaching practicum 23

2.2.5 Cooperating teacher 24

2.2.5.1 Definition 24

2.2.5.2 Requirements of cooperating teachers in teaching practicum 24

2.2.6 HUCFL‘s policies in promoting teaching practicum abroad 27

Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28

3 1 Research design 28

3 2 Research methods 28

3.2.1 Data collection methods 28

3.2.2.1 Settings 28

3.2.1.2 Participants 29

3.2.1.3 Instruments 30

3.2.1.3.1 Questionnaire 30

3.2.1.3.2 In – depth interview 32

3.2.1.4 Procedure 32

3.2.2 Data analysis methods 33

Chapter 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 34

4 1 Student teachers‘ perceptions on teaching practicum 34

4 1 1 Student teachers‘ perceptions on teaching practicum‘s importance 34

4 1 2 Student teachers‘ perceptions on the teaching practicum‘s components37 4 1 3 Student teachers‘ perceptions on teaching practicum‘s environment 38

4.1.4 Student teachers‘ perceptions on teaching practicum‘s supervisors and

cooperating teachers 39

4.1.5 Student teachers‘ perceptions on the assessment during teaching practicum 39

4.2 Student teachers‘ evaluation on the teaching practicum at some universities in Thailand 40

4.2.1 Student teachers‘ self - evaluation on their own performance 40

4.2.1.1 The student teachers‘ evaluation on the own confidence and competence to become a real teacher 40

4.2.1.2 Student teachers‘ evaluation on their weak points 43

4.2.1.3 Student teachers‘ evaluation on the competence of socialization to the new environment 44

4.2.2 Student teachers‘ evaluation on the administrators‘ organization of the teaching practicum 45

4.2.2.1 Student teachers‘ evaluation on the administrators‘ preparation before teaching practicum 46

4.2.2.2 Student teachers‘ evaluation on the administrators‘ connection and communication during teaching practicum 47

4.2.3 Student teachers‘ evaluation on the cooperating teachers during teaching practicum 48

4.3 Student teachers‘ suggestions to improve teaching practice 52

4.3.1 For student teachers 52

4.3.2 For the organizers and universities 53

4.3.3 For cooperating teachers at Thai universities 54

Chapter 5 CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS 56

5.1 Conclusions 56

5.2 Pedagogical implications 58

5.3 Limitations of the study 60

5.4 Recommendations for further researches 60

REFERENCES 61

APPENDICES

LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

2 HUCFL Hue University – College of Foreign Languages

3 UTTC University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 4.1 The student teachers' perception on the importance of

Figure 4.3 The student teachers' evaluation on their own

confidence to become a real teacher

Figure 4.5 The student teachers' evaluation on their weak points 43

Figure 4.6 Student teachers' evaluation on the administrators'

organization of teaching practicum

44

Figure 4.7 The means of communication between student teachers

and organizers during teaching practice

46

Figure 4.8 Student teachers' evaluation on supervisors' enthusiasm 48

Figure 4.9 Cooperating teachers‘ activities during teaching

Figure 4.11 Student teachers' desire of the number of cooperating

teachers during teaching practicum

50

Tables Names Pages

Table 4.1 Student teachers‘ perceptions on teaching practicum‘s

38

Table 4.3 The activities organized for teacher students before

doing teaching practicum

45

pre-or he also has to be an effective language learner One way to examine and reflect

on teacher education programs is to determine how student teachers perceive and evaluate a given program and its components This article reports on a study conducted with HUCFL - EFL student teachers who carried out their teaching practicum at some universities in Thailand With an attempt to investigate how student teachers perceived and evaluated the teaching practice component of their training program at some universities in Thailand, the study tried to answer three research questions The findings indicated that the participants perceived practicum

as an important tool of learning to teach because it promoted the development of teaching experience and prepared them for the real world of work The analysis revealed that theory practice connection, competency and confidence development and cooperating teachers‘ supports and guidance as successful experiences of the practicum program Finally, the findings indicated that provision of adequate information, close supervision of the program, building strong partnership with the universities are what the participant thought could be improved and given due attention The need to provide more adequate support, provide strengthening university – university partnership and close supervision are, thus, found to be the dimensions identified as points that need interventions

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Teaching practicum or practice teaching experience is regarded as one of the most crucial aspects of teacher preparatory program in teaching training institutions

in general and in Hue University – College of Foreign Languages (HUCFL) in particular It is the period when student teachers are aided to put into practice the theories and principles of education which they have learnt in classrooms as they teach students in the partnership schools or universities It is also the transition from being taught to teaching in real classroom This transition is not an easy task (Smith, 2000) Although the situation is rather artificial, it is the first real opportunity to test and develop student teachers‘ teaching skills During the process

of teaching a class of foreign language learners and receiving feedback, the student teachers have chances to apply knowledge and skills gained or to develop strategies for handling the different dimensions of language lesson However, according to Lugton (2000), the disconnect between theory and practice pervades the literature

on pre-service teacher education No place is this more evident than in discussions

of the practicum and the articulation of that practicum in the curriculum of service teacher education

pre-During teaching practicum, student teachers have identified several concerns including the implementation of managerial and instructional, assuming the role of instructional leader, and undergoing evaluations (Kyriacou & Stephens, 1999) Additionally, recent research has indicated that practicum teacher are concerned with expectations of university supervisors, cooperating teachers, and the professional development schools with which they are affiliated (Woods & Weasmer, 2003) Previous research also suggests that practicum experiences can be enhanced when the concerns of teacher candidates are addressed and acknowledged (Kyraicou & Stephens, 1999) Johnston (1996) emphasized the need to evaluate the

issues related to practicum experiences and provided suggestions for improvement

of these vital, authentic learning opportunities

Moreover, as an English teacher, I myself had chance to do teaching practice

at Hai Ba Trung upper - secondary school five years ago At that time, however, the student teachers had no opportunities to go abroad to do teaching practicum Therefore, coming to the purpose of this study, it was to explore, understand and describe the perceptions of Hue University – College of Foreign Languages‘ EFL students on their school based practicum experience It also aims to evaluate the issues related to teaching practicum at some universities in Thailand such as organization, supervisor, cooperating teacher, cooperating schools, as well as provide forward practical implications helping to improve the teaching practicum program so that the student teachers can have fulfilling and satisfying practicum experience in the future

1 2 Aims of the study

The research paper “An evaluation of the teaching practicum at some Thai universities: A case study of EFL student teachers at Hue University – College of Foreign Languages” aims at achieving the three following

objectives:

i To find out the perceptions of the student teachers on doing teaching practicum in a foreign country

ii To identify and analyze the evaluation of Hue University College of

Foreign Languages EFL student teachers after their teaching practicum at some Thai universities

iii To give some advice for trainee teachers who want to have an effective and comfortable teaching practicum in some Thai Universities

The present study is expected to be significant for teacher education in HUCFL for several reasons: First, it is the only study that focuses particularly on

the English teaching practicum At the HUCFL level, there is no study conducted for evaluating English teacher training program at Thai universities

Second, the study explored all participants participating in the training program at different time, which has not been cultivated by any other study This may help in uncovering highly objective findings that are likely to develop this field

to a substantial extent

Third, the study aims at identifying potential impediments that curb professional and academic training for English specialists, which makes it a reliable source of knowledge (facts about the educational field) for educationists interested

in the development of the teaching/learning process

Fourth, the study embodies a key source of feedback for people organizing and designing practicum programs at Thai universities, and other universities interested in this field to defuse problems that may negatively influence quality of the outcomes of such programs and guarantee that student teachers gain appropriate teaching skills as planned

1 4 Scope of the study

Due to the limitation of knowledge and time, I decide to make an evaluation

of the teaching practicum in some Thai universities of the EFL student teachers at Hue University – College of Foreign Languages 48 student-teachers who

participated in the study were English seniors involved in the teaching practicum which lasts for one month Passing the training program was the last university requirement to obtain their bachelor degrees in the teaching of English language Students are usually given the chance to choose their cooperative school, but not their cooperative teacher, or supervisor who are appointed by the school and university respectively

1.5 Structure of the thesis

This thesis contains five chapters:

Chapter 1 presents some basic issues related to the background, aims and scope of the study It also raises the research questions of the study

Chapter 2 presents a review of the previous studies and gives the definitions of some terms relating to teaching practicum

Chapter 3 gives an overview of the research design methods associated with qualitative approach It also presents the participants, data collection as well as data analysis

Chapter 4 presents the results, analysis, and discussion of the questionnaires, as well

as of the in - depth interview

Chapter 5 summarises the main conclusions of this research and presents some

Implications and suggestions for future work

Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2 1 The review of previous studies

In keeping with the perceived importance of the practicum, there has been much discussion all over the world Most studies focused on the student teachers‘ perspectives on teaching practicum ( Others tried to find out the problems related to the process of teaching practicum and suggested the ways to diminish the student teachers‘ anxiety For Al – Magableh (2010) made an evaluation on teaching practicum at Yarmouk University from Cooperative Teachers and Student-Teachers' Perspectives and he found many different problems related to organization, cooperative teachers, supervisor, cooperating schools and the student teachers themselves Meanwhile, Smith (2000) conducted a study to emerge the themes in problems perceived by student teachers Five themes of primary concern emerged from the literature Three are aspects of concern with self discipline in classroom management, personal and institutional adjustments, and personal characteristics The other two relate to concerns about managing teaching tasks: teaching methods and strategies, and working with special needs students However,

in Vietnam in general and at HUCFL in particular, it seems that there are not any researches focusing on teaching practicum, especially teaching practicum abroad

time for merely applying knowledge and skills previously learnt In Zeichner‘s point of view, however, there is much to be learned about teaching that can only

be learned in a classroom Therefore, the teaching practicum is a significant occasion in a teacher‘s education for acquiring new knowledge, skills and dispositions (Zeichner, 1986)

Similarly, Rice (2004) defines teaching practicum as the section in which the student teachers are required to teach actual students in real classroom, or in

―simulated‖ practice, as when the student teachers engage in peer teaching Having the same idea, Wideen et al (1998) state that ―the university provides the theory, the school provides the setting, and the student teacher provides the effort to bring them together (p.138)

In Richard & Crooks‘ (1988) study, they define teaching practicum is a section in which novice teachers are often required to teach a specified number of lessons in the field under the supervision of a master teacher However, Tuli (2009) conceptualizes the teaching practicum as the following :

In conclusion, we can say that teaching practicum is the period in which the student teachers put into practice the theories and principles of education which they have learnt in classrooms as they teach students in the partnership schools It

is also the transition from being taught to teaching in real classroom

A means of changing theory to practice

A pre – teaching program

Practicum

A means of getting prepared

for the world of work

A way of experiencing real

life situation Teaching

practices

2.2.1.2 Purposes of teaching practicum

According to Tuli (2009) teaching practicum is to provide a firm foundation for future professional development Similarly, Ali (2010) indicates that the primary purpose of teaching practicum is to give ‗the to be teachers‘ a chance to

prepare themselves as future teachers

2.2.1.3 Benefits of teaching practicum

In general, teaching practicum is regarded as“one of the most important

experiences in learning to teach” (Richards & Crooks, 1988, p.13) Pre – service

teachers see teaching practicum as the most important constituent of their teaching experience and as a vital component of their teacher education (Zeichner, 1990) Furthermore, the student teaching in the practicum stage is the culminating experience in teacher education which unites the teaching and non-teaching experiences to set a beneficial experience environment for student teachers to show

them the integration of ―the knowledge about teaching‖ and ―the art of teaching‖

(Stoynoff, 1999, p.147) By the same taken, Chapman (1999, p.14) states the mission of the practicum as follows:

Teaching practicum encourages the learners to think critically and to constantly redefine the content and process of the learning experience The practicum also is expected to heighten individual awareness of community issues, motivate learners to create opportunities, embrace new ideas and give direction to positive change

He also points out that teaching practice is used not only to develop the student teachers‘ practical classroom know-how, but also to develop an understanding of particular issues through reflection and evaluation Freeman

(1989) also points out that teaching practicum is first and foremost a “helping

profession” (p.103)

For many (eg Chiang, 2008; Farrell, 2008; and Al-Mahrooqi, 2011), teaching practicum is always of the essence since it provides intense training and socialization into all aspects of the teaching profession inside and outside the real

classroom Student teachers receive guidance and assistance from their professors, supervisors and cooperating school teachers before solo ventures into the real classroom Teaching practicum includes microteaching and actual supervised and unsupervised teaching in a real context (Wallace, 1991) Research indicates that trainees value the teaching practice component the most in their teacher education programs (Chiang, 2008) since it gives them an opportunity to practice their skills

in a real life context

In Moore & Harwell‘s (2010) opinion, they find that practicum experiences are integral component of the curriculum These placements are designed to provide student teachers with practical, authentic experience in order to gain direct experience classrooms of various levels According to Walshaw (2009) , the practicum is an important component of initial teacher education precisely because

it is in schools where possibilities and constraints of the teacher‘s identity in the classroom are first confronted—where relationships are directly implicated and where multiple meanings are made In addition, teaching practicum is considered as the end product of the teacher education program (Guyton & McIntyre, 1990; Smith, 2000) It is intended as an opportunity to develop students‘ skills and techniques in

a teaching environment Cornu (2008) highlights that students teachers‘ time in schools was seen as an opportunity to put their newly knowledge from their studies

at university into practice and as such they were seen to be practice teaching And this process was seen as very hierarchical with pecking order of the university supervisor, supervisory teacher and student teacher In teaching practice, student teachers are strongly encouraged to take part in the teaching activities and extracurricular activities outside classroom activities that help to gain experience during the time completion of student teaching It is the good rehearsal for being a professional teacher in future But it is the most challenging part of initial teaching training They also pointed out that through the process of teaching a class of foreign language learners and receiving feedback that the student teacher has a chance to apply knowledge and skills gained elsewhere or to develop strategies for handling the different dimensions of language lesson Meanwhile, Dove (1986)

believes, “Teaching practice, properly carried out, should provide the context for

trainee teachers to begin to integrate theory and practice” (p.412)

2.2.1.4 Requirements of teaching practicum

In the research of AL-Magableh (2010), he cited Rechards & Crooks‘ (1988)

opinion, “Practice does not necessarily make perfect: What is needed is good

practice” (p.13) He, however, indicated that it was not so easy to understand and

realize a good practicum component in teacher education programs According to him, the practicum component of teacher education programs is composed of mainly five aspects: a) student teachers as the active participants of the practicum, b) university supervisors as the experts to help student teachers before and after they practice teaching, c) cooperating teachers as the experts helping student teachers in their practicum schools, d) students as the receivers of knowledge that student teachers present during their practice teaching, and e) educational context and system that student teachers are required to complete their student teaching requirements in

The teaching practicum is located at the highest level of the university-school cooperation of the teacher education programs (Tang, 2002) Therefore, another essential concept in teaching practicum component is the placement of student teachers for their teaching experiences He also argues that teacher educators, or whoever responsible for this job must be careful about placing student teachers into schools where cooperating and mentor teachers are the successful ideals of the target language and language teaching methodology at each level This view is also supported in the way that schools are the places where teacher-learner interaction takes place, and schools and schooling are the indispensable parts of language teacher education due to the fact that student teachers gain the necessary school values from the places they complete their student teaching practicum (Freeman and Johnson, 1998)

According to AL-Magableh (2010), teacher pre – service training programs

in the way defined above can not be promising and successfully without having an

effective practicum program where teachers get involved in the field and make do with various educational classroom-related situations taking an appropriate decision for each of them Wrapping up such programs, teachers may successfully start preparing and planning their lessons, performing teaching and assessing students properly and getting good experiences for themselves

2.2.2 The student teacher

2.2.2.1 Definition

By student teacher, Freeman (1989) means that anyone engaged in learning

to teach whether through a formal educational setting such as a course or teaching practicum; on the job orientation; training; or an in-service program The term

‗student teacher‘ needs not imply someone with little or no previous teaching experience He or she may be new to teaching generally, to language teaching specifically, or may be experienced in either or both (Freeman, 1989; Richards & Nunan, 1990)

According to Richardson & Briggs (1983), the role of the student teacher is neither a student nor a teacher, but a combination of both Meanwhile, in Gibb‘s (1986) view, student teacher is the person would determine what they need to address or improve in their own teaching in conjunction with the teacher educator in their teaching; there would be little place for teacher educator to tell or show the student teachers what they ought to, even if it necessary

From the above definitions, we can understand that a student teacher is a college or graduate student who is teaching under the supervision of a certified teacher in order to qualify for a degree in education This term is also often used interchangeably with "pre-service teacher." It is a much broader term to include those students that are studying the required coursework in pedagogy, as well as their specialty, but have not entered the supervised teaching portion of their training

2.2.2.2 Requirements for student teachers in teaching practicum

According to the regulations of HUCFL, published every year, when doing teaching practicum abroad, student teachers have to follow the following regulations:

Firstly, student teachers need to actively listen and communicate with the cooperating teachers and the university supervisor It is expected that honest and tactful discussion and reflection on experiences, accomplishments, and areas for improvement will occur

Secondly, student teachers need to show initiative and commitment to both the students in the classroom and to your own work as a learner of teaching They need to observe carefully to learn procedures and should volunteer for duties that they can handle

Thirdly, student teachers must always be prepared to fulfill any and all expectations and obligations, with the expectation that they will arrive promptly at school each day and remain until the cooperating teacher is scheduled to leave the school

Forthly, there are many tasks, assignments, and types of paperwork associated with student teaching Student teachers must familiarize themselves with the expectations that they will be held to and complete all tasks to the best of their abilities Maintaining a highly organized and accessible filing system to keep track

of all paperwork and assignments will facilitate successful completion of

assignments

2.2.3 The student teaching

2.2.3.1 Definition

About the term student teaching, Arends & Winitzky (1996) indicate that, “Student

teaching has traditionally been the capstone experience, and for many candidates, student teaching represented their first exposure to the classroom setting during their professional training” (p 542)

According to Grove & Oregon (1998), student teaching is the capstone event

in the professional preparation sequence It offers student teachers opportunities to acquire an understanding of the teaching process by a gradual induction into increased instructional responsibility Under careful supervision, student teachers practice the rudiments of planning daily lessons, prepare instructional units, use classroom management techniques, and employ evaluation procedures They also learn and practice a variety of techniques and methodologies to facilitate learning Student teachers should also use this time to reflect on their experiences with a view toward self-analysis and self-improvement Additionally, they state that student teaching is also a progression beginning with assisting information the classroom, to gradually sharing involvement, and finally leading to the assumption of classroom responsibilities without full-time supervision This ―hand-on‖ process should be guided by the expertise and modeling of the supervising teachers, as well as the support of the other building personal and the university supervisor

In George et al (2002) view, student teaching is regarded as the culminating experience in which participants are expected to teach under the supervision of experienced, certified teachers to demonstrate the knowledge and skills expected of all beginning special education teachers

Rice (2004) defines that student teaching is a scene involving a student teacher being placed in a classroom with day - to - day mentor teacher for varying length of time In this pattern, it is hoped that student teachers assume complete responsibilities for the classroom management, and then whilst going solo practice teaching

Moreover, Nillas & Ferber (2010) also agree with the point of view that the student teaching experience represents the final test of knowledge and ability for individuals who desire to be teachers It is the point when theory meets practice Students must be able to apply what they have learned, and demonstrate that they have the ability to handle planning, organization, and other necessary skills that teachers are called to do on a daily basis While the process of becoming a teacher

requires study and practice outside of the classroom, student teaching experience is arguably the most influential and important aspect of learning how to teach And Nillas & Ferber (2010) also describe the student teaching experience as the opportunity to stand face to face with the challenges and demands of the teaching profession

In a student teaching handbook written by Ford & Hollander (2006), student teaching is defined as a full-semester, full-time, full-day, clinical component of the teacher preparation program for students seeking initial teacher certification Its primary purpose is to provide you with a carefully mentored experience to help you develop and enhance the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to positively impact student learning and development

In conclusion, the student teaching experience is one of the most valuable experiences in the professional preparation program It continues to be a time to continue to learn about the teaching and learning process which student teachers get experiences by combining theoretical perspectives with the realities of situated classroom practices These experiences provides student teachers with the opportunities to put into practical use the knowledge, concepts, principles, theories, and skills they have been learning and mastering the previous years

2.2.3.2 Requirements of student teaching

In order to do this, the university looks to its university supervisors, cooperating teachers, and participating schools to serve as facilitators of this essential, continued learning It is only through a collaborative relationship among supervisors, teachers, and districts that we ensure our teacher candidates will connect the program‘s knowledge base and theoretical and research-based orientation to their practical experiences in schools and in communities that surround schools

2.2.4 Supervisor

2.2.4.1 Definition

The definition of supervisor is broad According to Al – Magableh (2010) , supervisor is an academically and professionally certified person appointed in the practicum for the purpose of following up student-teachers' training in the field, checking the extent to which they shoulder their training responsibilities and assessing them at the end of the program In other words, s/he is responsible for training a group of student – teachers in various cooperative schools and communicates with them as a representative for the university or we can say that supervisor may offer counsel, provide information, interpret institutional and/or departmental policies and practice, serve as role models, and act as advisers, guides,

or advocates in a variety of formalized and less formal contexts to trainees The supervisor has the greatest influence on the development of the intern as a teaching professional This responsibility is a highly significant one The knowledge, time, and involvement that is required to make this experience a valuable one for interns and mentors is much appreciated by the university/county collaboration Providing

a climate for open and honest discussion, questions, and concerns will create an environment for professional growth and reflection in which both mentor and intern can thrive

And according to Walshaw (2009) supervising teachers are the people responsible for the development of the pre – service teachers under their care, work hard to find out what helps and what hinders professional learning Support, both within and outside of the classroom, is integral to the work they do with the pre – service teacher Such support is fuelled by the values that underwrite initial and ongoing teacher development at the school Yet support within an empowering community is not an end to itself: within the successful supervising/pre-service teacher arrangement, relationships always involve reciprocity and a pedagogical attention that is focused on moving the pre-service teacher towards independence

2.2.4.2 Requirements of supervisor in teaching practicum

According to Nolan (2011), the supervisor may do any or all of the followings:

Providing support for developing course content Eventually the student

teacher will have materials of his/her own, but that first preparation can be extremely time-consuming; anything that can be done to ease the initial endeavor is

worthwhile

Interpreting departmental practices and policies As simple as it seems, the

novice student teachers may not think about things that are a matter of course for the experienced, e.g how to deal with late or missing assignments, attendance policies, class withdrawal procedures, etc Supervisor can also offer suggestions about textbooks, how to get examination copies, how to work with the library, etc

Providing demonstrations of good teaching practices Supervisor should be

willing to invite their student teachers to observe as they teach or suggest other faculty to provide the student teachers with the opportunity of observing a variety of teaching styles

Providing timely and constructive feedback on the student teachers’ performance

Encouraging the student teachers to be self-reliant The supervisor should

not encourage the student teachers to try to teach to someone else's prescription, but rather should act as a sounding board for new ideas and as a ready source of help with uncertainties and problems

Being a colleague Supervisor may have internalized their knowledge to the

extent that it may be difficult for them to put themselves in the role of the student teachers, having forgotten how much there is to learn On the other hand, the student teachers may be overwhelmed by how much is to be learned or too inexperienced to know what questions to ask This is an opportunity to develop the role of ―supervisor as colleague‖, where both supervisor and student teachers learn

from each other by periodically sitting in on each other's lectures, exchanging observations, providing constructive criticism, and/or troubleshooting problems together Further, the student teachers may be able to provide the supervisor new ideas from the perspective of someone doing everything for the first time

2.2.5 Cooperating teacher

2.2.5.1 Definition

Cooperating teacher, according to Nolan (2011), is identified as the based supervisor of the teacher preparation program The cooperating teacher provides primary, daily support and supervision to the student teachers In addition, the cooperating teacher is regarded as a role model for the student teacher at the place where student teachers carry out their teaching practicum

school-2.2.5.2 Requirements of cooperating teachers in teaching practicum

According to Beck & Kosnick (2002), the cooperating teacher is an essential person in student teachers‘ practicum experience who exerts a powerful influence over student teachers‘ values, attitudes and practices He/she must be supportive, not challenging the student teachers In addition, Ford & Hollander (2007) indicates that the cooperating teacher begins by setting the stage so that the classroom environment is favorable to student teachers‘ success and then provides on – going

guidance In accepting a student teacher as another professional in the classroom,

the cooperating teacher will be sharing planning and teaching responsibilities with the student teachers This relationship seeks the delicate balance between modeling his or her own practices, and affording opportunities for development of student teachers‘ potential From the Nolan‘s (2011) point of view, the cooperating‘s role involves the followings:

- Enhancing observation and participation

Early in the practicum, student teachers will be observing carefully The cooperating teacher can provide assistance with effective observation and comfortable participation by doing the followings:

+ Encouraging student teachers to observe with a purpose Suggested foci include how lessons are introduced and closed, strategies to maintain students‘ interest and management techniques

+ Providing opportunities to observe and study classroom routines, procedures and rules

+ Introducing student teachers to classroom management styles and teaching procedures, and discussing different ways to handle problems

+ Encouraging involvement in preparation and discussion of daily and term planning, including assessment and record keeping techniques

long-+ Inviting student teachers to participate in activities that will build confidence, generate interaction with pupils, and acquire organizational skills (e.g., taking roll, administering tests, reading aloud, giving individual help to students, grading papers and recording grades)

+ Involving student teachers in school meetings

+ Familiarizing student teachers with routine classroom duties apart from preparing and implementing lessons

+ Introducing student teachers to record-keeping procedures and practices + Utilizing a variety of observation techniques and sharing the data collected with student teachers

- Providing support as student teachers move into a full-time teaching role

By the end of the practicum, student teachers will be expected to experience all aspects of full-time teaching responsibilities Throughout the experience, the cooperating teacher will be available to provide support, suggestions, alternatives, and guidelines

- Supervising performance

A key component of success in student teaching is the quality of the daily supervision High quality supervision includes all of the following actions:

+ Observing on a regular basis and in a variety of situations

+ Providing feedback on the performance of professional responsibilities (lesson planning, implementation and assessment, classroom interaction, maintenance of records)

+ Helping relate teaching theory to teaching in the classroom (e.g., reasons for selection of certain instructional materials and methods)

+ Identifying the ways in which basic principles of learning are applied + Encouraging good preparation and organization by requiring all lesson plans at least 48 hours in advance of all planned teaching

+ Discussing each plan and offering suggestions prior to teaching; encouraging independent, creative thinking in planning, use of materials, motivation, and teaching approaches

+ Withholding criticism during a lesson except in instances where mistakes are made

+ Helping to develop consistent classroom management techniques that support learning, self-control, and respect for others

+ Encouraging a working environment in which student teachers feel poised and confident

+ Modeling ways to address individual differences so that the students in the classroom develop a sense of affiliation, security and achievement

+ Supporting the habit of constant self-assessment, including post-lesson analyses

+ Encouraging and supporting rapport between student teachers and the classroom students; cultivating a collegial, professional working relationship

- Conferencing

Regularly held conferences promote student teachersr successful development during the student teaching practicum Conferences may involve two

or more individuals (e.g., cooperating teacher, student teacher, university supervisor, building administrator) Conferences can be scheduled or can be spontaneous; they can be formal or informal Each participant should understand the purpose of the conference and should feel free to play an active role in contributing, suggesting, and listening

- Assessing

After the teaching practicum, the cooperating teacher will assess the student teachers in all aspects based on what student teachers did during the period of

teaching and participating activities

To sum up, it can be said that the role of the cooperating teacher in teaching practicum is very important

2.2.6 HUCFL’s policies in promoting teaching practicum abroad

Program promoted in the Department of English, Hue University – College

of Foreign Language is the pre – service EFL teacher training practicum abroad which aims at getting students immersed in actual teaching situations and developing their teaching competencies in a foreign country It is designed to achieve four purposes First, it gives EFL student teachers opportunities to observe intensively cooperating teachers performing their duties in a real classroom environment Second, it helps them actualize their teaching – related theories by planning, performing and evaluating teaching situations Thirdly, the program provides a multi-source feedback where student teachers will be oriented, observed and evaluated by the principal Academically, they will have feedback from an experienced specialist, a supervisor, cooperative teachers and other student - teachers in the same university Finally, it is a chance for student teachers to improve their speaking as well as listening skills This is very important and helpful for EFL student teachers

my concern is to understand about the issue under investigation, seeking understanding or insight of actor‘s perspectives bases on both statistical analysis and inside descriptions Moreover, the most important aim of the qualitative approach is to provide rich, descriptive data about what happens Therefore, case study was applied for the student teachers who have finished teaching practicum The goal of a case study is to provide language-learning experience in order to enhance an understanding of classroom events and the language learning process

3 2 Research methods

3.2.1 Data collection methods

3.2.2.1 Settings

Originally, the teaching practicum program, which lasts for about 10 weeks

in Vietnam, includes two stages of training Stage one is called general observation where trainees get themselves familiarized to school for two weeks and they observe activities that take place at a routine base there In that stage, they also observe teachers preparing, planning, teaching, and interacting with students and

evaluate them In the second stage, they start teaching partially for a whole month

In the latter stages, they are observed by cooperative teachers and supervisors where they get feedback following every class they teach

However, teaching practicum at some universities in Thailand lasts only four weeks Organization and management of the program are performed in the following way Cooperative universities are spotted by contacting educational directorates in the region Then, student teachers will be allocated to appropriate universities in light of their preferences In another word, student teachers are usually given the chance to choose their cooperative school; however, they have no options in choosing their cooperative teachers, or supervisor appointed by the school and university respectively As soon as students start the program, they are frequently followed up and observed by a team specialized in teacher education In addition, student teachers are expected to write reports describing various stages of the training process they have and reflect on their personal experiences in this regard All this is a subject for discussion and retroflection by student teachers and supervisors in the workshops held at the university

3.2.1.2 Participants

In order to get the data for this research paper, 30 student teachers who have finished their teaching practicum in some Thai universities and now they are attending the last year of studying in Hue University – College of Foreign Languages were invited to participate in this study Moreover, 20 other student teachers who had a chance to carry out their teaching practicum at some Thai universities some years ago now graduated from HUCFL were invited too Student teachers were distributed to various universities in Thailand such as Phranakhon Rajabhat, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTTC), Chadrakasem or Ubon after making appropriate arrangement with cooperative universities in the region

About the student teachers, all of them had English as their major subject; they had studied English at least 100 study weeks during the first three years at

College of Foreign Languages – Hue University In field experiences, trainee teachers have option to choose to be placed at an upper – secondary school in Hue city for teaching practice or go abroad to do this in some Thai or Lao universities Before going to teaching practicum, student teachers have a chance to participate in

a two – week teaching practice prepartation section which was carried out in the first semester of the third year of the education program During the two weeks at upper-secondary schools, student teachers familiarize themselves with the school system, observing the experienced teachers to get acquainted with the teaching methods and strategies And more often, the teaching practicum is carried out nearly

at the end of the course It lengthens about seven or eight weeks in Vietnam However, in the case of those who desire to go abroad to do teaching practicum, they will do it at the end of third year of the course It lengthens about four weeks in Lao or Thailand During those weeks, student teachers teachers must play the role

of a ―real‖ teacher under the guidance of cooperating teachers who are recognized

as excellent role models Following this, student teachers must be responsible for one or two lessons, in which they really teach as a teacher in classroom The supervisors or cooperating teachers will assess and evaluate their performances And during the period of teaching practice, they will observe their friends‘ performances and give comments Additionally, they must be responsible for one class as a form-teacher during the teaching practicum period And this work must

be done in groups of two or three in which they will help the form-teacher manage class or organize extra activities

3.2.1.3 Instruments

3.2.1.3.1 Questionnaire

The data of the study was primarily collected by means of questionnaires

which including both closed and open – ended questions According to Neunan (2003), they are very effective and the response rates may be high for a target population that is well educated or has strong interest in the topic or the survey organization Moreover, DePloy (1998), said that questionnaires may be

administered face – to – face, by proxy, or through the mail Researchers can give questionnaires directly to respondents who read instructions and questions and their record their answers or it can be administered by post In addition, the participants

in the survey are more likely to feel that they can remain anonymous and thus may

be more likely to express controversial opinions

However, this tool of research also has some weak points People do not always complete and return questionnaires No one is present to clarify questions or probe for more information when respondents give incomplete answers Deferent respondents can complete the questionnaire weeks apart or answer questions in a different order than that intended by researchers Incomplete questionnaires can also

be a serious problem (Neunan, 2003)

In the open – ended questions highly sensitive issues can be explored Nonverbal behaviors can be captured and analyzed However, according to DePloy (1998), the disadvantageous point of this is that respondents may not want to directly address sensitive issues Extensive time is required to analyze information Response across groups can not be readily compared

The questionnaire in this study included 20 items focusing on three scopes; student teacher, organization of the program, and cooperating teacher Content validity of the questionnaires was checked and commented by experienced university staff members The comments were taken into consideration in developing the items as some of them were deleted, modified or shifted to another scope

Three sections of the questionnaire were designed with the aim to find answers for three research questions The first section is designed for the purposes

of collecting data on reality of teaching practicum as a foreign language at some Thai universities in which they mainly focus on finding out the student teachers‘ perspectives on teaching practicum at some Thai universities The next section focuses on investigating student teachers‘ evaluations on the teaching practicum in

some Thai universities The final one is to find out some suggestions and advice to help students have effective practicum in some Thai universities

3.2.1.3.2 In – depth interview

Along with the questionnaires, in – depth interviews with 4 trainee teachers

will also be conducted to collect ―insightful data‖ (Oppenheim, 1992) as it was

essential to ensure that the researchers was ―in a position of being able to access the degree of the interviewee‘s interest and involvement‖ It was also appropriate because of ―its flexibility balanced by structure and the quality of the data so obtained‖ Furthermore, they were suitable tools for clarifying, reaffirming the results collected form the questionnaires and support what the students can not write

on the questionnaires

Apart from some small disadvantages of this tool of research such as: (i) it can take long time to arrange and conduct; (ii) some respondents will give biased responses when face to face with researchers; (iii) the information obtained may be difficult to analyze (Moore, 1987, p 31) because you do not know if it is true, this research tool has many advantages

The advantage of using the interview method is that actually results in a higher response rate than does the questionnaire Many people who would ignore a questionnaire are willing to talk with an interview who is obviously interested in what they have to say Another advantage of the interview technique is that you can plan to ask questions at several levels to get most information from the subject This approach is unique to the interview The combination of structured and instructed questions can provide depth and richness to the data, and at the same time elicit data that are comparable from one subject to the next

3.2.1.4 Procedure

Having reviewed the literature on teacher education and teaching practicum program, a questionnaire was written and developed with 20 questions Validity of the questionnaire was checked by getting them reviewed by two university experienced English staff members Many items were deleted in light of their

comments when the questionnaires were in their primary versions Reliability of the questionnaires was checked by using test-retest procedures employing Person formula Total reliability of the questionnaire was determined to be 85 percent

The questionnaires were distributed directly or indirectly to the samples of the study And then they were collected The responses were tabulated and prepared

to be processed for statistical analysis by hand

Results were presented in tables in the same order of questions of the study Next, findings related to the three scopes investigated were discussed in light related literature up-to-date Conclusions were deduced from the findings and training-

related implications were suggested

3.2.2 Data analysis methods

All the information collected from questionnaires was read repeatedly and analyzed in an integrative way Main methods used in analyzing data for a case study include categorization and interpretation of data in terms of common themes, and the synthesis of data into an overall portrait of the case (Leedy and Ormrod, 2005) For present study, the data collected via questionnaires was transcribed verbatim, coded and divided in to categories in an attempt to discover common themes Through repeated readings and figures, I was able to find themes and patterns I then began to develop categories which involve putting conceptually similar happenings or events under the same group By analyzing involved data, organizing it, breaking it into manageable units and searching for patterns or themes

to discover what is important to tell others

Accordingly, data was analyzed in terms of the following major themes: student teachers‘ general conception of teaching practicum, evaluation of teaching practicum at some universities in Thailand and what the student teachers, organizers

as well as universities can do to help improve the program My analysis of the data,

themes and findings were discussed in the proceeding section

Chapter 4

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The broad goal of the study was to explore the perceptions as well as evaluation that HUCFL student teachers have in their teaching practicum training program at some universities in Thai Hence, means, percentages, and standard deviation of items in the questionnaire estimated to represent prominent problems are tabulated and discussed Findings of the study are presented in three main sections in accordance with the questions of the study; student - teachers' perspectives on teaching practicum at some Thai universities, their evaluation the teaching practicum there and the suggestions to help student teachers have better teaching practicum

4 1 Student teachers’ perceptions on teaching practicum

Knowing the student teachers‘ perceptions on teaching practicum is very important It helps the educators to enhance the quality of the education program This section includes findings related to student teachers‘ view on the teaching practicum with regard to five scopes of the program; the importance of the teaching practice, its components, its organization, supervisor and cooperative school

4 1 1 Student teachers’ perceptions on teaching practicum’s importance

A question was raised for student teachers to answer “In your opinion, is

teaching practicum in secondary schools in general or in some Thai universities in particular important? Why?” 65 percent of student teachers asked admitted the

importance of teaching practicum in their study and 25 percent of them said that teaching practicum is very important However, about 10 percent of the student teachers don‘t see teaching practicum be very important for their study at all This can be seen clearly in the figure below:

From the chart we can see that most student teachers asked highly appreciated the importance of the teaching practicum, especially at some Thai universities which are considered to be the good environment for them to apply effectively what they have learnt at colleges

When asked to explain about the reasons for the practicum‘s importance, student teachers who participated in this research explained that because it was to develop teaching experience and to examine ones‘ own knowledge in real life situations The sentiments of most participants are summarized in the following quote:

…the practicum is very important because it is to develop teaching experience such as classroom management skills, pedagogical skills, preparation of lesson plan, development of subject matter knowledge, understanding nature of student and the school and to examine our theoretical knowledge acquired in the university in real life situation…

Besides, student teachers explained that practicum was the most important part of their pre-service teacher education program which plays a significant role in preparing them for the world of work The study participants expressed their beliefs that field experience had been very practical and beneficial

Figure 4.1 The student teachers' perception on the importance of