Exploring pre-service and novice teachers’ perspectives on their practicum experience, professional development, and career success

Abstract

Language teacher education programs worldwide view the practicum as one of the key elements of their curriculum. Not surprisingly, a considerable number of studies have been carried out to investigate the practicum in language teacher education. However, fewer studies have been conducted to examine the influence of practicum on professional development and career success. Thus, this exploratory mixed-methods research aims at examining the practicum experiences of pre-service and novice teachers of a master’s program in teaching English in one of the universities of Armenia. The purpose of the current study is to explore the extent to which pre-service and novice teachers’ practicum experiences influence their professional development and career success. The participants of this study were 27 pre-service teachers currently enrolled in the program, and 48 novice teachers from different cohorts, four cooperating teachers, four current employers of the program graduates and four faculty members. The data from the student-teachers and novice teachers were collected with the help of semi-structured focus group interviews followed by a questionnaire, whereas the data from the cooperating teachers, employers, and faculty members were collected through semi-structured one-to-one interviews. The findings of this study identify the practicum experiences that contributed to the pre-service and novice teachers’ professional development and career success while emphasizing the areas of the practicum that need improvement. These findings have implications for the program under study and for other teacher educators who are interested in improving the practicum component in their curriculum.