Pre-service practicum at a teacher education college : a case in Ethiopia

Abstract

This study explored how the basic ideas of the constructivist theory of learning are put into practice in the pre-service practicum programme to determine the extent to which key participants hold a shared set of beliefs about the pre-service practicum and to explore its implementation at the Hossana College of Teacher Education, Ethiopia, in light of the constructivist paradigm. A single qualitative case (holistic) design was used to fully grasp the phenomenon under inquiry from the standpoint of the research participants. This qualitative single-case study was guided by the constructivist theory of learning based on constructivist interpretivism's philosophical paradigms. This research was also based on the Vygotskian epistemological idea that social reality is formed and mediated because contact and engagement do not exist without participants. Twenty-nine individuals were purposively sampled, all of whom were well-informed. Interviews, observations, document reviews, and field studies were also used to collect relevant and sufficient data for the study. The qualitative data underwent interpretive and reflective analyses. The study's findings revealed that, despite the inherent constraints of the practicum implementation process, the practicum is critical to developing competent professionals. However, it appears that the essence of the practicum is not well understood in light of the constructivist teacher education framework. Thus, participants' ideas regarding the fundamental assumptions and theoretical underpinnings of constructivist pedagogy were contradictory to the beliefs of the constructivist theory of learning. The programme was being run in an environment that did not support the ways in which to achieve the end goal. An integrated and dependable partnership or collaboration among the involved parties had not yet been established. The roles and responsibilities were not properly shared by all the concerned bodies. It seemed that a kind of compliance dominated the scene of the practicum rather than collaboration. Tasks in practicum courses were not clear and well-organised in the practicum setting, and college supervisors and cooperating teachers continued to play traditional roles. The entire learning environment is less supportive of the practicum's premises. Based on theory, policy, and practice, this study came to a conclusion on the proposed framework for pre-service practicum implementation.