Abstract
Practicum is the cornerstone of teacher education. This research is set in the New Zealand context and explores understandings of the practicum from the perspective of associate teachers in the primary school sector. Much has been written from the perspective of the student teacher and there is a body of work about how the associate teacher role should be enacted but the voices of associate teachers are under-represented in the literature. The aim of this qualitative research is to investigate the experiences and meaning making of individual associate teachers, in order to inform understandings of the practicum context.
The research sits within a sociocultural framework in acknowledgement of the situated nature and interconnectedness of human experience. Using that lens, I view associate teachers as situated members of communities of practice and explore the influences that inform their understandings of their role. This case study is designed as an aid to understanding the ways associate teachers conceptualise their role via data from interviews at the beginning and the end of a year, on-line postings, and field notes. The process of data analysis was informed by grounded theory and was both inductive and deductive.
The study participants were twelve associate teachers who taught in the same school. During the first half of the year teachers were part of a school-wide professional development programme focussed on the role of the associate teacher, facilitated through readings and on-line discussion. In the second part of the year they were supported to identify and implement an independent learning experience of their choice. Their projects were focussed on: improving feedback for student teachers, classroom pedagogy and the professional dispositions of the associate teacher. The realities of the associate teacher role were investigated through their experiences during the research study.
The findings indicate that associate teachers in this study see their role in idiosyncratic ways. The teachers constructed their associate teacher identities based on their own prior experiences in the absence of any significant support from the initial teacher education provider to move into that role. The perceptions presented by the associate teachers suggested a preoccupation with forming positive relationships and giving feedback rather than acting educative mentors.
The study illuminates the likelihood that professional experiences for student teachers will become fragmented unless there is effective communication and mutual respect between the teachers who work with student teachers in schools, and initial teacher education providers. The thesis outlines possible ways to improve practicum experiences.