Exploring the Teaching Practicum Experiences of Saudi Student Teachers of Arabic

Abstract

The current study is concerned with exploring the teaching practicum experiences of Saudi student teachers of Arabic and how these relate to what they learn from the university-based part of their course and to other broader experiences. Firstly, it explored the different ways in which Saudi student teachers of Arabic perceive their teaching practicum. Secondly, it investigated how the relationships between Saudi student teachers of Arabic and significant others inform student teachers’ experiences of their teaching practicum experience. Finally, it identified the personal, educational, and sociocultural factors which can have an impact on the teaching practicum experience of Saudi student teachers of Arabic. The research project has been informed by sociocultural theories, situated learning and community of practice as a lens to highlight the importance of the cultural and professional context of the study. A key aspect of the study is that the social and professional context is important in understanding the role of the practicum for student teachers learning to be teachers. Indeed, learning to be a teacher is a sociocultural activity that involves situated learning – the practicum being crucial in that regard – and the concept of a community of practice illuminates important aspects of this process. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather data among a significant number of participants while focusing on the complexity of the issues. A questionnaire was sent to Saudi student teachers of Arabic, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with student teachers and significant others. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed statistically and thematically, respectively. The findings revealed three primary considerations relating to the impact of the teaching practicum on Saudi student teachers of Arabic and the overarching importance of the teaching practicum. First, the study shed light on the influence of the teaching practicum environment and the challenges encountered by student teachers related to teaching, supervision and administration. These included a lack of care towards them from their supervisors and a lack of coordination with cooperating teachers. Besides, student teachers highlighted the short duration of the practicum and the heavy workload as significant challenges. In terms of the teaching challenges they faced, the student teachers emphasised poor student achievement standards and the lack of respect they received from their students. Second, the results highlighted the impact on student teachers’ experience of the teaching practicum by people whose position or experiences were likely to have a significant effect on the development of their teaching skills. The findings indicated that student teachers' experience of their teaching practicum was influenced by various significant others. For example, positive views were expressed by the study participants about most categories of these significant professional others. However, contradictory views were also expressed by the study participants concerning the university supervisors about whom they expressed both positive and negative opinions. This underlines the importance and role of university supervisors in the teaching practicum, as it seems essential to ensure that university supervisors are not an inhibiting factor for student teachers' progression in the teaching practicum. The third significant finding relates to the broader factors of their life experience that were considered likely to have an impact on the teaching practicum experiences of Saudi student teachers of Arabic. The findings indicated that although these factors overlap in various ways, they could be classified as personal factors (student teachers’ professional identity, sense of efficacy, commitment to teaching and ability to reflect on their learning) and ed