Impediments to educative practicum: the case of teacher preparation in Ethiopia

Abstract

The study is a phenomenological case study into the lived experience of teacher candidates and associate teachers in Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to gain a phenomenological sensitivity to the lived experience of the participants and through that to identify key structural and conceptual impediments to meaningful professional learning. The study presents analysis of how the problems framed as ‘structural and conceptual impediments’ have jeopardised the emotional and professional well-being of the participants. The implication of the findings for teacher education institutions that use practicum as a strategy to prepare teachers was drawn. This, in a nutshell, is the view that shared responsibility for teacher candidates’ learning is impossible without shared understanding, values and directions.

Keywords:

• practicum
• Ethiopia
• Teacher Education System Overhaul (TESO)
• associate teachers
• teacher candidates
• mentoring

Acknowledgements

I thank Haramaya University for financing this and my other research on teacher education. The respondents who supplied me with the information also deserve acknowledgement. In addition, I express my gratitude for Prof. Geoffrey Elliott, the editor of Research in Post-Compulsory Education, and the anonymous reviewers of my article, for their constructive comments and suggestions that helped me improve the work.