A Critical Needs Analysis of Practicum Courses at Farhangian University: Mentors and Students’ Perspectives (Research Paper)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Sheikh Bahaee University

Abstract

Practicum is a significant component of teacher education which links theory to practice and prepares student teachers for their job. The purpose of the courses, as defined within the Curriculum of Teacher Education at Farhangian University, is to prepare student teachers for their teaching career by observing and analyzing the real situation at schools and relating it to their theoretical findings. The present study was an attempt to conduct a critical needs analysis in which teachers and learners voiced their concerns, problems and needs in practicum courses. It mostly focused on student teachers’ voice since they are the most powerless in this educational setting. It intended to look for distinctive features of the practicum courses (four courses) presented at Farhangian University. To this end, the study investigated the achievement of the course objectives, stated in the curriculum for practicum, and the fulfillment of students’ needs from stakeholders’ perspective. Findings revealed major problems with these courses including (a) lack of training in action research, lesson study, critical thinking, and reflection skills for all members of practicum, (b) insufficiency of flexibility in teaching methods, resources and materials used by cooperating teachers at schools to act as a role model for student teachers, (c) lack of cooperation between schools and university, and (d) lack of proper supervision by teacher educators, to name a few. Findings of the study would raise TEFL curriculum developers, teacher educators, and cooperating teachers’ awareness of student teachers’ needs in practicum courses.

Keywords


Article Title [Persian]

تجزیه و تحلیل انتقادی نیازهای دروس کارورزی در دانشگاه فرهنگیان: دیدگاه مربیان و دانشجویان

Authors [Persian]

  • زهرا معصوم پناه
  • محمد حسن تحریریان
  • کتایون افضلی
  • احمد علی بابایی
Abstract [Persian]

کارورزی بخش مهمی از آموزش معلمان است که تئوری را به عمل پیوند می دهد و دانشجومعلمان را برای کار خود آماده می کند. هدف این دوره ها، همانگونه که در برنامه درسی آموزش و پرورش معلمان در دانشگاه فرهنگیان تعریف شده است، آماده سازی دانشجومعلمان برای کار حرفه ای خود با مشاهده و تحلیل وضعیت واقعی در مدارس و ایجاد رابطه بین مشاهدات و یافته های نظری آنها است. این مطالعه تلاشی برای انجام یک تجزیه و تحلیل نیازهای بحرانی است که در آن معلمان و دانش آموزان نگرانی ها، مشکلات و نیازهای خود در دوره های عملی را بیان می کنند. تمرکز این مطالعه بیشتر بر شنیدن صدای دانشجومعلمان است؛ زیرا آنها در این محیط آموزشی کمترین قدرت را دارا هستند. این تحقیقدر جستجوی ویژگی های متمایز دوره های کارورزی (چهار دوره) در دانشگاه فرهنگیان می باشد. برای این منظور، اهداف درسی به دست آمده برای درس کارورزی در برنامه درسی و نیازهای دانشجومعلمان از منظر ذینفعان مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. یافته ها نشان دهنده مشکلات عمده در این دوره ها از جمله: (الف) نبود آموزش در زمینه مهارت های اقدام پژوهی، درس پژوهی و تفکر انتقادی برای همه اعضای کارورزی؛ (ب) نبود انعطاف در روش های آموزشی، منابع و مواد استفاده شده توسط معلمان مدارس که به عنوان الگویی عملی برای دانشجومعلمان عمل می کنند؛ (ج) نبود همکاری بین مدارس و دانشگاه؛ و (د) نبود نظارت مناسب توسط اساتید کارورزی، اگر بخواهیم چند نمونه نام بریم. یافته های این تحقیق، آگاهی برنامه ریزان برنامه درسی رشته آموزش زبان انگلیسی، اساتید کارورزی و معلمان زبان مدازس نسبت به نیازهای دانشجومعلمان افزایش خواهد داد.

Keywords [Persian]

  • کارورزی
  • دانشجویان آموزش زبان انگلیسی در مقطع کارشناسی
  • معلمان
  • مربیان
References
Atai,M.R., &Mazlum, F. (2013). English language teaching curriculum in Iran: Planning and practice. The Curriculum Journal, 24(3), 389-411.
Beck, C., &Kosnik, C. (2000). Associate teachers in pre-service education: Clarifying and enhancing their role. Journal of Education for Teaching, 26(3), 207-224.
Benesch, S. (1996). Needs analysis and curriculum development in EAP: An example of a critical approach. TESOL Quarterly, 30(4), 723-738.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Darling-Hammond, L.,& Snyder, J. (2000).Authentic assessment of teaching in context. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(5-6), 523-545.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Richardson, N. (2009). Teacher learning: What matters? Educational Leadership, 66(5), 46-53.
Eslami, Z. R. (2010). Teachers’ voice vs. students’ voice: A needs analysis approach to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Iran. English Language Teaching, 3(1), 3-11.
Foroozandeh E., Riazi A.M., & Sadighi, F. (2008). TEFL program evaluation at master’s level in Iran. Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI), 2(6), 71-100.
Goker, S. D. (2006). Impact of peer coaching on self-efficacy and instructional skills in TEFL teacher education. System, 34(2), 239-254.
Güllü, S. A. (2007). An evaluation of English program at Kozan Vocational School of Çukurova University: Students’ point of view (Unpublished master’s thesis). Retrieved from http://library.cu.edu.tr/tezler/6456
Guskey, T. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks: CA. Corwin Press.
Hanson, S., &Moir, E. (2008). Beyond mentoring: influencing the professional practice and careers of experienced teachers. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(6), 453-458.
Hodkinson, H.,& Hodkinson, P. (2002). Learning in a workplace community: Secondary school teachers in their subject departments, Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Exeter, UK.
Hughes, C. (1998). Practicum learning: Perils of the authentic workplace. Higher Education Research & Development, 17(2), 206-207.
Jasso-Aguilar, R. (1999). Sources, methods and triangulation in needs analysis: A critical perspective in a case study of Waikiki Hotel maids. English for Specific Purposes, 18(1), 27-46.
Klassen, R. B., Durksen, T.L., &Tze, V. M. C. (2014). Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: Ready to move from theory to practice. In P. W. Richardson, S. A. Karabenick & H. M. G. Watt (Eds.), Teacher motivation: Theory and practice (pp.100-116). New York: Routledge.
Liaw, E. C. (2009). Teacher efficacy of pre-service teachers in Taiwan: The influence of classroom teaching and group discussions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(1), 176-180.
Malderez, A., &Bodcozky, C. (1999). Mentor course: A resource book for trainer-trainers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Masoumpanah, Z. (2017). A summative evaluation of undergraduate TEFL program at Farhangian University. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Sheikhbahaee University, Isfahan.
Moen, K. &Standal, Q. (2016). Practicum in Physical Education Teacher Education: An Educational Partnership?SAGE Open, 1-10. Retrieved from https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage
Norouzi, M. (2016). A performance assessment scheme for ELT graduates of Farhangian University.(Unpublished master’s thesis). Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran.
Razi, N., &Kargar, A. A. (2014). Evaluation of in-service foreign language teacher education program in Iran. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World. 5(1),221-236.
Richards, J. C., & Ferrell, T. (2005). Professional development for Language teachers. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Safari, P., &Sahragard, R. (2015). Iranian EFL teachers’ challenges with the new ELT program after the reform: From dream to reality. Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 18(4), 65-88.
Sharafi, S., &Abdolmanafi, J. A. (2014). The effect of reflective teaching on pre-service teachers’learning and teaching development in a learner-centered situation. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World (IJLLALW),5(4), 49-58.
Stanulis, R.N., &Russell, D. (2000). ‘Jumping in’: trust and communication in mentoring student teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(1), 65-80.
Townsend, T.,& Bates, R. (2007). Teacher education in a new millennium: pressures and possibilities.  In T. Townsend& R. Bates (Eds.), Handbook of teacher education: Globalization, standards and professionalism, (pp.3–22). The Netherlands: Springer.
Widdowson, H. G. (1983). Learning Purpose and Language Use. Oxford: Oxford University Press.