The role of practicum in teacher education policy documents in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, and Iran
The role of practicum in teacher education policy documents in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, and Iran

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to compare the role of practicum in teacher education policy documents inEthiopia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, and Iran to propose a better way to improve the practicum systemThe term practicum in pre-service teacher education allows student teachers to integrate theirknowledge from the university courses and experiences from the practicing school (Kopp & Kálmán,2015). The increasing importance of practice in teacher education is a global educational policytrend, but the national context necessarily influences implementation. However, few studiesresearched comparing teacher education in developing countries, although the national context isessential to understand the organization and operation of teacher education systems (Tatto, 2021)where the main obstacle is the linguistic diversity of different countries. This study referred toWeidman et al.(2014) conceptual framework for comparative and international teacher education.The qualitative document analysis method with MAXQDA software is used to analyze teachereducation policy documents, mainly focusing on the aim, structure, and student activities.Researchers developed a common codebook, imported it into the software, and analyzed 39documents. The results revealed that the aim and definition of the practicum are similar, but thelearning outcomes of student teachers' practice related to practicum are a little different betweenthe four countries. Student teachers are required to complete the practicum as part of their preservice teacher education program in four countries. Teacher education policy documents in fourcountries have addressed all the elements and requirements related to teacher education contexts,however, the implementation level of the practicum in each country may differ significantly.Nevertheless, this study compares the practicum in teacher education document, highlightssimilarities and differences, and shares the best practices from four countries

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