Practicum in teacher education: the role of psychological detachment and supervisors' feedback and reflection in student teachers' well-being

Practicums allow student teachers to gain teaching experience, yet little research exists assessing the impact of recovery and supervisors' feedback and reflection on students' well-being during this phase. Based on the Job-Demands-Resources-Recovery model, this study investigated the mediating role of recovery in terms of psychological detachment in the relationship between workload and emotional exhaustion in student teachers during their practicum. Additionally, the impact of supervisors' feedback and reflexion on psychological detachment was assessed. A structural equation modelling analysis with the data of 276 student teachers revealed that workload was positively related to emotional exhaustion and this relationship was mediated by psychological detachment. Feedback and reflection were negatively related to psychological detachment and, through this path, negatively affected emotional exhaustion. Hence, experiencing psychological detachment might be crucial in preventing early dropouts due to reduced mental health among student teachers. Methodological perspectives to consider the content of thinking about work are discussed.