Practicum experience: pre-service teachers' self-perception of their professional growth

This paper examined undergraduate pre-service teachers' perceptions of their expectations, fulfilment of these expectations and the relevance of their course-work for classroom practices during three different practicum attachments. These aspects were assessed using questionnaires implemented at the end of each attachment. One-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare 76 pre-service teachers' responses. The results showed significant differences in their perceptions across the three attachments. Pairwise t-test comparisons also found some significant differences between attachments. The findings of the study are discussed in the light of implications for continued programme development and enhancements to the practicum component that can help to bridge the theory-practice nexus in pre-service teacher education, and contribute to the development of teachers' professional competencies.