Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the professional development of a student teacher and the possible factors that influence it during the teaching practicum. The research questions were as following: a) How did the mentor teacher guide the student teacher during his educational practicum? b) How did the student teacher develop professionally? c) What factors influenced the student teacher’s professional development? This study applied a case study method involving classroom observations and interviews with the student teacher after his own teaching. These data were all analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The results revealed that a) the mentor teacher tolerated the ambiguity of the student teacher’s professional development, and gave specific guidance about the student teacher’s teaching. Experiencing the process of ambiguity, as a result, the student teacher had developed his professional skills gradually. b) In the beginning, the student teacher lacked confidence and exhibited teaching that was unfamiliar, and disorganized. However, he gradually became full of confidence and could teach smoothly. c) The main factor that influenced the student teacher’s professional development was the interaction between the student teacher’s personality and his mentor teacher’s mentoring style. This factor involved the quality of interaction between the student teacher’s motivation for active learning, the ability to be reflective and in act upon the mentor teacher’s tolerant attitude and the hands-on guidance for his teaching experiences.
| Keywords: | educational practicum; mentor teacher; student teacher; professional development of science teacher |
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