Pedagogical Practice and Support of Student Teachers : DURING THE PRACTICUM

The practicum (teaching practice) is a fundamental aspect of teacher education (TE) globally. Yet,very little research exists in this area,more so in Language Teacher Education (LTE),especially from developing countries. This book is born out of a PhD study that analysed pedagogical practice and support of English language student teachers during a practicum in Kenya to discern what they learnt and issues that influenced such learning. This was an interpretive qualitative case study involving student teachers, teacher educators and cooperating teachers. The findings show that when student teachers are not adequately supported,they merely acquire procedural pedagogical knowledge and fail to develop the pedagogical reasoning expected of them. This book's main contribution is that it explores the practicum in a more holistic manner than has featured in most previous research on TP. The book is quite suitable to student teachers,scholars and partners in TE generally and LTE in particular. Postgraduate students will certainly find the thorough explanation of the research process very enlightening.