A (Very) Exploratory Study of Practicum Interactions and Their Impact on Teaching Performance

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: SIG-Supervision and Instructional Leadership Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine interactions between faculty and students in a teaching practicum and the interactions’ impact on teaching performance. Practical experiences in teacher preparation programs are often regarded by scholars and students as the most significant part of their teacher preparation programs. Despite the perceived importance of practical experiences, very little is known about the specific practices or components that yield successful teaching practice, let alone positively impact K-12 students’ learning. We defined and noted three supervision/coaching interactions with we had with practicum students: observations without feedback; observations with formative feedback; and observations with a formal conference debrief. Our analysis found positive but low/moderate associations between our interactions and student teaching evaluation scores.

Authors

• Jamie H. Hamblin, Southern Utah University

• Abbey Judd, Southern Utah University

• William J. Davis, Southern Utah University