**2.4 Policies and procedures guiding practicum in the south African context**

ITE programs, designed to equip prospective teachers with the professional knowledge and skills for effective teaching in schools [24], intend to transform student teachers into capable and competent teachers [25]. Higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa implement ITE programs based on policy guidance, that is, the Higher Education Act [26], the Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF), the Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications [27], and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), and highlight the significance of school-based practicum learning with the assumption that student teachers will be thoroughly supervised.

School-based teaching practicums are compulsory for all university-registered students in an ITE program. Teacher educators and school-based mentors entrusted with supervisory roles are required to assess student teachers on lesson plan preparation, research skills, classroom management, time management, relations with fellow staff members, school management, and education project innovation [28].

### **2.5 Theoretical frameworks**

The study adopted the 8P's model in assessing student teacher readiness to teaching.

The 8P model of teacher practice, developed by Shulman [17], underscores the importance of performance-based assessment (PBA), which measures a student's ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from the previously studied theory. Shulman's work suggests that to improve classroom teaching, the teaching profession needs a continuously evolving and growing knowledge base. Teacher education programs that uphold this view focus on how teachers organize aspects of subject matter to adapt and represent it for instruction. The teaching practicum model of assessment comprises eight stages, which have been categorized into three phases, namely peer assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. However, not all these stages are currently implemented by the HEI under study. For instance, principals and students are not given an opportunity to assess the student teachers except for schoolbased mentors and teacher educators from the HEIs [29].

The 8P model of teacher practice provides the stages that student teachers are obliged to pass through for their teaching practicum in schools, as well as the stages that teacher educators and school-based mentors use for supporting and guiding student teachers and assessing these student teachers throughout the teaching practicum period. The model clarifies the roles of teacher educators who are assessors and school-based mentors who are assessors, guiders, supporters, and resources providers. It further shows how the triad is integral to the entire process, rendering the process relevant and reliable for studying student teacher experiences as it intertwines the cumulative stages to define their experiences of practicum.

#### **2.6 Teaching practicum assessment practices**

During practicum, student teachers are assessed on their current knowledge, skills, and practices by the school-based mentors and teacher educators, offering an opportunity for growth in their journey to enter the profession [30]. According to Tillema et al. [13], school-based mentors and teacher educators have dual roles in formative and summative assessments: school-based mentoring serves formative

*Student Teacher Experiences of the Teaching Practicum in an Initial Teacher Education Programme… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112306*

assessment, while summative assessment remains with the HEI teacher educators who join the triad toward the end of the practicum for the final evaluation of the student teacher performance [12].

The intention of teacher education providers is that the practicum be implemented through a partnership model whereby student teacher attachment to a school is supported by school-based mentors who are licensed for that role and teacher educators who are charged with role assessment as documented in the program policy [24].

The practicum component of an ITE program is commonly identified in the literature as "the factor that has the strongest impact on teaching" [31–33] and is viewed by most student teachers as a positive experience [34–36]. However, in South Africa, current assessment of student teachers is frequently ineffective in supporting student teachers to transition into professional teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively practice as teachers. The weakness of the system is that despite school-based mentorship serving as the most powerful source of influence on student teachers undergoing pre-service training, there exists a tendency for the mentor's assessment role to overshadow the other roles of support, advice, and instruction, and in so doing, "impede[s] the development of the student teacher's learning, the very objective of the assessment" [37]. Other notable issues relate to the mentors who support student teachers in schools—too often they are underqualified and lack subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge to assist student teachers in developing desired competencies because these mentors are not phase specialists [37] despite the stated requirements of the school-based practicum.

The South African Education Policy, delineating key competencies for teacher education qualifications [38], requires that proper supervision and suitable school placement be guaranteed [39] and specifies the minimum and maximum time to be devoted to practice teaching, including learning in and from practice. Not all students are supervised (assessed) by teacher educators at HEIs because time constraints and finances are a reality; consequently, at times, school-based mentors assume the roles of both mentor and assessor.

With reference to Burn and Council on Higher Education [39, 40] reviews have led to questions on the overall quality of most existing ITE programs, as it was found that: (i) too many teacher education programs do not meet minimum standards in the areas of program design, coordination, and work-based learning; (ii) the quality of program staff is weak with respect to staff development, research output, and orientation; and (iii) many students lack sufficient opportunities to engage in practical learning, a problem exacerbated by weak university-school relationships, poor communication, and inadequate supervision and mentorship arrangements.

Shortcomings in subject knowledge, poor relationships with mentors, and an inability or disinclination to cope with imposing discipline, preparing lessons, or managing time [37] are some of the hindrances to successfully conducting schoolbased mentorship and assessment during the teaching practicum in South Africa.
