**2. Review of the teaching practicum**

### **2.1 Concept of practicum**

A practicum, if well implemented and executed, provides practice for university students to become successful teachers [14]. Teacher educators and school-based mentors are extremely important sources of practical experience for student teachers because they work as supervisors, assessors, mentors, observers, model teachers, and supporters to develop student teachers [14].

### **2.2 Impact of practicum experiences**

Practicum experiences are necessary for the development of a student teacher's professional knowledge [15] and beneficial in transitioning the student teacher from theoretical knowledge to practical classroom experiences [16]. The expectation is that student teachers acquire the knowledge to become qualified educators through mastery of content knowledge [17]. According to Ramsden [18], practical experience imparts soft skills such as problem solving, professional work relationships, and professional values and attitudes, which are vital components of an ITE program to prepare student teachers for the realities of student teaching.

#### **2.3 Challenges impeding student teacher development**

During teaching practicum experiences, student teachers encounter several challenges. For instance, studies by Sarıçoban [19] discovered that most of these problems occur because there is a gap between the academic institution and the current real teaching situation.

According to Manzar-Abbas and Lu [20], the analysis of practicum experiences of Chinese University students found that notable impediments to student teacher development included complaints from the students describing practicum as done in a very short time, with inappropriate time to transfer student teachers to the field and involving the use of outdated methods to conduct practicum training. Other impediments identified during field training relate to academic supervision, cooperative schooling, and cooperative school students [21].

Challenges inherent to the student teaching process and associated with the student teacher's professional growth include acquiring and applying effective feedback from cooperative teachers during post-lesson conferences [22]. A related problem in teaching practicum, identified by Wang and Odell [23], is psychological and emotional pressures that can affect student teacher performance during teaching.
