**3. Methodology**

The study followed a qualitative research approach [41] to understand fourth-year student teachers' experiences of the teaching practicum in a BEd foundation phase program.

It is important that the design selected suits the nature of the research being conducted and outlines how the research is carried out from the beginning to the end [42]. According to DeFranzo [43], qualitative research accesses experiences and concepts to be studied and can be developed and refined as the research is conducted, rendering it a semi-structured process and procedure. This approach was deemed suitable for studying student teacher experiences of the practicum as it is flexible and honors an inductive style, focusing on individual meaning and the importance of rendering the complexity of a situation.

Creswell [44] explains that a phenomenological study describes the meaning of the lived experiences of several individuals regarding a concept or the phenomenon. The concept of practicum in a teaching program has highlighted student teacher experiences, which was the concept to be studied. In the human sphere, phenomenology normally translates to gathering "deep" information and perceptions through inductive qualitative research methods such as interviews and observations, representing information and perceptions from the perspective of the research participants [45]. Observation and interviews are the key data collection methods for a phenomenological study [46].

The sample for this study was purposively selected from fourth-year BEd foundation-phase student teachers, comprising 10 female student teachers who completed their teaching practicum and school-based mentorship and assessment procedures.

Considering the depth to which the researcher wanted to explore the phenomenon under study, both non-probability purposive sampling and probability random sampling were deployed. The choice of a non-probability sample means the study targeted a deliberate unit reflecting the outcome of the activities within the new ITE curriculum program, while a probability sample was used because of its higher level of reliability of research findings and increased accuracy of sampling error estimation.

#### **3.1 Choice of participants**

The study purposively selected student teachers who completed their teaching practicum, specializing in the BEd foundation phase program, and who were in their final year of study (Year 4) at the time of this study. The researcher endeavored to gain an in-depth understanding of the student teachers' fresh experiences of the program through information-rich samples [47].

The research population targeted in this study was homogenous: all female student teachers within the BEd foundation phase program who have completed and passed their practicum. While the targeted population comprised nearly 100 student teachers, the researcher intended to interview only 10 student teachers.

The institution selected for the study is diverse, enrolling students of various social classes, racial compositions, and home locations. The institution has adequately trained and qualified staff and administrators with world-class resources and infrastructure and a variety of staff and students: Black, White, Asian, and colored from high, middle, and low economic classes. Hence, the sample of participants varied in age, race, socio-economic class, and schools where they conducted their practicum.

The study employed semi-structured in-depth interviews to obtain data, with participants encouraged to reflect on their experiences of assessment, support, and guidance during the practicum, sharing strengths, areas of development, outcomes of summative assessment, and details of their qualifications for passing [47].

The study used content and thematic analyses for the data collected from the semistructured in-depth interviews with the student teachers. Content analysis explores lived experiences [48]. In this study, the data collected were transcribed, and patterns of teacher experiences and mentor and teacher educator assessment were analyzed.

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

Ethical consideration is vital for both quantitative and qualitative studies [49]. The researcher sought ethical approval from a selected university offering an ITE BEd program to collect data from student teachers. With regard to participants, anonymity and confidentiality were maintained throughout the study; information collected was kept private.
