Perceptions and Demands of Pre-service Chemistry Teachers Following the Introduction of the Teaching Practicum Semester System

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions and demands of pre-servicechemistry teachers about the teaching practicum semester system. Methods: Based on previous studies, an open-ended questionnaire consisting of four items for threecategories was developed. The survey was conducted with 75 students enrolled in the departmentof C education at K university (prior to the teaching practicum: 41, after the teaching practicum:34). The collected responses were categorized for each question, with semantic key words extracted,and the frequency of each semantic key word was analyzed and then cross-validation was conducted. Results: There were positive opinions that the teaching practicum allowed students to experiencethe activities of the semester and enhance their competence as teachers, but there were also negativeopinions, with some individuals noting that it was a burden on academics and there were restrictionson classes. There was a demand for class demonstrations with feedback reflected, and it was recognizedthat a program related to class expertise was needed before the teaching practicum. Regarding theintroduction of the practicum, the needs for a platform related to practice guidance and class-relatedmaterials were the areas most requested. Conclusion: For the stable introduction of the teaching practicum semester system, concrete methodsto support pre-service teachers were deduced from this research.