Students’ Perception on the Implementation of Pedagogical Practicum during Student Teachers’ Fourth Year of Training: A Case Study at Teuk Laak High School and Chea Sim Samaki High School, Phnom Penh

Abstract

This study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of the student teacher practicum during the fourth year of the teacher education college. The research used mixed methods with a sample size of 166 students selected using the Yamane (1967) formula at Tuek Laak High School and Chea Sim Samaki High School, who were in grades 7 and 8. Data were collected by means of a student survey using a 5-point Likert scale for quantitative data and a semi-structured interview for qualitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (2022) to see Mean, SD, and t-test and then extract the qualitative data from the interviews and analyze them according to the situational context. The results showed that students had generally positive perceptions of the student teacher practicum, such as believing that the student teachers were knowledgeable, had a good attitude and calm, applied a wide range of teaching and learning methods, and managed the classroom effectively. However, some students also expressed some negative perceptions, noting that the student teacher practicum had limited teaching experience and did not fully understand the overall learning context of the students.