Experiences of Prospective Teachers About Online Teaching Practicum during Covid-19: A Phenomenological Study from Pakistan

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the experiences of prospective teachers about their online teaching practicum during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to gain insights into the experiences and understanding of prospective teachers about online teaching practicum during pandemic 19. To accomplish this study, a qualitative approach and a phenomenological research design were employed. The researcher used purposive sampling techniques and all the students of B.Ed(4 years) of the science group and the practicum supervisor of the same group were selected as a sample. After the data collection the data was analyzed through thematic analysis and different provisional and emergent themes were found. The provisional themes of this study were online teaching practicum, first Impression about OTP, fears of OTP, orientation of OTP, interaction with Practicum supervisor, online instructions, experience with Google Classroom, barriers of OTP, skills, and desired goal, planning of OTP, main difference between online teaching practicum and onsite teaching practicum, online instructions, online Training by using gadgets, environment of OTP, and major components i.e. (1)Lesson Planning (2) Peer Feedback (3)Supervisor Feedback (4) Lesson Reflection (5)Teaching Session (6) E-portfolio. The emergent themes of this study were the experience of online practicum, pre-practicum workshops (Onsite), orientations with focal persons as Schools, discussions with cooperative teachers, online practicum training, provided environment, planning of online teaching practicum, action plan, and experience of E-portfolio. This study's finding revealed that while prospective teachers' initial experiences were positive, they encountered difficulties such as internet connectivity issues, limited time to present lesson plans, and utilizing advanced technology. Additionally, prospective teachers faced challenges in providing and receiving feedback.  Based on these findings, the major recommendations include increasing the number of online training sessions, providing comprehensive instruction on lesson planning and uses of advanced technology, and revising the mechanisms for online peer feedback.