Changes in Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Student Teachers Before and After the Teaching Practicum

Abstract

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the changes in middle school students’perceptions of student teachers following a four-week teaching practicum, focusing on thestudents’ perspective. A mixed-methods approach was used, involving 123 students from auniversity-affiliated middle school in South Korea who completed pre- and post-practicumsurveys. Quantitative data were analysed using paired-samples t-tests, while qualitativedata underwent thematic analysis. The findings revealed a statistically significant positivechange (p < .001) in students’ perceptions across all affective domains, including ‘classenjoyment’, ‘relationship and communication’, ‘school life enjoyment’, and ‘classroomatmosphere improvement’, with the exception of ‘help with academic achievement’. Thedomain of ‘relationship and communication’ showed the largest effect size (d = 0.81). Thequalitative analysis indicated that students experienced high satisfaction from forminghorizontal relationships with the near-peer student teachers and from engaging with theirnovel teaching methods. These results suggest that the core value of the teaching practicumlies in fostering the affective domain rather than enhancing cognitive achievement. Thisstudy identifies key factors for a successful practicum from a learner-centred perspectiveand offers practical implications for creating a meaningful educational experience for bothstudents and pre-service teachers.