Science Education Students’ Field Experiences during the Teaching Practice Exercise: A Note for Stakeholders

Abstract

This study is phenomenological qualitative research that describes science education students’ field experiences during teaching practice exercise. Critical case purposeful sampling technique was adopted to select six science education students from three institutions offering teacher education programmes in Lagos State. The selection criteria were premised on the students’ willingness to share their experiences and that the students were either near completion of the teaching practice or had just finished teaching practice as at the time this study was conducted. An unstructured interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data. Memoing and audio recording of the interview sessions were made. An epoche of the researchers’ opinions; and a pre-study survey was conducted to ensure the reliability of the data collected. Both physical and virtual means were used to interview the students (based on the students’ choices). Four research questions were answered. After transcription, the data collected were presented in textural descriptions arranged in four themes. Data explication indicated that the students’ perspectives on their supervisors were diverse; all the students except one gave credence to their supervisors for being meticulous in their supervision, and some of them were grateful to their supervisors for obliging them with a mentorship opportunity. A disconnect between higher institution science (HIS) and secondary school science (SSS) was identified by some of the students (as some of the student teachers had difficulty in simplifying HIS to suit the cognitive demands of their basic science students. To this end, this study suggests a clinical supervision approach pivoted on social cognitive theory, manageable workload for supervisors, and a verifiable feedback mechanism from students in order to achieve a better teaching practice exercise in STEM education which will consequently contribute positively to the future of the students and nation at large.