Foundation phase pre-service teachers’ experiences of teaching life skills during teaching practice

Abstract

Background: In South Africa socio-economic problems such as poor health conditions, juvenile delinquency, high rates of school dropout and teenage pregnancy are increasing. Therefore, it is vital to prepare foundation phase (FP) pre-service teachers to fortify children with basic life skills (LS) that will help them to cope with real-world challenges and demands.Aim: The study is aimed to explore the experiences of pre-service FPLS teachers during their teaching practice.Setting: This qualitative case study was conducted in the FP department of a teacher-training institution at a South African university.Methods: Twenty final-year pre-service teachers were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews and reflective writing exercises. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, and the classification of the emerging themes was informed by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.Results: The findings revealed pre-service teachers’ experience of support from mentors, a struggle with implementation of FP curriculum, realities of classroom interaction, inefficient language of interaction for the FP classroom, and a lack of awareness of the importance of LS as a subject.Conclusion: The study argues that to improve the pedagogy of future LS teachers, a review and reform of the LS teacher-training curriculum are necessary. This curriculum needs to provide more extensive micro-teaching that promotes teachers’ general proficiency in the home languages of their learners and equips them with effective teaching strategies. The implementation of the LS curriculum needs to be regularly evaluated to ensure that these skills are imparted to young learners for their individual benefit and for the benefit of society.

Perspectives on Teacher Education Programme Preparation of Preservice Educators at A University in South Africa

“…That is, what they met during their teaching practice had no relationship with the knowledge they acquired in the university, especially, the educational theories learnt. This finding agrees with a study that reported similar results where student-teachers on teaching practices lamented the difficulty they experienced in implementing Life Sciences curriculum due to the disparity in the knowledge acquired and that which was required (Arasomwan & Mashiya, 2021). In a similar study conducted at the University of Limpopo, it was also reported that in some areas, teaching practice students found little connection between what they were taught in the university and what they were expected to implement during the exercise at the place of practice (Modipane & Kibirige, 2015).…”

“…Amongst the chief findings of the study was the identification of a disconnection between what preservice teachers studied in the university and what they were expected to implement during teaching practice. Similarly, another study which explored the experiences of preservice Foundation Phase (FP) Life Science teachers during their teaching practice in South Africa also highlighted among others, difficulty in the implementation of FP curriculum, support from mentors and lack of awareness (Arasomwan & Mashiya, 2021). Another study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal which explored the views of third-year student teachers' capabilities of classroom management.…”

The Development of a Pre-Service Teachers Model in Educational Institutions for Students in the Field of Physical Education, Faculty of Education, a Four-Year Program

“…Moreover, a practical micro-teaching component in teacher training programs could help pre-service teachers acquire basic teaching skills and develop self-confidence to avoid the challenges encountered by the participants in this study. Additionally, Arasomwan and Mashiya (2021) emphasized the foundation phase in pre-service teachers' experiences in teaching life skills during their teaching practice.…”

Novice mentors versus mentees: Mentoring experiences in mathematics at General Education and Training phase

“…Similarly, Schulleri (2020) stated that mentors gained interpersonal skills while mentees gained classroom management skills. In corroboration, Arasomwan and Mashiya (2021) stated that mentees had pleasant experiences when receiving assistance required from their mentors, for instance in the use of teaching resources for effective teaching. Some mentees reported that they had particular challenges in teaching learners in the medium of instruction (English) as mentors were mostly using the learners' home languages.…”