Kurdish EFL Students Teachers’ Practicum Experience: Some Basic Challenges

Abstract

Abstract—The present study highlights the main challenges faced by EFL student teachers (STs) of the Department of English - College of Basic Education - University of Sulaimani during their teaching practice. To investigate the challenges, a closed-ended questionnaire is designed which consists of 20 items focusing on a variety of relevant issues of practicum experience. The questionnaire is given to 50 EFL STs and the collected data is statistically analyzed. The study hypothesizes that EFL STs might have serious challenges in their teaching at basic schools, which could be related to the lack of motivation of basic school students, shortage of practicum period, supervisors’ evaluation, and lack of teaching technology. These challenges are proved true after the analysis of the data. Based on the conclusions of this current study, it is recommended that Kurdish EFL STs should be familiarized with different aspects of teaching profession. To this end, the university stakeholders should design a specialized program for ST practicum and create a strong link with basic school programs. The conclusions and recommendations could be taken into consideration by the STs, university teaching staff, and basic school principals to overcome the challenges and improve the practicum process. Thus, the study could have potentially significant implications for the senior administrators of the Department of English, College of Basic Education deanery, and the University of Sulaimani presidency for addressing the main challenges of practicum faced by EFL STs.

Kurdish EFL Student Teachers’ Perceptions Towards Their School-Based Teaching Practice Course

“…It indicates that supervisors and teaching plans may not adequately address the importance of reflecting on teaching experiences to enhance professional growth and improve teaching effectiveness. In summary, while the findings of this study may differ from research in other contexts, they align with conclusions drawn from previous studies conducted by researchers within the Kurdish context (Abdulrahman, 2019;Hamasaid and Saheb, 2020;Brime and Amin, 2020;Haji, 2019, Vernez et al,2014.…”

“…In another study in KRI, Sofi-Karim (2015) summarized the factors that contribute to poor preparation of STs during the course including the inadequacy of the practical training period in terms of duration, planning, organization, and supervision by university supervisors (USs) and CTs. In a relevant study conducted by Abdulrahman (2019), an examination was undertaken to explore the challenges encountered by EFL STs within the Department of English at the College of Basic Education, University of Sulaimani, during their TP. The research involved the distribution of a closed-ended questionnaire comprising 20 items to a cohort of 50 participants.…”

“…As a result, there is a lack of understanding and knowledge that could have contributed to the development of the course. Several researchers, including Vernez et al (2014), Sofi-Karim (2015), Abdulrahman (2019), Haji (2019), Hamasaid and Saheb (2020), and Brime and Amin (2020), have explored the subject in recent years. These research studies have been undertaken in locales within the Kurdistan Region-Iraq (KRI), other than the specific area currently under examination.…”

The Attitude of Basic School Efl Teachers and Supervisors Towards the Process of Supervision in Sulaimani City

“…Furthermore, it does not rely on a plan or standard for evaluating the learning capacity to determine the difference between the old fashion of educational supervision and new approaches, the old fashion is concentrated on the main components of education which are (the student, School manager, and teacher. (Abdulrahman, 2019) The old educational system in Suleimani City is part of the larger Kurdistan process. Based on the Ministry of Education report released by RAND Corporation in 2016, administration, School Monitoring, Private School Policies, and Teacher Training are among the attempts to Improve the Quality of Education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that were detailed in a report issued by the Minister of Education.…”

Investigating Kurdish Efl Student Teachers’ Classroom Teaching Experiences And Problems during Teaching Practice

“…To this end, teacher preparation programs, they argue, should work towards improving student teachers' knowledge, skills, capabilities, and dispositions to equip them to teach successfully in 21st classrooms. In addition, they should be more practical-oriented in order to train language instructors on such matters as teaching methods, educational psychology, assessment, class management, and so on (Abdulrahman, 2019). In so doing, STs are likely to be more competent and capable of putting the theoretical knowledge acquired during university courses into practice while also assisting in creating a sense of the actual world of teaching (Canh, 2014;Farrell, 2001).…”