Student-teachers' lived experiences in diverse teaching practicum contexts.

Abstract

This doctoral thesis explores the lived experiences of pre-service teachers in the South African educational system 29 years post-apartheid, focusing on the challenges of navigating diversity. This study design focused on a case study of a single teacher education institution within the Western Cape. Despite policy encouragement for diverse teaching contexts, a predominant trend among final-year student-teachers is selecting placements aligned with their backgrounds, raising questions about their resistance to unfamiliar environments. The research problem centers on understanding why student-teachers gravitate towards familiar settings in their teaching practice, avoiding the diversity encouraged by available school options. The study aims to uncover the motivations behind this selection pattern, employing a theoretical framework rooted in phenomenology, drawing on Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty to explore the concept of 'lived experience.' Additionally, Ryan and Markova's comfort, stretch, and panic model and the pedagogy of discomfort theory are utilised to understand the sensations encountered during teaching practicum. Through a chronological exploration of 12 years of schooling experiences, four years in the teacher education programme, and diverse teaching practicum contexts, it becomes evident that many students strategically choose placements for qualification rather than embracing a broader range of experiences. However, some opt for disruptive, scaffolded teaching practices, leading to autonomous professional growth. The study's thesis is creatively presented as an imaginative consolidation in the form of a speech, culminating in the analysis of the findings. It suggests that levers of change can activate transformative professional development for student-teachers, emphasising collaborative efforts among stakeholders. The need for a conscious, supportive, yet disruptive work-integrated learning intervention is underscored to broaden students' professional growth agenda. In conclusion, the study highlights the importance of transformative professional development for student- teachers and proposes collaborative efforts among stakeholders to support learning in diverse spaces throughout the initial teacher education programme. It sheds light on the complex interplay between personal experiences, curriculum expectations, and student-teacher choices, providing insights to address the limited engagement with diversity in teaching practicum contexts. The research advocates for breaking the status quo of a purely racialised understanding of diversity for enduring positive change.