The Role of Practicum in Teacher Education Policy Documents in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, and Iran

This study aims to compare the role of practicum in teacher education policy documents in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, and Iran to propose a better way to improve the practicum system The term practicum in pre-service teacher education allows student teachers to integrate their knowledge from the university courses and experiences from the practicing school (Kopp & Kálmán, 2015). The increasing importance of practice in teacher education is a global educational policy trend, but the national context necessarily influences implementation. However, few studies researched comparing teacher education in developing countries, although the national context is essential to understand the organization and operation of teacher education systems (Tatto, 2021) where the main obstacle is the linguistic diversity of different countries. This study referred to Weidman et al. (2014) conceptual framework for comparative and international teacher education. The qualitative document analysis method with MAXQDA software is used to analyze teacher education policy documents, mainly focusing on the aim, structure, and student activities. Researchers developed a common codebook, imported it into the software, and analyzed 39 documents. The results revealed that the aim and definition of the practicum are similar, but the learning outcomes of student teachers' practice related to practicum are a little different between the four countries. Student teachers are required to complete the practicum as part of their preservice teacher education program in four countries. Teacher education policy documents in four countries have addressed all the elements and requirements related to teacher education contexts, however, the implementation level of the practicum in each country may differ significantly. Nevertheless, this study compares the practicum in teacher education document, highlights similarities and differences, and shares the best practices from four countries.