No abstract

Teacher education program differs internationally in accordance with the admission, assessment, teaching practice period, induction program, professional learning, initial teacher learning, continuous professional development, and performance appraisal systems for recognizing accredited teaching. Experts in teacher education recommends that the practicum is the focus and an integral part of initial teacher education program. In most countries, teacher education programs face difficulties in finding the proper role and form of practice. Referring to National Education Strategic Plan (2016-21) of Myanmar, practicum in teacher preparation program is dull and it has limited guidance and supervision. Moreover, very few publications are available in Myanmar that label the perceptions of teacher candidate on their practicum experience. This study explores student-teachers' experience during practicum in their pre-service teacher education program. The doctoral research will focus on the role of practicum in pre-service teacher education in Myanmar. This document describes the results of the pilot study conducted in 2019, July. The researcher employed convergent mixed-method design to collect data for the pilot study. Data collection methods include semi-structured focus group interviews and questionnaires. The final year student-teachers (N=23) who were enrolled in 2014 academic year at the Yangon University of Education are the subject of the study. The questionnaire consists of 27 closed items. Fourteen final-year student-teachers discussed their practicum experiences in two focus group interviews. Student-teachers' responses to the questionnaire are mostly positive. In the focus group interview, they mentioned their critical point of views such as their university program could prepare them to some extent for their practicum. There were some differences in responses to the questionnaire and focus group interviews. From the results of the quantitative and qualitative part, the researcher could learn some potential problem areas that can affect the whole doctoral research.

This study aims to identify dominant theories, research areas, and trends related to coping issues in teacher education (TE) research. The origin of coping theories comes from psychology, but there is a growing shift in coping research related to teaching, problem-solving, and training programs in pedagogy. Although coping issues in TE affect teachers' teaching and learning, there have been very few systematic reviews of coping issues in TE these days. A systematized literature study is conducted for answering the research question: "Which theories, research problems, and approaches have been used for coping issues in TE?". A literature search is undertaken using the Web of Science, Science Direct, and EBSCO (host) databases, and 61 studies published between 2016 and 2021 are reviewed. The findings report that stress, classroom management, professional relationship, and technology are common research problems related to coping issues in TE. Analysis of the studies also reveals dominant coping theories, research approaches, and research tools in TE research. This review can give researchers new insights in developing the literature and research tools about coping issues in TE. It also contributes to a broader focus on coping theories and research about coping issues in different TE systems.