MA TEFL Students' Reflection on a Practicum Course: A Qualitative Study

Authors

Mohammed Farrah, Hebron University, PalestineFollow

Abstract

This study is qualitative in nature and is designed to analyze the experiences and perceptions of a group of MA students regarding an MA TEFL practicum course at Hebron University during the second semester of the academic year 2015/2016 and whether their experience improved their flair to convey educational practices to better serve students. The study was steered by experiential learning theory. The participants learned from their experiences, reflected on practical activities during the practicum course and contributed to a better understanding of the integration process between theory and practice. Three research questions addressed MA students’ experiences during the practicum and how those experiences benefited them and allowed them to grow professionally. I concluded with a set of recommendations.

Keywords

Practicum, Micro Teaching, Class Observation, Lesson Planning, Reflection

Author Bio(s)

Mohammed Farrah, Associate Professor of English Language Studies, graduated with a BA from Hebron University in 1994 in English Language and Literature, MA in TESOL from International Islamic University in Malaysia in 1999, Ph.D. in English Language Studies in 2006 from International Islamic University in Malaysia. There are a number of publications in the field of online learning and online communication and collaborative learning and peer feedback in writing and types of feedback. He supervised 12 MA theses at Hebron University and was an examiner for 10 MA theses. Administrative positions included Chair of the English Department from 2009 until 2013, Editorial Secretary of Hebron University Research Journal from 2007 until the present time and presented a number of papers in local and international conferences. He is on the Advisory Board of Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), Executive Board of the Arab Society of English Language Studies (ASELS), and an active member in the APETAU Association. In the Erasmus plus project (2015-2018), Farrah is the coordinator of Work Package 4: Capacity Building in Higher Education Pedagogy, and a team member of Work Package 1: BA Primary Education Degree Programmes. As part of the Language Arts Pre-service Teacher Education Development Program (2009-2012), Farrah worked as a consultant for the World Bank and on the development of the Program outputs (curriculum framework, intended learning outcomes, course descriptions, teaching strategies manuals, ICT materials, Quality Assurance Plan for the project). Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: mfarrah@hebron.edu.

Publication Date

9-29-2019

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3441

Recommended APA Citation

Farrah, M. (2019). MA TEFL Students' Reflection on a Practicum Course: A Qualitative Study. The Qualitative Report, 24(9), 2332-2350. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3441