Evaluating the Efficacy of Teaching Practice: A Qualitative Inquiry through the Lens of Pre-Service English Language Teachers

Practicum or teaching practice, in the context of English Language Teaching (ELT), plays a vital role in shaping the teaching abilities and professional development of pre-service English language teachers. It provides them with a unique opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in real classroom settings, bridging the gap between academic study and practical implementation. Through teaching practice experiences, pre-service teachers can grow both personally and professionally, ensuring the provision of effective language education and fostering a positive impact on learners' language development. This study aims to reveal the changes that the experiences gained in private and public schools have created on the awareness of pre-service teachers about their professional development. For this purpose, students were asked to state what the teaching practice contributed to their theoretical knowledge and practical skills based on their observations in private and public schools, to talk about their strengths and weaknesses during this process, and to talk about how they would manage it if they were to plan the teaching practice process. In this qualitative study, document analysis is used and the reports written by 56 senior English language teaching department students about their practices in private and public schools within the framework determined by the researcher were analyzed with thematic analysis. The analysis process of the study is still ongoing and the findings will be shared in detail during the presentation.