Abstract:

Teaching practice course is important in the education of preservice teachers. With experiences gained in practice schools, preservice teachers get the opportunity of developing their vocational skills and learning details related to the profession of teaching. In order for this course which is the final step before starting the profession, to achieve its goal, it is crucial to know the expectations of preservice teachers from the course and the problems they face. Considering this thought; the study aimed to determine the expectations of pre-service science teachers from the teaching practice course, the problems they face and solution offers for these problems. The study used the case study design, which is among qualitative research designs. Participants of the study comprised a total of 19 pre-service science teachers, 5 males, 14 females, receiving education in the fourth grade in the Mathematics and Science Education Department Science Teaching Program of a middle-scale faculty of education in Central Anatolia. A semi-structured interview form comprising five questions was used as data collection tool. The data was analyzed via content analysis. As a result of the study the it was found that the teaching practice course made a positive contribution to preservice teachers; however, the total time of the practice course was not adequate. Based on the results obtained from the study, suggestions were made for developing the faculty-school collaboration and extending the practice time.

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