Abstract:

The practicum in initial teacher education has gained increasing visibility in recent years, and is currently seen in European countries as a central axis in initial teacher education programs. Research has been supporting immersion in practice during the initial teacher education process as a permanent and systematic instance of construction and professional learning, which allows students in training to understand how the teaching and learning process takes place, what it means to be a teacher, the characteristics of a socio-educational organization and the subjects with whom they will work (namely, children and families). It is, therefore, a period that promotes the construction of meaningful learning and the acquisition and development of fundamental human skills and qualities and the acquisition of knowing how to act professionally. Literature has also been supporting the inexorable role of specialized guidance and pedagogical supervision for the professional development of the student during this training period, which has to carry out a set of complex learnings, such as observing, experimenting, reflecting, planning and evaluating.

The present study is part of a broader investigation that aims to describe and analyze the supervisory process that occurs during the practicum of masters in pre-school education from three Portuguese higher education institutions.

The objectives of the study are:
(i) to identify the supervisory models adopted by higher education institutions;
(ii) identify the styles of supervision adopted by institutional supervisors and cooperating teachers
iii) to identify the main challenges / problems facing the supervisory process.

Following a mix methods approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires. Participants are institutional supervisors and cooperating teachers from three Portuguese higher education institutions. The data were coded, aiming to ensure the anonymity of participants. The data from the interviews were submitted to a content analysis and the data from the questionnaires were subjected to statistical treatment using SPSS 22.

The results reveal the existence of gaps in the training in supervision of cooperating teachers and institutional supervisors, highlighting the need to invest in the specialized training of these professionals to ensure better opportunities to support professional development that occurs within practicum of master's degrees in pre-school education. The results also reveal difficulties experienced by institutional supervisors in supporting students caused by the high number of students to supervise and by the geographic dispersion of the places where the practice takes place. The monitoring of the students' professional portfolio, giving an appropirated response to the needs of the students, and promoting the theory-practice integration are the difficulties highlighted by the cooperating teachers. The support of supervisors and co-workers to students is perceived by the two groups of participants as decisive factors for the student's learning and development during the practicum.

Keywords:

Practicum, supervision, preschool teacher education.