Extended Practicum in Teacher Education Institutions in Zamboanga City: Status, Problems and Pre-service Teachers’ Competencies

This study purported to determine the status and problems in theimplementation of the extended practicum in Teacher Education Institutionsin Zamboanga City. In addition, the study also aimed to find out whether the extended practicum has enhanced or developed the pre-service teachers’competencies along the seven domains of the National Competency-BasedTeacher Standard. Data gathered from 167 Pre-service Teachers, 21 Field StudyProfessors and 59 Critic/Cooperating Teachers of the three universities inZamboanga City offering Teacher Education and at DepEd schools wherestudents got their Field Studies and Practice Teaching Exposures throughQuestionnaire Checklist and Interview Guide with selected participants wereanalyzed using quantitative and qualitative method. Findings revealed that the Teacher Education Institutions in Zamboanga City used an extendeddevelopmental approach where Field Studies started as early as the secondyear of pre-service teacher education and each Field Study (FS) subjectwas matched with a professional subject. A Memo of Agreement (MOA)ensured effective external partnership between the TEIs and the DepEd;and for internal support structure, the TEIs had a Field Study Coordinatorwho coordinated with FS Professors regarding FS Activities in the absenceof a practicum manager. In terms of deployment of Student Teachers andField Study Students, the Principal of the DepEd Schools saw to it that theirCooperating Teachers accommodate them to their classrooms for observation and actual teaching. Student Teachers and Field Study Students were given orientation before they were deployed in cooperating schools and the activitiesof the students which were monitored by the FS Faculty of the TEI weredone in collaboration with the FS Cooperating Teachers. DepEd officials andCooperating Teachers were also given orientation by the TEIs to make themaware of their roles and responsibilities as TEI partners. The Pre-service Teachers developed high level of competencies alongall the seven domains of the National Competency-Based Teacher Standard(NCBTS) after taking the Field Study Courses as assessed by themselves andtheir FS faculty but not their critic/cooperating teachers who assessed thePre-service Teachers, Critic/Cooperating Teachers and FS Facultyin the Teacher Education Institutions encountered various problems in theimplementation of extended practicum such as Limited time to accomplishthe requirements for every FS course and classroom observation, LessonPlanning and limited knowledge on strategies and techniques in teaching.In the light of the findings derived from this study, it was concludedthat TEIs in Zamboanga City were implementing the Extended PracticumtheField Studies and Practice Teaching in accordance with CHED MemoNo. 30 and the guidelines specified in the Experiential Learning CoursesHandbook. Pre-service Teachers and Professors had the same assessment onthe prospective teachers’ competencies along all the seven domains of theNational Competency-Based Teacher Standard (NCBTS) after taking the FieldStudy Courses compared to the critic/cooperating teachers.