Analysis of student teaching for prospective elementary and secondary mathematics teachers

This study aims to investigate the actual state of student teaching for prospective elementary and secondary mathematics teachers in Korea, based on the theoretical foundation of practice-based teacher education, which has been emphasized in recent teacher education. To this end, a survey was conducted with prospective elementary and secondary mathematics teachers who had completed student teaching at teacher training institutions. The research results led to the following conclusions. Regarding general educational practices, first, student teaching was conducted for 8 weeks over multiple semesters in elementary schools, while it was conducted for 4 weeks in one semester in secondary schools. Second, both elementary and secondary prospective teachers responded positively to the idea that their professional teaching skills had improved through student teaching. Third, both elementary and secondary prospective teachers reported difficulties in student life guidance and counseling as challenges they faced during student teaching. Regarding mathematics-related conclusions, first, elementary school prospective teachers conducted fewer mathematics classes than secondary school prospective teachers, which is due to the fact that elementary school teachers teach all subjects. Second, for both elementary and secondary schools, the most significant achievement of mathematics-related student teaching was a deeper understanding of the students they were teaching. Third, both elementary and secondary prospective teachers reported difficulties in reflecting the diverse characteristics and needs of students in mathematics, as well as in preventing and providing remedial instruction for underachieving students in mathematics. Also, both elementary and secondary prospective teachers reported that mathematics-related courses at their universities were helpful in student teaching, but they also expressed a need for education on common student errors and misconceptions. In addition, although prospective teachers expressed their understanding of and active participation in the semester-based internship system, which is currently being piloted, further research on participation rates is needed in the future.