A En praksisopplæring i (u)balanse? En casestudie i en norsk grunnskolelærerutdanningskontekst

This case study explores a new practicum component at the master’s level in a Norwegian general teacher education (GTE) program involving one group of preservice teachers and their school-based and university-based mentors. Following the GTE policy shift in 2017, little knowledge exists about how GTE`s research-based requirements are operationalized and put into play within practicum contexts. The research question is: How do preservice teachers and mentors express themselves and engage with GTE`s research-based requirements during practicum conversations at the master’s level? Based on the empirical material in this article, integrating the preservice teachers’ master theses and engaging as teacher-researchers was emphasized in practicum. Through the analytical lens of practice architecture theory, findings indicate how the GTE policy shift has an impact on preservice teachers and university-based mentors’ academic-oriented language, which differs from school-based mentors’ experience-based language. Furthermore, new mentoring activities are initiated that challenge and perpetuate a hierarchical relationship pattern between preservice teachers and school-based mentors. The study extends its analysis using ecologies of practices theory, offering insights into challenges posed by transforming new practice architectures into practicum settings, particularly for school-based mentors. Seeing practicum conversations as a space for preservice teachers and mentors to engage as co-constructors could challenge the status quo and changing educational practices. A need to raise discussions about the implicit practice architectures in GTE programs is highlighted, engaging stakeholders at universities and practice schools, and perhaps also at a policy level, who are responsible for setting new discourses on the agenda in teacher education.