Field Practicum Experiences in Lifelong Education among Non-Teaching Track College of Education Students

This study aimed to explore the meaning of field practicum experiences in lifelong education among students enrolled in a college of education who do not intend to pursue teaching careers. To this end, a qualitative case study was conducted with three participants majoring in education at a four-year university who had completed lifelong education field practicums. The results showed that the participants decided to undertake the practicum because they wanted to exercise their identities as educators within the field of lifelong education. However, the support provided by their university was limited to minimal administrative processing, and finding a practicum institution in their field of interest—or any institution that would accept them—was highly burdensome. Moreover, the practicum experiences varied significantly depending on the institution and supervisor. When practicum manuals and workbooks were available and supervisors were actively engaged in educating practicum students, participants reported meaningful learning moments and developed positive expectations about becoming lifelong educators in the future. Conversely, at institutions that did not use manuals or workbooks and where supervisors showed little interest in practicum student education, it was difficult for students to gain educationally meaningful experiences. For these students, the practicum amounted to merely experiencing general tasks of lifelong educators, and they felt that obtaining the lifelong educator certificate alone would not facilitate entry into their specific fields of interest within lifelong education. Based on these findings, this study proposes roles for both teacher education colleges and lifelong education institutions to better support students in colleges of education who hope to work in the field of lifelong education.