Field experiences in teacher education: the perceptions and qualities of written reflections

This study aimed to evaluate the Pre-service Teachers' (PSTs') field experience-related perceptions and the qualities of their written reflections. Two thousand four hundred journal entries written by 75 teacher candidates were analyzed to classify their qualities. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with all of the subjects. The results showed that the largest proportion of the written entries was classified as technical. Only a small percentage of the subjects reached the highest level of reflection called as transformative. During the field experiences, the PSTs had mainly self, cooperating teachers, and student-related issues and perceptions. At the end of the field experiences, they recommended to start the practicum courses from the first year of the faculty and to increase the weekly hours of these courses. It is important to note that the PSTs need additional knowledge and practices about the reflection, reflective writing, and the qualities of reflection.