The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of student teaching experiences(STE) during teaching practicum within a broader social and cultural context. Especially this study focused on three questions: (1) What are the concerns and expectations of student teachers during teaching practicum? (2) What experiences do student teachers really get through student teaching? (3) How do STE relate to the internalization and reproduction of school community of practices? Data in this interpretative study were collected through in-depth interviews of 45 student teachers for 3 weeks after a 5-week student teaching practicum course in 7 elementary schools. Data were also collected through analyzing student teachers' journal and student teaching programs in 7 elementary schools for 3-years.
The results of this study were as follows: First, the major concerns of student teachers were personal survival during the teaching practicum. Second, STE was generally related to adapt school classroom routines and to train competencies such as procedural knowledges and skills through apprentice-type-programs. Third, STE induced student teachers to conform the teaching styles, images and concepts within their classroom teaching context. Lastly, STE during teaching practicum encouraged student teachers to internalize and reproduce current teaching practices of the school community.
As a result, it was identified that the social and cultural contextual factors such as classroom routines, classroom discipline and control, teaching practices of school community were transformed as central to constructing the meaning and realities of student teaching experiences.