Abstract

It is important for student teachers to learn theories, but the most important for them is to know how to put these theories into practice and how to strengthen the theory-practice relationships. Since Practice Teaching (Practicum) is considered as an essential contributing factor in narrowing the gap between theory and practice in teacher education program, this study aims at investigating the nature and role of practice teaching (practicum) in Faculties of Education and proposing a procedural framework to bridge this gap. The study is exploratory in nature employing a questionnaire distributed among 232 respondents. The findings identified the causes of the gap between prospective teachers’ theoretical development and their practical work in the classroom. The study also developed a new practical strategy to integrate professional knowledge and classroom teaching practice through formulating a clear strategic policy between the program and schools in terms of the type of training, professional development and qualifications of student teachers.

Keywords: Theory-practice relationships, Teacher education, Strategic policy.