Relationships in early practicum experiences: positive and negative aspects and associations with practicum students’ characteristics and teaching efficacy

Teaching is a complex process which includes multiple aspects; similarly learning to teach requires a system of multiple components interacting to support pre-service teachers to become effective teachers. One aspect of teaching which has implications for teacher development is the practicum student-supervising teacher relationship. The current study examines this relationship. Over 100 pre-service teachers across 3 institutions of higher education reported on their relationship with their supervising teacher and their feelings of teaching self-efficacy. Results show that practicums students report both positive and negative relationship aspects; environmental stressors were associated with reported relationships. Furthermore, practicum student efficacy was associated with both positivity and negativity in reported relationships. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for teacher preparation and providing support to pre-service teachers during their practica.