Theory and practice in the context of practicum: the perspectives of Norwegian physical education student teachers

Abstract

Previous studies have found that student teachers value the practicum over other parts of physical education teacher education and that they experience a gap between theory and practice in their education. The purpose of this study was to provide more knowledge about the theory–practice relations in the context of the practicum of physical education teacher education. Data were generated through focus group interviews with physical education teacher education students (n = 37) from three different university colleges in Norway. The analysis and discussion of the data material were framed with the concept of practical synthesis (Grimen, 2008). The findings indicate that students experience theory and practice as fragmented, but that they have a differentiated understanding of what theory is. The analysis also suggests that, for the students, university tutors occupy a rather distant role in the practicum and that it is mostly left to the students to make connections between theory and practice.