Exploring of Pre Service Teachers’ Autonomy Through Their Roles During Teaching Practicum

Abstract

Autonomy in pre-service teachers can be a useful way to experience during the teaching practicum program. A good teacher needs the ability to adapt and perform their roles effectively in diverse teaching contexts. This study aims to explore how the roles played by pre-service teachers can contribute to the sense of teacher autonomy among pre-service teachers. This study employed a qualitative approach with a narrative design, in which the researcher used thematic analysis by Braun & Clarke (2006), consisting of familiarizing with the data, generating codes, searching for themes, reviewing potential themes, defining and naming, and reporting. The findings indicate that teacher autonomy developed through five teacher roles with their responsibilities enacted by the pre-service teachers. First, teacher as controller. Second, teacher as prompter. Third, teacher as participant. Fourth, teacher as resource. Last, teacher as tutor. In conclusion, teacher autonomy does not develop automatically. It develops through engagement with various teacher roles that challenge pre-service teachers to think independently, reflect, and take responsibility for their own professional growth. These findings suggest that pre-service teachers should see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow as future teachers. They should actively understand the kinds of teacher roles that should be applied and try different teaching strategies and think about what worked well and could be improved. By doing so, they can understand that valuable autonomy in learning often comes from dealing with unexpected situations in the classroom.