Challenges faced by student teachers during teaching practice in an Open Distance eLearning university in South Africa

Student teachers including those in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) university are required to engage on teaching practice annually for the duration of their studies. This study explores the challenges faced by student teachers during teaching practice. This qualitative study uses an exploratory case study research design. The Situated Learning Theory was adopted as the theoretical lens. Eighteen student teachers from one open distance education institution in South Africa were purposively sampled as participants. Online open-ended questionnaires were used to collect data and analysed thematically. The findings show that student teachers experience challenges during teaching practice, such as the inability to manage the learners in the classroom, lack of guidance from the mentor teachers and failure to balance teaching practice with their studies. The study concluded that despite the concerted efforts by the ODeL institution to improve student teachers’ experiences during teaching practice, student teachers still encounter challenges during teaching practice. Based on the findings, the study recommends that teacher training institutions and schools where student teachers are placed should work closely to solve challenges that are faced by student teachers during teaching practice.