University Tutors as Facilitators of Student-teachers’ Reflective Learning During their Teaching Practice

Abstract

Within the Spanish teaching practice system students perceive that, despite fulfilling their role as mediators and graders successfully, university tutors do not perform a successful formative role. The objective of this work was to analyze students’ perceptions after their participation in a reflective practicum model in which tutors attempted to contribute significantly to the improvement of their students’ professional competencies. For this purpose, an ad hoc scaffolding system based on modelling, cooperative techniques, and formative assessment was used in a graduate-level secondary teacher training program. Subsequently, the students answered a questionnaire including items about their university tutors’ support in several reflective practices and about the procedure itself. The results showed that, having facilitated their reflection, the students perceived their university tutors as efficient formative agents.