2025/05/22 by Ville Mankki, Jenni Koski, Katariina Stenberg +1 · 1 voice
Decision Sciences · Social Sciences · #Educational Practices and Policies #Evaluation and Performance Assessment #Reflective Practices in Education
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00131911.2025.2506794
openalex publication_date 2025/05/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of the empirical research on teaching practicums in Finland. It aims to address challenges in synthesising research noted in previous international reviews by focusing on a specific educational context. A comprehensive search strategy, including database searches, manual searches and citation hand-searches, identified 74 relevant studies. The aims and outcomes of the reviewed studies clustered into four themes: (1) learning objectives in practicum curricula, (2) student teachers’ competencies and professional development, (3) roles and dynamics in supervision, and (4) bridging the theory–practice gap. The review identified a need for practicum research to more fully adopt interprofessional perspectives and to explore ways of fostering a shared understanding among practicum supervisors. Methodologically, the studies were predominantly cross-sectional and relied heavily on qualitative methods, suggesting a relative lack of methodological diversity, which may serve to limit conclusions in this research field about the effectiveness of practicums. Additionally, comparative perspectives – both international and domestic – were largely absent, and insights from certain key stakeholders were underrepresented or entirely overlooked. Addressing these gaps would enhance future research on teaching practicums, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of their role in teacher education, both within a specific national context and internationally.