“I Won't Last Three Weeks”: Preservice Science Teachers Reflect on Their Student-Teaching Experiences

In many teacher preparation programs, student teaching serves as a culminating event that bridges academic coursework and the realities of classroom teaching. Therefore, it represents a significant aspect of preservice teacher education. This study explored student teaching as it was experienced by 13 middle and secondary science preservice teachers. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze individual interviews, group seminar sessions, and written reflections to construct a phenomenological account of student teaching as experienced by the preservice teachers. The aim was to construct a picture of the shared experiences of these student teachers to help understand how they struggled, succeeded, and learned as a part of their classroom practica. These findings are then used to draw implications for science teacher education.