The meaning of tutoring during the practicum: The role of accompaniment and facilitation in the acquisition of professional competences

Abstract

This article analyses the role of the teaching staff in guiding students during the course of their practicum: a complex set of tasks involving training, advice, and facilitation designed to help students acquire the professional competences required in their degree and in their educational careers. The main objective of this research is to know, understand, and assess the influence of the academic tutor in shaping the student's practical thinking. This qualitative case study provides an in-depth understanding of the process of accompaniment developed by a group of academic tutors with their students of External Placement II in the Faculty of Education Sciences at the University of Malaga. Methodological tools used in this study include interviews, observations and document analyses. The results show the importance of tutoring during the practical training period, a time in which students begin their professional careers and are introduced to research and actions that contrast theory and real-life practice. The practicum is also a time when students acquire some competences and reinforce others, demonstrating the need for coordination between academic and practice center tutors to further advance students’ professional development.