THOMAS S C FARRELL Nanyang Technological University English language teacher socialisation during the practicum Abstract Language teacher preparation in many countries consists of course work on a university campus followed by some student teaching (the practicum) in a variety of settings. Teaching practice has come to be recognised as one of the most important parts of the teacher education program. During the practicum, the beginning teacher is socialised into all aspects of the teaching profession both inside and outside the classroom. However, in English lan- guage teaching (ELT) there is a paucity of data on what exactly takes place during field experiences. The purpose of this exploratory study is, in part, to address this gap. This paper outlines a case study of one trainee teacher during his teaching practicum. Results indicate that the teacher encountered some problems, including unclear lines of communication and a weak sup- port structure for trainee teachers at the school during this socialisation process. Recommendations include more quality collaboration between the triad of the supervisor (the teacher-training institution), the cooperating teacher (the school) and the trainee teacher, whereby each participant has a more clearly defined role to play. Introduction Teaching practice has come to be recognised as one of the most important aspects of the teacher education program (Funk and Hoffman 1982). As Clark (1988: 1) points out: ‘If the literature and folklore of teacher education agree on one point, it is that the student teaching experience or practicum is im- portant.’ The process of teacher socialisation really only begins during the period of the practicum. However, as Richards and Crookes (1988: 22) point out, little is known about ‘[what] exactly takes place during field experiences’ in English language teaching (ELT). This study was designed to provide infor- mation about the process of socialisation based on a case study of the experi- ences of one trainee teacher because, as Richards and Crookes (1988: 22) note, ‘such information is essential in determining the contribution of field experiences to the student’s professional development’. For the purposes of this paper, socialisation means the process of becom- ing a member of a specific group, the teaching profession. This socialisation process includes learning how to teach and all the demands associated with teaching, such as coping with school rules inside and outside the classroom, 49