Video-based learning helps pre-service teachers prepare for practicum: An Australian university's findings

Bich Nguyen and Kelly Ilich
Curtin University, Australia

To boost pre-service teachers' (PSTs) classroom readiness and equip them with necessary tools to thrive on practicum, it is vital to supplement traditional theoretical training with innovative pedagogical approaches (Brandenburg et al., 2016). Exploring the impacts of video-based learning (VBL) to prepare PSTs for their first school placement, our study surveyed 102 PSTs' perceptions of the usefulness of microteaching videos delivered by high-performing peers. The findings indicated that the videos were particularly beneficial for online students and those from regional and remote communities who had limited opportunities to participate in face-to-face teaching demonstrations. The respondents reported learning new teaching ideas from their peers and improving their ability to notice engagement techniques, their awareness of verbal and non-verbal language and their capacity to reflect on effective and ineffective pedagogical choices. Most importantly, the participants felt it was beneficial to see "other newbies' strengths and weaknesses" which confirms observations that PSTs tend to be intimidated by videos featuring experienced teachers but are keen to view case studies of practice presented by their peers.
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Authors: Dr Bich Nguyen (pronounced 'bik'), currently a lecturer in the School of Education, Curtin University, Western Australia, is an academic with more than 20 years of teaching experience. She has published research papers and book chapters in second language acquisition (SLA), teacher resilience and teacher identity. She is the co-editor of Teaching young second language learners: Practices in different classroom contexts [https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-Young-Second-Language-Learners-Practices-in-Different-Classroom-Contexts/Oliver-Nguyen/p/book/9781138556102]. ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bich-Nguyen-2/research ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5107-1246 Email: ngoc.nguyenhuynh@curtin.edu.au Ms Kelly Ilich, School of Education, Curtin University, Western Australia, is a teacher-educator with a background in secondary education and extensive experience across a range of educational sectors. She is currently completing her PhD thesis on the topic of 'teaching algorithmic literacy', exploring the factors necessary for building teacher capability [https://waier.org.au/archives/forums/2024/abstracts-2024.html#ilich]. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2566-751X Email: kelly.ilich@curtin.edu.au Please cite as: Nguyen, B. & Ilich, K. (2026). Video-based learning helps pre-service teachers prepare for practicum: An Australian university's findings. Issues in Educational Research, 36(1), 221-241. http://www.iier.org.au/iier36/nguyen.pdf