Challenges in Implementing Teaching Practicum of Student Teachers at Kampong Cham Regional Teacher Training Center

There are many stages in the process of teacher training. The implementation of the teaching practicum is one of the very important stages before student teachers start their teaching. This research aims to identify the challenges related to the implementation of the teaching practicum of student teachers at the Kampong Cham Regional Teacher Training Center, located in Kampong Chan province, Cambodia. The research utilized thematic analysis to analyze the reflections of the teaching practicum of 15 student teachers (8 females) studying two different majors (Mathematics-Physics and Physics-Chemistry) in Year 2, Semester 1 of the 2019–2020 academic year. The data collection lasted one month, from the end of March to the end of April 2020. This study showed that there were three major challenges during the implementation of the teaching practicum, including those related to pedagogical knowledge, subject matter knowledge, and technical support from teacher trainers and homeroom teachers. This research also provided a detailed discussion of each challenge and offered some recommendations for the effective implementation of the teaching practicum at the Kampong Cham Regional Teacher Training Center and other teacher training centers in Cambodia.