LAUSR

Abstract The current pilot study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of Arab and Jewish teacher trainees regarding the impact of variables on preparation for teaching. This study included 314 participating teacher trainees from two colleges in Israel. One hundred forty-eight (47.1%) of them studied in a Hebrew-speaking college and 166 (52.9%) students studied in an Arabic-speaking college. The questionnaire employed 66 items divided in ten variables: curriculum, lecturer quality, learning strategies, pedagogical instructor and mentor teacher, learning and social climate, ICT integration, college selection considerations, facilities, and practicum. Path Analysis findings indicated a direct impact of curriculum on practicum, while all mediating variables were influenced by curriculum, but did not influence practicum. Teacher trainees from both colleges perceived the pedagogical instructor and mentor teacher as the most significant factor connecting curriculum and practicum. In conclusion, findings may suggest the existence of a separation between curriculum and practicum, resulting in a large number of components of teacher education which do not advance teacher trainees in the field.