The practicum experience: Opportunities for the apprenticeships and development of the college students

Abstract

In this article the authors describe the practicum as a complementary opportunity for the college student's development. In this experience, there are several challenges with which the student must deal; the impact depends on personal and contextual variables. Taking a sample of 282 Teaching Education, Exact Sciences, and Humanities students of the University of Minho, researchers analyzed the major contributions and changes experienced by these students in terms of their apprenticeships and their psychosocial development. According to the literature, the practicum experience is mainly perceived by these students as a unique opportunity for acquiring specific professional abilities and for developing a more positive sense of self as a person and as a professional, as well as for the clarification of their choices and vocational projects. 

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v14i2.513