The practicum experiences of English Language Major student teachers during a period of profound curriculum reform in China

• We explore the challenges faced by student teachers and their practicum supervisors.
• Student teachers are challenged in discerning ‘what to do and how to do it.
• Supervisors are challenged by limited knowledge of reform practices and their application.

This paper provides an analysis of the issues faced by Chinese student teachers and, by extension, their supervisors, when curriculum reform challenges existing practices in schools and universities. The paper draws on the experiences of 10 English Language Major student teachers as they think about, make sense of, and undertake their extended practicum in the fourth year of their teacher education program. The students, from the School of Foreign Languages at a major teacher education university in the northeast region of Mainland China are challenged by the complexity of the practicum as they attempt to negotiate the differing expectations of their school advisors and university supervisor. The analysis highlights two related issues: the difficulties faced by reform efforts in China and the disjuncture between school and university expectations for practicum students in light of these initiatives. Importantly, these results add to and prompt further development of the nascent literature on the student teacher practicum in China.