Teaching Practicum Management in Physical Education Teacher Education: Current Practices and Associated Factors at Two Specialist Universities in Vietnam

Abstract

Introduction: Teaching practicum is essential to physical education teacher preparation. This study assessed current management practices and associated factors at two specialist universities in Vietnam.
Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study, supplemented by qualitative interviews, surveyed 450 participants: 80 university administrators/lecturers, 70 school administrators/teachers, and 300 fourth-year students. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Welch’s t-test, Hedges’ g, Pearson correlations, and multivariable linear regression with HC3 robust standard errors.
Results: The overall management score was 3.20 ± 0.51. Limitations occurred across management functions, alongside gaps between university preparation and students’ professional experiences. School-based respondents rated overall management more positively than university-based respondents (Hedges’ g = −0.73). The regression model explained 54.6% of the variance in management scores. Institutional, curricular, and coordination mechanisms (β = 0.354; p = 0.005) and stakeholder capacity and participation (β = 0.272; p = 0.008) showed significant independent associations with management implementation.
Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to move beyond managing individual practicum placements toward supporting continuous professional competency development. Greater curricular alignment, institutional coordination, and university–school partnerships may strengthen practicum management in physical education teacher education. Given the cross-sectional design and two-university setting, findings should be interpreted as associations rather than causal relationships or nationally representative estimates.