An Exploration of Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions of the Expansion of Practical Skill Tests in the Secondary Vocational Teacher Recruitment Examination

This study aims to explore pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the expansion of practical skill tests in the secondary vocational teacher recruitment examination. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 pre-service vocational subject teachers enrolled in a college of education at a university in Korea. The collected data were analyzed using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) approach. In the initial stage of analysis, four domains and eight categories were identified. Through consensus-building and cross-review processes, the findings were refined into three final domains and three categories. The results indicated that, first, practical skill tests were perceived as institutional mechanisms for verifying teaching competence while simultaneously being experienced as an added burden in the preparation process for teacher recruitment. Second, the expansion of practical skill tests was perceived as a factor that makes it difficult to establish long-term career plans for entering the teaching profession. Third, uncertainty regarding the timing and methods of teacher recruitment, along with the expansion of practical skill tests, tended to lead to emotional exhaustion and increased career-related concerns. These findings suggest that the introduction of practical skill tests should be understood not merely as a change in assessment methods, but as an institutional shift that influences pre-service vocational teachers’ career perceptions and emotional experiences more broadly.