Connecting sociological theory with institutional practice remains a persistent challenge in teacher education. This study examined student teachers’ experiential learning following a school-based fieldwork assignment in a Sociology of Education course. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey using a one group posttest only design. Participants were 300 Semester 2 student teachers enrolled at an education focused university in Malaysia who completed fieldwork in secondary schools. During the assignment, the student teachers visited secondary schools, collected data through interviews, observations, surveys, or document analysis, and interpreted school management practices using sociological concepts. A 25-item questionnaire measured concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation, and the application of sociology to educational management. The illustrative findings indicated high mean scores across all five constructs. Concrete experience recorded the highest mean score (M = 4.22, SD = 0.48), whereas active experimentation recorded the lowest (M = 3.82, SD = 0.59). All four dimensions of experiential learning were positively correlated with sociological application. Multiple regression analysis showed that these dimensions collectively explained 58.8% of the variance in sociological application, F(4, 295) = 105.27, p < .001. Abstract conceptualization was the strongest predictor (? = .346), followed by active experimentation (? = .285), reflective observation (? = .177), and concrete experience (? = .115). These findings suggest that field exposure becomes educationally meaningful when student teachers interpret evidence through theoretical concepts and translate their interpretations into actions that respond to specific institutional contexts. Structured reflection, explicit prompts connecting theory with evidence, and opportunities to test proposed recommendations are therefore essential components of effective fieldwork design.
Akinde, O. A., Harr, D., & Burger, P. (2017). Field experience: Experiential learning as complementary to the conceptual learning for international students in a graduate teacher education program. International Journal of Higher Education, 6(4), 137–151. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v6n4p137
Ash, S. L., & Clayton, P. H. (2009). Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, 1, 25–48.
Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2012). How schools do policy: Policy enactments in secondary schools. Routledge.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood.
Callaway-Cole, L., & Kimble, A. (2021). Maintaining professional standards in early childhood teacher preparation: Evaluating adaptations to fieldwork-based experiences during COVID-19. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49, 841–853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01227-9
Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487105285962
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.
Harfitt, G. J., & Chow, J. M. L. (2018). Transforming traditional models of initial teacher education through a mandatory experiential learning programme. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73, 120–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.021
Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (5th ed.). Guilford Press.
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(2), 193–212. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2005.17268566
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355
Li, H. (2025). Reflective practice for pre-service teachers’ professional development. SAGE Open, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251363136
Lotspeich-Yadao, M. C., Trevino-Boissel, K., & Hoekstra, C. (2025). Integrating experiential learning in Introduction to Sociology: Cultivating the sociological imagination in premedicine students. Teaching Sociology, 53(2), 110–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X241268787
Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. Oxford University Press.
Morris, T. H. (2020). Experiential learning—A systematic review and revision of Kolb’s model. Interactive Learning Environments, 28(8), 1064–1077. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2019.1570279
Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.
Tang, S. Y. F., Wong, A. K. Y., Li, D. D. Y., & Cheng, M. M. H. (2019). Examining student teachers’ engagement with the theory-practice link in initial teacher education. Journal of Education for Teaching, 45(2), 123–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2018.1548167
Walker, J. P., & Rocconi, L. M. (2021). Experiential learning student surveys: Indirect measures of student growth. Research & Practice in Assessment, 16(1), 21–35.
Weick, K. E. (1976). Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.2307/2391875
Wijnen-Meijer, M., Brandhuber, T., Schneider, A., & Berberat, P. O. (2022). Implementing Kolb’s experiential learning cycle by linking real experience, case-based discussion, and simulation. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 9, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1177/23821205221091511
Yin, T. T., Appalanaidu, S. R. A., & Setambah, M. A. B. B. (2026). Applying Sociology to Educational Management: Student Teachers Experiential Learning through School-Based Fieldwork. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(7), 1301–1316.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
