Abstract
The value of theory has always been a point of contention in teacher education. Even though increasing the quality of teacher training is in the hands of all stakeholders in educational contexts, understanding the way students perceive theory may be the key point that could guide us.
This paper investigates the students' perceptions of Final State Exams (FSE) in terms of the assessment criteria. In the context of qualitative we have research carried out semi-structured interviews with 8 student-teachers before and after their FSE.
The research findings indicate that pre-service teachers perceive theory and practice as separate issues. We discuss some possibilities for further development of teacher education courses so that theory and practice can be understood and assessed as an interconnected process.