According to the theoretical foundations and policy documents of teacher education in Iran, the practicum program at Farhangian University is regarded as the primary context for developing the reflective teacher and for bridging academic knowledge with professional practice. Nevertheless, its implementation has been accompanied by widespread evidence of discontinuity, formalism, and diminished effectiveness in fostering professional learning. This study aims to explain this paradox by addressing the following question: How, and through the interaction of policy, institutional, and experiential factors, does a reflective teacher–oriented practicum at Farhangian University become a fragmented and ineffective professional learning experience for student teachers? The study employed a qualitative basic research design. Data were collected through an official inquiry conducted by the university's central administration with all 31 campuses of Farhangian University nationwide. Written responses were received from 26 campuses in 2023 and 24 campuses in 2025 and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the departure of the practicum from the ideal of the reflective teacher is not merely the result of implementation deficiencies, as commonly assumed. Rather, it emerges from the interaction of three interconnected processes. The principal contribution of this study is the development of an explanatory framework that conceptualizes this process as a multilevel mechanism, leading to a clear policy implication: the realization of the reflective teacher cannot be achieved through isolated or incremental reforms, but requires the simultaneous redesign of program logic, institutional capacities, and the field-based practicum experience. Accordingly, the study proposes a shift from a reflective teacher reduced to research-oriented training toward a professionally reflective teacher as a guiding policy and curriculum direction for rethinking the practicum program at Farhangian University.