A C172R TRAINING FLT GOES IMC IN VFR FLT DURING A VFR PRACTICE APCH TO RWY 14 AT DTN; LA.

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I WAS FLYING A CESSNA 172R WITH MY INST INSTRUCTOR. WE WERE WORKING ON APCHS AT DTN AND SHV AND NIGHT LNDGS. WE DEPARTED DTN WITH 10 SM VISIBILITY AND CEILINGS RPTED ABOVE 5000 FT WITH AN AIRMET FOR OCCASIONAL CEILINGS 1500 FT. WE DEPARTED DTN APPROX XA30 CST ON A VFR FLT PLAN AND EXECUTED APCHS LOC 14 DTN AND ILS RWY 32 SHV IN GOOD WX (WELL ABOVE VFR MINIMUMS). AFTER OUR MISSED APCH ON THE ILS RWY 32 AT SHV; WE INTENDED TO PRACTICE THE VOR 14 DTN AND STAY WITH DTN TWR FOR TOUCH-AND-GO LNDGS. AS WE WERE VECTORED FOR THE VOR 14 DTN APCH; WE NOTICED LOW-LEVEL CLOUDS THAT APPEARED BROKEN OR OVCST. OUR CURRENT HDG THEN WAS N; THE ARPT (DTN) WAS APPROX E OF US; AND THE CLOUDS WERE N OF US. I ASKED MY INSTRUCTOR IF HE THOUGHT WE WOULD ENTER THE CLOUDS; IF THE CLOUDS WERE ALONG OUR APCH PATH. HE TOLD ME HE DIDN'T THINK SO. I WAS NOT USING A HOOD (WE HAD FORGOTTEN IT); BUT WAS STILL USING ONLY REF TO THE INSTS TO FLY AND DID NOT LOOK OUTSIDE TO CONFIRM HIS CONCLUSION. AS WE INTERCEPTED THE APCH COURSE; IT BECAME MORE OBVIOUS THAT THE CLOUDS WOULD LIKELY BE IN OUR PATH. THE CITY (S AND W OF DTN) WAS STILL BRIGHTLY VISIBLE; BUT I COULD NOT EASILY MAKE OUT DTN WHEN I LOOKED UP. I WAS HESITANT TO FLY INTO THE CLOUDS AND WAS PREOCCUPIED WITH THE SIT; AND WAS LOSING FOCUS ON THE APCH COURSE. I ASKED MY INSTRUCTOR IF WE SHOULD 'CALL UP' ATC; BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND. I IMAGINE HE WAS DECIDING WHAT WE SHOULD DO AT THAT POINT. WE WERE ASKED TO RPT OUR FAF (WAFER) AND WERE LATE ON THAT CALL WHILE AT THE SAME TIME LOSING OUR APCH COURSE (WIND PUSHED US SW OFF THE COURSE) AND NOT DSNDING AT A QUICK ENOUGH RATE (WE WERE NEAR 1700 FT MSL). WE DSNDED INTO THE CLOUDS FOR ABOUT 1-2 SECONDS BEFORE COMING OUT OF THE BASE. WE RPTED PASSING OUR FAF (LATE) AND REALIZING WE WERE OFF COURSE; BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE ARPT. REALIZING WE WERE ABOVE THE ARPT; WE EXECUTED A DSNDING L TURN 360 DEGS. DURING THAT TURN; DTN TWR INFORMED US THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE TFC ABOVE THE ARPT; CIRCLING; TO WHICH WE REPLIED 'I THINK THAT IS US.' WE FINISHED OUR DSNDING TURN BY ENTERING A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 32 AND WERE CLRED FOR LNDG 32 DTN. WE LANDED WITH NO FURTHER EVENTS AND ENDED OUR FLT. I ASSUME THAT OVERCONFIDENCE OR COMPLACENCY MAY HAVE CAUSED MY INSTRUCTOR TO HESITATE FILING AN IFR PLAN ON THE APCH. FOR MYSELF; LOSS OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DUE TO DISTR; CONFUSION; DEPENDENT UPON MY EXPERIENCE (LACK OF) IN IMC; AND WHAT I ASSUMED MY INSTRUCTOR WOULD DO; LACK OF COM AND OVERCONFIDENCE/COMPLACENCY IN THE ROLE OF MY INSTRUCTOR ALL LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO THE RESULT.