Issues and Concerns Faced By Undergraduate Language Student Teachers during Teaching Practicum Experiences

Abstract

This study examined specific issues and concerns faced by Bachelor of Education student teachers majoring in Language and Literature during their 12-week teaching practicum experience. Specifically, three main areas of concerns were examined. They were (1) specific issues and concerns related to the implementation of teaching practicum faced by the student teachers. (2) Effect of interactions with the mentor teachers and faculty supervisor on the effectiveness of the practicum experience, and (3) the expectations of the mentor teacher and faculty supervisors on the performance of the student s during their practicum experience. The findings indicated that student teachers were concerned over a series of instructional, administration and student management issues during their practicum experience. Besides, the interactions with their mentor teachers and faculty supervisors, and their expectations of their student teachers seemed to have affected the performance of the student teachers during the practicum experience. The concerns they expressed in study therefore were genuine and they must be duly addressed by the faculty supervisors, mentor teachers, faculty management, faculty curriculum developers and school management.