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.