Perspectives on Mentoring Support During Teaching Practicum in Local & International Settings

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the mentoring support given by the local and foreign mentors to English language teacher trainees during their teaching practicum. The practicum comprised two phases. In phase one, the trainees experienced a local teaching practicum for one month in Penang, Malaysia. In phase two, they went through an international teaching practicum in Indonesia for two months. The sample of this qualitative study comprised four respondents from Universiti Sains Malaysia, who voluntarily undertook the international teaching practicum in Jombang, Indonesia. All of them were females aged 24 years old. The data were collected from reflections and semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that in both phases, the mentors cumulatively provided cognitive, affective and, social support. All types of support augmented the teacher trainees' competence as future teachers.

Navigation of Teaching Practicum Challenges An Emerging Perspective of Pre-Service Teachers

“…These challenges made it difficult for teachers to maintain discipline and create a conducive learning environment, affecting their ability to deliver practical lessons. These results are similar to the studies by Kamila (2021); Shah et al, (2021); Abdullah et al, (2020). Prospective teachers reported a lack of engagement and support from the administration, leading to issues such as frequent changes in the timetable and lack of planning and guidance.…”

“…Teaching practicum encompasses a spectrum of experiences for prospective teachers, involving various aspects like psychological, emotional, and social elements, overseen by expert mentors Zhu, et al, 2020). It is widely regarded as the most complex part of teacher education, involving challenges related to duration, pacing, planning, assessment, coursework, and mentoring (Abdullah et al, 2020). Sathappan and Gurusamy (2019) suggest using reflective journals and maintaining regular reflections to enhance pedagogical skills and subject matter knowledge.…”

Voice of EFL mentor teachers: Mentorship for mutual professional development.

“…In the Indonesian context, generally, previous research studies have focused on pre-service teachers' professional learning during teaching practice (See Abdullah et al, 2020;Hapsari & Ena, 2019;Iqbal & Nuraeni, 2017;Iswandari, 2017;Raharjo & Iswandari, 2019;Wati, 2020). Findings from these numerous research papers can be categorized into several themes related to their involvement in teaching practice programs: pre-service teachers' role, types of professional identity tensions and strategies, classroom management, mentoring support in Local Teaching Practice (LTP), and International Teaching Practice (ITP) settings.…”

Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflection Logs: Pieces of Evidence of Transformative Teaching and Emancipation

“…Teachers are also provided with teaching and learning theories which would guide them as they embark on their journey with the learners towards engagement, enlightenment, empowerment, productivity, competence, and excellence (Abdullah et al, 2020;Doğan & Yurtseven, 2018;Huong et al 2020;Littky & Grabelle, 2012;Liu & Liao, 2019;Nool, 2012;Özdemir, 2020;Qadhi et al, 2020;Rahiem, Abdullah & Krauss, 2020;Sela-Shayovitz & Finkelstein, 2020). Likewise, teachers need to choose appropriate theories to suit the learning needs of the students (Zhang, Kuusisto & Tirri, 2020).…”