STUDENT TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS ON EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL INTERNSHIP

The school internship program is to engage students in service activities primarily for providing them with hands-on experience that enhances their learning of issues relevant to teaching. The present study is a descriptive survey that aimed to assess the perceptions of 77 student teachers of four years B.A/ B.Ed. integrated program for the school internship program. Data was collected by using a ve-point Likert scale and focused group discussions. Student teachers viewed the school internship program as a real opportunity to rene and improve their teaching skills and mentor teachers played an important role in enhancing their teaching skills. Student teachers were found to be highly satised with the dimmensions of professional and institutional socialization; socio-emotional aspects; and professional identity and vocational competencies. For learning and professional development, interns viewed that more opportunities be provided to them for the usage of a variety of teaching-learning materials and teaching methods. Student teachers were not satised with the support and supervision provided during the internship as no demonstrations lessons were delivered and there was a lack of coordination between mentor teacher and university supervisor. In the focussed group discussions, student teachers highlighted the need for availability of good teaching resources in schools and their involvement in all activities of the school. The challenges perceived by mentor teachers were non-availability of written guidelines.