Mentors Views on Mathematics and Science Student Teachers School Experience
top of page
Asian Institute of Research, Journal Publication, Journal Academics, Education Journal, Asian Institute
Asian Institute of Research, Journal Publication, Journal Academics, Education Journal, Asian Institute

Education Quarterly Reviews

ISSN 2621-5799

asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
crossref
doi
open access

Published: 03 July 2020

Mentors Views on Mathematics and Science Student Teachers School Experience

Leonard Nkhata, Asiana Banda, David Chituta, Jack Jumbe, Beauty Choobe

The Copperbelt University, Zambia

asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
pdf download

Download Full-Text Pdf

doi

10.31014/aior.1993.03.03.140

Pages: 285-299

Keywords: Student Teachers, Mentors, School Experience, Classroom Management, Instructional Strategies, Behavioural Patterns, Co - Curricular Activities, Mentoring

Abstract

This study investigated mentors’ views on Mathematics and Science student teachers’ school experience with a focus on student teachers’ classroom management practices, instructional strategies, student-mentor relationships, behaviour patterns, and participation in co – curricular activities. It utilized a descriptive survey design on a sample of 60 mentors, 43 males and 17 females, randomly drawn from the departments of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in twenty two (22) secondary schools across Zambia. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used in data collection. SPSS was used to analyse quantitative data to arrive at descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means and standard deviations while qualitative data were transcribed and then analysed using Atlas.ti. The study revealed that mentors had positive thoughts of Mathematics and Science student teachers’ classroom management practices, and instructional strategies. It was also evident that a positive rapport was created between mentors and student teachers and that mentors saw Student Teachers’ behavioural patterns as generally acceptable and upheld professional ethics. Furthermore, mentors were satisfied with the levels of student teachers’ participation in co – curricular activities. The study results revealed, therefore, that mentors had positive thoughts of the student teachers school experience.

References

  1. Ahmad, I., Rauf, M., Zeb, A., Rehman, S., Khan, R., Rashid, A., & Ali, F. (2012).Teachers’ Perceptions of Classroom Management, Problems and its Solutions: Case of Government Secondary Schools in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(24), 173.

  2. Anderson, L. (2011). Research in Education. London, England: Routledge.

  3. Armstrong, D. A. (1976). Equipping Student-Teachers to Deal with Classroom Control

  4. Problems. High School Journal, 60, 1-9.

  5. Al Najei, H. (2000). The evaluation of pre-service teacher preparation program at the

  6. University of Mutah from the perspective of graduate students. Muta for Research and Studies, 1(3), 179-205.

  7. Arnold, P. (2002). Cooperating teachers' professional growth through supervision of student teachers and participation in a collegial study group. Teacher Education Quarterly, 29(2), 123 – 132.

  8. Azure, J. A. (2015). Influence of the pedagogical content knowledge of mentor teachers and college tutors to classroom practice of student teachers. American Journal of Educational Research, 3(10), 1216 – 1223.

  9. Barry, K., & King, L. (2002). Beginning Teaching and Beyond, (3rd Ed.). Tuggerah, NSW: Social Science Press.

  10. Berliner, D.C. (1988). Effective classroom management and instruction: A knowledge base for consultation. Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.

  11. Brimfield, R., & Leonard, R. (1983). The student teaching experience: A time to consolidate one’s perceptions. College Student Journal, 17, 401–406.

  12. Bubb, S. (2010). The Guide for New Teachers. New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.

  13. Chakanyuka, S. (2006). Mentoring in Education. Harare, Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Open University.

  14. Clarke, A., Triggs, V., & Nielsen, W. (2014). Cooperating teacher participation in teacher education: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 84(2), 163e202.

  15. Clement, M. C. (2002). What cooperating teachers are teaching student teachers about classroom management. The Teacher Educator, 38 (1), 47-62.

  16. Dodge, D., Rudick, S., & Colker, L. (2009). Learning Environment. The Creative Curriculum: Interest Areas. Retrieved from http://www.teachingstrategies.com/content/pageDocs/CC4_Ch2_exrpt.pdf

  17. Dreikurs, R., Grunwald, B. B., & Pepper, F.C. (1998). Maintaining sanity in the classroom: Classroom management techniques (2nd Ed.). Washington, DC: Taylor and Francis.

  18. Emmer, E. T., & Stough, L. M. (2001). Classroom management: A critical part of educational psychology, with implications for teacher education. Educational Psychologist, 36, 103-112.

  19. Evertson, C. M. & Weinstein, C. S. (Ed.). (2006). Handbook of Classroom Management: Research, Practice, and Contemporary Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  20. Feldman, J. R. (1997). Wonderful rooms where children can bloom. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

  21. Fernandez, M. L. & Erbilgin, E. (2009). Examining the supervision of mathematics student teachers through analysis of conference communications. Educational studies in mathematics, 72(1), 93-110.

  22. Freiberg, H.J., & Driscoll, A. (2005). Universal teaching strategies (4th Ed.). Boston:

  23. Pearson.

  24. Froyen, L. A., & Iverson, A. M. (1999). Schoolwide and classroom management: The reflective educator-leader (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

  25. Frykholm, J. A. (1996). Pre-service teachers in mathematics: Struggling with the standards. Teaching and Teacher Education, 12(6), 665-681. Doi: 10.1016/S0742-051X (96)00010-8.

  26. Ganser, T. (1996). What do mentors say about mentoring? Journal of Staff Development, 17

  27. (3), 36–39.

  28. Glen, W. J. (2006). Model versus mentor: defining the necessary qualities of the effective cooperating teacher. Teacher education quarterly, 33, 85-95.

  29. Goh, P. S., & Matthews, B. (2011). Listening To the Concerns of Student Teachers In

  30. Malaysia during Teaching Practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(3).

  31. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n3.2

  32. Guyton, E., & McIntyre, D. J. (1990). Student teaching and school experiences. In

  33. W. R. Houston (Ed.), Handbook of research on teacher education (pp. 514–534). New York: Macmillan.

  34. Halai, A. (2006). Mentoring in- service teachers: Issues of role diversity. Teaching and

  35. Teacher Education, 22, 700–710.

  36. Hammad, S. (2005). The reality of practicum in the areas of Al-Quds Open University in

  37. Gaza Governorates from the perspective of students. Journal of the Islamic University,13(1), 155-193.

  38. Haney, A. (1997). The role of mentorship in the workplace. In M. C. Taylor. (Ed.), Workplace education (pp. 211- 228). Toronto: Culture Concepts. Management and instruction: A knowledge base for consultation. Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.

  39. He, Y. (2010). Strength-based mentoring in pre-service teacher education: A literature review. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 17(3), 263–275.

  40. Holloway, J. (2001). The benefits of mentoring. Educational Leadership, 58(8), 85-86.

  41. Hudson, P. (2013). Mentoring as professional development: “Growth for both” mentor and mentee. Professional Development in Education, 39(5), 771e783.

  42. Hudson, P. (2010). Mentors report on their own mentoring practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(7), 30-42.

  43. Kagoda, A. M & Sentongo J. (2015). Practicing Teachers’ Perceptions of Teacher Trainees: Implications for Teacher Education, Horizon Research Publishing.

  44. Kiggundu, E., and Nayimuli, S. (2009). Teaching practice: A make or break phase for student teachers. South African Journal of Education, 29(3), 345-358.

  45. Kombo, N. J., & Kira, S. H. (2013). Issues in mentoring.  London, England: The Open University.

  46. Koskela, R., & Ganser, T. (1995, Feb 18-22). Exploring the role of cooperating teacher in relationship to personal career development. Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators, Detroit, MI.

  47. Lawrence, S. (2005). An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development. London, England: Butler and Tanner, Limited.

  48. Li, Y. (2009). The perspectives and experiences of Hong Kong preschool teacher mentors: Implications for mentoring. Teacher Development, 13(2), 147e158.

  49. Loizou, E. (2011). The diverse facets of power in early childhood mentor–student teacher relationships. European Journal of Teacher Education, 34(4), 373-386.

  50. Lu, H. L. (2010). Research on peer coaching in pre-service teacher education – A review of literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 748-753.

  51. Maphosa, C., Shumba, A., & Shumba, J. (2007). Mentorship for students on teaching practice in Zimbabwe: Are student teachers getting a raw deal? South African Journal of Higher Education, 2, 296-307.

  52. Maphosa, R., & Ndamba, G. T., (2012). Supervision and assessment of student teachers: A Journey of discovery for mentors in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 3(1), 76-82.

  53. Marais P, (2011). The significance of student teachers’ involvement in co-curricular activities. International Journal for e-Learning Security, 1(2), 81 – 88.

  54. Marais, P., & Meier, C. (2004). Hear our Voices: Student Teachers’ Experiences during Practical Teaching. African Education Review, 21, 296-307.

  55. Maria, L. F., & Evrim, E. (2009). Examining the supervision of mathematics student teachers through analysis of conference communications. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 72(1), 93 – 110.

  56. Marzano, R. J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, D. J. (2003). Classroom management that works. Research-based strategies for every teacher. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

  57. McNamara, D. (1992). The reform of teacher education in England and Wales. Teacher competence: panacea or rhetoric. Journal of Education for Teaching, 18, 273-275.

  58. Meister, D. G., & Melnick, S. A. (2003). National new teacher study: Beginning teachers’ concerns. Action in Teacher Education, 24 (4), 87-94.

  59. Milner, E. J. (Ed). (1959). The supervising teacher. Thirty-eighth yearbook of the Association for Student Teaching. Dubuque, Iowa: W. C. Brown.

  60. Nilsson, P. & Van Driel, J. (2010). Teaching together and learning together: Primary science student teachers’ and their mentors’ joint teaching and learning in the primary classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 1309-1318.

  61. Nkhata, L., Chituta, D., Banda, A., Choobe, B., & Jumbe, J. (2016). Mathematics and Science Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Management Practices during Practicum: A Case of Copperbelt University Students. American Journal of Educational Research, 4(15), 1106-1115.

  62. Oliver, R. M., & Reschly, D. J. (2007). Effective classroom management: Teacher preparation and professional development. TQ Connection Issue Paper on improving student outcomes in general and special education. Washington: National Comprehensive Centre for Teacher Quality. Retrieved from http://www.tqsource.org/topics/effectiveClassroomManagement.pdf

  63. Perry, R. (2004). Teaching practice for early childhood. A guide for students. Retrieved

  64. fromhttp://wwwRoutledge.comcatalogues./0418114838.pdf

  65. Pilarski, M. J. (1994). Student teachers: Underprepared for classroom management? Teaching

  66. Education, 6 (1), 77-80.

  67. Ralph, E. G (2000). Aligning mentorship style with the beginning teachers’ developments: Contextual supervision. Alta. J. Educ. Res. 46(4):211-326Samkange, W. (2015). Examining the role of the mentor in teacher education in Zimbabwe. Global Journal of Advanced Research, 2(2), 521-533.

  68. Roehrig, A., Pressley, M., & Talotta, D. (2002). In Roehrig A. D. Pressley. M. Talotta& D. A (Eds.),  Stories of beginning teachers: First year challenges and beyond . University of Notre Dame Press.

  69. Sempowicz, T., & Hudson, P. (2011). Analysing mentoring dialogues for developing a pre-service teacher’s classroom management practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(8), 1 - 16.

  70. Snowman, J., Dobozy, E., Scevak, J., Bryer, F., Bartlett, B., & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology: Applied to teaching. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons.

  71. Schatz-Oppenheimer, O. (2016). Being a mentor: Novice teachers' mentors' conceptions of mentoring prior training. Professional Development in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2016.1152591.

  72. Schwille, S. (2008). The professional practice of mentoring. American Journal of Education,

  73. 115, 139–167.

  74. Su, J. Z. X. (1992). Sources of influence in preservice teacher socialization. Journal of education for teaching, 18, 239-258

  75. Tan, O.S., Parsons, R. D., Hinson, S.L., & Sardo-Brown, D. (2003). Educational psychology: A practitioner- researcher approach. Australia: Thomson

  76. Tomlinson, P. (1995). Understanding mentoring: Reflective strategies for school-based teacher preparation. Buckingham: Open University Press.

  77. Tauer, S. M. (1998). The mentor-protégé relationship and its impact on the experienced teacher. Teacher and Teacher Education,14(20), 205–218.

  78. Vacc, N. N., & Bright, G. W. (1999). Elementary pre-service teachers' changing beliefs and instructional use of children's mathematical thinking. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30(1), 89-110.doi: 10.2307/749631.

  79. White, C. (1995). Making classroom management approaches in student education relevant.

  80. Teacher Education and Practice, 11(1), 15-21.

  81. White, D. (2000). Micro-teaching in initial teacher training. Harare, Zimbabwe: Longman.

  82. Wilkinson, K. (2009). Interpersonal communication between mentors and student teachers. California, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company

  83. Wunsch, M. (1994). New directions for mentoring: An organizational development perspective. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 57, 9–24.

  84. Yee, A. (1969). Do cooperating teachers influence the attitudes of student teachers? Journal of Educational Psychology, 60(4), 127-112.

  85. Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2007). Mentor teachers' work with prospective teachers in a newly formed professional development school: Two illustrations. Teachers College Record, 109 (3), 669e698.

bottom of page