An Assessment of the Administration of Teaching Practice in a Teacher Training Institution of Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study sought to assess the administration of teaching practice in a primary education teacher training institution in Zimbabwe. The chosen population consisted of lecturers, school mentors and student teachers. Convenience sampling was used to select primary schools in Gwanda town. These were four in total. From these, purposive sampling was used to select heads of schools, teachers who were student-teacher mentors and student teachers who were in teaching practice. There were twelve teachers in total, and there were twelve student teachers. Purposive sampling was also applied to select lecturers who manned the chosen institution's teaching practice department. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the heads of schools and lecturers, while focus group discussion guides were used to gather data from teachers and student teachers, respectively. As one of the core findings, it unveiled that some students went for teaching practice inadequately prepared to meet associated demands. Furthermore, some mentors seemed burdened by constantly supervising the student teachers while at the same time executing other school duties done by other teachers who were not mentors. Based on these, the study recommends intensification of the assessment of the readiness of student teachers to engage in the teaching practice exercise before the institution releases them to schools. In addition, teachers who are assigned the role of student-teacher mentorship should be relieved of other school duties as this might enhance their commitment to student-teacher development.