The Development of Pedagogical Intership: Mentor and Student Activity and Experience Aspects

Abstract

It is without doubt, that student pedagogical internship intention is to help future teachers to develop cross-cultural, general, professional and special competencies, acquiring necessary skills for practical work. On the other hand, this is verification of the acquired competencies in education practice. During the internship pedagogical work practical abilities are being improved. The internship itself is an inseparable part of pedagogical studies. It is necessary to much more strengthen pedagogical internship: its organisation, student and mentor collaboration, education activity reflection, feedback analysis and its use in the study process improvement and other. By this research it has been sought to ascertain what support for students during the pedagogical internship supplies mentor, to analyse the performed functions of the practitioners and their experience, and to present mentor characteristics referring to students' opinions and evaluations. 77 bachelor study final year students from two Lithuanian universities participated in the qualitative research. The research results show that mentor help and participation in the internship process are very important, regardless of their performed function complexity. Mentor competencies have a crucial importance in the pedagogical internship results. It is purposeful to constantly research internship participant opinions on these actual pedagogical study questions.

Keywords

• qualitative research
• pedagogical internship
• study improvement
• university students