Student Teachers' Perceptions of Their Mentors as Internal Triggers for Learning

Source: Teaching Education, Volume 19, Issue 4, December 2008,
pages 279 - 292

The study described the different ways in which student teachers perceive the practice of their mentors as internal triggers for learning in their practicum experiences in the schools. Reported observations from pedagogical journals of 20 student teachers were described according to various kinds of teaching knowledge and skills. The data were further categorized as providing either support or challenge to student teachers' perceptions of learning to teach. The student teachers identified support and challenge in each one of the categories of teaching knowledge and skills, thereby supplying evidence for different kinds of emotional and cognitive triggers for learning. Based on the findings, the authors make some recommendations for supervision of mentoring relationships.