| Abstract: | This study investigates factors affecting the implementation of mentoring student teachers
of the language stream in pre-service teacher education.
Questionnaire and interview were used as primary data collection instruments.
The results of the study revealed that the majority of the school based mentors under
study have no training on mentoring skills, no workshop, no seminar etc. They also have
no reading materials related to mentoring. These, in turn, made the school- based
mentors unable to carryout their mentoring roles effectively.
Further more, the two teacher education colleges have loose relationship with their
partner schools. As a result, they (the colleges) failed to establish an accountability
system for the whole of practicum, activities in general and for school-based mentoring
in particular.
It was found that several factors hinder the implementation of mentoring in practicum.
These include:
• Considering mentoring as an extra responsibility on the part of school-based
mentors,
• Inappropriacy of the practicum,
• lack of assistance from school administrators, the number of student teachers
working with a mentor, etc.
Based on the results of the findings conclusions were drawn and recommendations
were made. |
