PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ PRIOR EXPECTATIONS AND THEIR ACTUAL EXPERIENCES OF TEACHING MATHEMATICS DURING PEDAGOGICAL INTERNSHIP IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

Pedagogical internship (PI) is an important component of teacher training programmes in Zimbabwe. It is envisaged to give student teachers experience in the classroom. However, the variation between the theoretical expectations of pre-service teachers (PST) and their actual experiences in the field has been a relational lacuna in academic research in Zimbabwe. This research sought to address this by presenting data on the relation between college PSTs’ expectations about teaching mathematics and their actual experiences during PI in Zimbabwe. The study shares findings from a mixed methods study that employed two questionnaires completed by 120 PST before and during PI respectively, and a third questionnaire administered to school-based mentors. The researcher also conducted in-depth interviews with a few selected PSTs and teacher educators to elicit their views about the PSTs’ practices. The results show that there is, indeed, a conflictual relationship between the PSTs’ expectations of teaching mathematics and their experiences in the classroom. PSTs showed a consistent anticipation that they would sail through PI without many difficulties, but this expectancy turned out to be idealistic and impractical. The research also established that PSTs’ expectations about teaching mathematics prior to PI can influence their field practices, hence, determining their opportunities to learn to teach the subject. It is recommended that teacher training institutions organize programmes for PSTs before PI to prepare and acquaint them fully with the skills that are needed to face challenges of teaching that may otherwise come as a shock during PI. Keywords: expectations of teaching, field experiences, mathematics knowledge, pedagogical internship (PI), pre-service teachers (PSTs)