Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Classroom Management Skills during Teaching Practice: Perspectives of University Supervisors

Abstract

South African universities have been under tremendous pressure to improve preservice teachers’ quality and implement the Minimum Requirement for Teacher Education (MRTEC) as a direct response to the outcry of poor training of teachers. Preservice teachers face classroom management challenges during their teaching practice. Therefore, this study aims to identify the gap in the training programme and propose alternative pathways that might improve classroom practice to enable preservice teachers to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This study draws on classroom observation by university supervisors during teaching practice. Six university supervisors were purposively and conveniently sampled to participate in this study. Online narrative reflections, Zoom group meetings, and WhatsApp one-on-one semi-structured interviews were used to generate data as part of qualitative inquiry. Findings identify weak coordination between fundamental modules and co-modules as the hindrance to effective classroom management. Yet, university supervisors are critical of the poor implementation of classroom management skills as though they are immune from the training process. Therefore, this study recommends that the Teaching Practice Unit introduce a compulsory practical demonstration centre that will use nearby schools before practice teaching officially commences.