Professional passive practice mentoring system in study program ‘Teaching for pre-school education’ in Albanian HEI-s

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of the article is to provide an analysis of professional passive practice mentoring system for the course of (passive) teaching practice, in the study program ‘Teaching for pre-school education’ of Albanian HEIs and highlights important areas for improvement to better prepare teacher candidates for the demands of the labour market. The analysis is based on the three factors: monitoring of student progress (MSP); quality of support from the kindergarten; duration, in time, of course. The methodology used is a combination of quantitative content analysis and qualitative focus group interviews. The MSP for teacher candidates is based on two dimensions: their ability to identify the methodology used by the teacher in an observed practical lesson and quality of their lesson analysis as observers. A conclusion drawn from this analysis is that students’ progress is poor. Regarding the quality of support that students receive in kindergarten, judged as personal, social and/or professional, the conclusion is that is mainly on the personal level, random and unstructured. Another weak point, which contributes negatively to deepening the skills mismatch between the qualifications of HEI graduates and the actual skills required by the labour market, is the short duration of this professional practice.