Student Teaching Interview

Abstract

This chapter examines four teacher candidates’ perception of their teaching readiness by providing them a forum during a structured-interview where they could be free to share their reflection of who they are and how they perceived their aspiring profession. The interviews were conducted in person with three instructors while they were student teaching and in writing after completing their teaching training. Self-reflective practice among teacher candidates gives them an opportunity to externalize inner thoughts, feeling, and beliefs. Through the interviews, it was learned the four teacher candidates’ perception of learners, their degree of self-efficacy beliefs, how they use self-regulatory strategies, their perception of diverse and urban learners, classroom management skills, willingness to delay gratification, and perception of the support they have received by their institution, faculty, and peers. The interviews revealed that help seeking was for these four teachers a paramount self-regulatory strategy, which they attributed to the success of their teaching training.