Thai cooperating teachers' motivations and challenges in supervising student teachers during their internship program

Abstract

In Thai teacher education, cooperating teachers play a vital role in educating student teachers during their internship for the fifth and final year of the students' Bachelor of Education program. This study sought to understand Thai cooperating teachers' motivations and challenges in supervising student teachers for the internship. Outcomes are reported from a dataset consisting of 171 responding cooperating teachers who took the Mentoring Perspectives Inventory. All quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that cooperating teachers were significantly more motivated than challenged in this work. They were equally motivated by benefits to themselves and others and were equally challenged by interpersonal issues and systemic issues. Recognizing and understanding cooperating teachers' motivations and challenges can form the basis for reflecting upon and rethinking the components of teacher preparation programs in Thailand. Key outcomes from this study suggest: (1) empowering cooperating teachers; (2) designing professional learning for their mentoring practices; and (3) further investigating their thinking and reasoning in practicum settings.