Manuscript Title:

INTERNSHIP DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC: EXPERIENCES OF STAKEHOLDERS OF TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

Author:

Dr. SWETA DVIVEDI, Dr. NITU KAUR, SWATI DWIVEDI, Dr. ARATI MISHRA

DOI Number:

DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/HPF64

Published : 2022-07-10

About the author(s)

1. Dr. SWETA DVIVEDI - Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Mizoram University.
2. Dr. NITU KAUR - Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Mizoram University.
3. SWATI DWIVEDI - Research Scholar, Department of Education, Mizoram University.
4. Dr. ARATI MISHRA - Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Mizoram University.

Full Text : PDF

Abstract

With the emergence of the COVID 19 pandemic, the delivery of proper classes to the students became a global issue. Educational institutions tried to deal with this problem by adopting certain methods to continue the teaching-learning process and switching to online platforms was the most prominent solution. Shifting classes on an online platform was convenient for higher education general degree courses but for courses that were professional; came across so many hitches. The teacher-training course is a professional course and for this programme, problems were more layered because, in spite of it being part of higher education level, it is dependent on schools for internship. In such a situation, the teacher-training institutions (TTIs) had to bear the brunt of the opening of institutions in several phases because the reopening period of schools and higher education institutions was different. This was one of the major reasons why TTIs were unable to match with schools to conduct internship programme with school students as in previous years. The present study is an attempt to study the perceptions and experiences of student teachers (STs) and teacher educators (TEs) regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of the internship program organized in the TTIs during the COVID-19 lockdown period. In this study, multiphase sampling was used for the collection of data. At the first phase, using a structured questionnaire, data was collected to find out the perception of STs and TEs of different TTIs in India regarding internship programme. Further, as per the responses, some auxiliary information was obtained through telephonic interviews. The results of the study indicate that in the majority of institutions online mode of the internship was practiced. However, for internship some institutions adopted a blended mode; online as well as offline mode. Since this was the first time that such arrangements were tried, both the teacher and the taught held a positive perception of the modality which was wisely chosen amidst the pandemic. However, many drawbacks were also cited owing to lack of preparedness and uncertainty prevailing over the whole education sector. It was concluded that the unique first-hand experiences of the STs and TEs will serve as a vital resource for proper planning and preparedness for organizing teacher training internships in future amidst any time of uncertainty.


Keywords

Internship, Teacher Training Institution. Student teachers, Teacher Educator, COVID 19.