Giving a Listening Ear: Male Student Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives of Practicum Supervision

Authors

Keriffe R. Clark, Association of Graduate Researchers in Education, The University of the West Indies, MonaFollow

Abstract

Exploring the minute number of male teachers within the classroom is certainly not a new discourse as teaching has increasingly become a feminised profession. Therefore, as male student teachers take on the challenge of becoming teachers, it is imperative that we listen to them as they recount their supervision experiences. These experiences are significantly influenced and impacted by teacher educators and cooperating teachers who are tasked with the responsibility to provide high quality and effective supervision, especially during teaching practicum. Additionally, acknowledging that to attain positive outcomes attached to student teaching experiences, Hunt et al. (2015) have reasoned that teaching practicum is essential in the process of developing quality teachers. Thus, the quality of supervision male student teachers need is heavily dependent on the capacity and expertise of those who supervise them. However, Slick (as cited in Bates & Burbank, 2008) posited that within teacher training programmes and colleges, student teacher supervision is not highly regarded. The purpose, therefore, of this study was to explore, through a phenomenological qualitative nature, the experiences, and perceptions that three final year male student teachers have of the quality and level of supervision they received from college supervisors and cooperating teachers throughout teaching practicum. The insights shared, therefore, provide a reference point to influence the practice and dispositions of college supervisors and cooperating teachers. Additionally, this study provides a premise to conduct additional studies of male student teachers’ experiences and perceptions of teaching practicum and supervision, especially within the Jamaican context.

Keywords

male student teacher, college supervisor, cooperating teacher, teaching practicum, developmental supervision

Author Bio(s)

Keriffe R. Clark is a teacher educator/lecturer with over nine years of experience as an education practitioner who has taught at the primary, secondary, and tertiary level. He is the president of the Association of Graduate Researchers in Education (AGRE) at the University of the West Indies, Mona (2018-2020) and programmes officer at the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL), an agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Jamaica. Please direct correspondence to kerclrk@gmail.com.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express gratitude to my research mentors, Dr. Saran Stewart and Dr. Carmel Roofe Bowen for providing guidance, support and the motivation to consistently engage in research with the ultimate goal of improving the level and quality of education we offer to our nation. Thanks as well to the student teachers who participated in the study and to Dr. Therese Ferguson Murray for the inspiration and guidance to augment my qualitative research skills.

Publication Date

6-3-2021

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4572

Recommended APA Citation

Clark, K. R. (2021). Giving a Listening Ear: Male Student Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives of Practicum Supervision. The Qualitative Report, 26(6), 1705-1723. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4572