Paid internship in preschool teacher education: Mentors’ and principals’ experiences

Abstract

Paid internship has been available to student preschool teachers in their graduate year since autumn 2019, when the government established a five-year campaign that aimed at increasing the number of teachers at all educational levels. The internship involves a 50% position working in a pre-or primary school with guidance from a school-based mentor and a university teacher. Students are awarded 30 ECTS for the internship which is the professional responsibility of the university, including attached courses. The principal is responsible for organizing the internship within the school and selecting a mentor among the teachers, in line with the student teachers’ focus. The school-based mentor needs to be a licenced teacher, with at least three years of experience. His role involves giving the students personal and professional guidance of at least 6 hours per month (Stjórnarráð Íslands, 2021). Previous studies have shown that good collaboration between university and schools is crucial to a successful internship (Butler & Cuenca,
2012; Grimmett et al., 2018). Furthermore, research has demonstrated that a successful internship includes professional communication between the mentor and the student where the mentor sees his role as a teacher educator (Grimmett et al., 2018). Mentors with formal training in mentoring are better prepared for their roles, according to previous studies (Birna Svanbjörnsdóttir et al., 2020; Butler & Cuenca, 2012; Leshem, 2014; Russell
& Russell, 2011). Such training is on offer to teachers at all school levels, by the University of Iceland, School of Education, and by the University of Akureyri (Háskóli Íslands, e.d.-b; Háskólinn á Akureyri, e.d.).
This study focuses on paid internships for preschool student teachers, aiming to explore the experiences of preschool-based mentors and preschool principals regarding the internship, and how they understand their own roles in this context. A previous study examined the experiences of the students themselves, indicating that they were satisfied with the internship and found it empowering and professionally fostering (Ingibjörg Ósk
Sigurðardóttir & Svava Björg Mörk, 2024). The findings from both studies constitute an important foundation for further developing the arrangements of the internship.
Data for this study was gathered through twelve interviews (Helga Jónsdóttir, 2021), seven of which were conducted with preschool-based mentors and five with preschool principals. Twelve preschool-based mentors and nine preschool principals took part in the study. Participants were asked about their views on their own roles and their experiences of the internship program. All participants had supervised student preschool teachers in the paid internship while on offer, most of them having guided more than one student over the period. The mentors had considerable experience as preschool teachers, or from ten up to 30 years. The principals had up to 34 years of experience as such. The mentors found it important to listen to each student’s needs and understand his background, when it comes to guidance. They understood their role as to support, encourage and listen to the student, not to take the control and steer what the student does or focuses on. Lack of time was the main challenge in relation to mentoring according
to the mentors. The preschool principals were unsure about their own role and most of them had put their trust on the mentors and being available for them if needed. The study’s findings indicate that preschool-based mentors and preschool principals believe
it is important to strengthen students’ professionalism and self-confidence during the internship. According to them this can be done by providing purposeful guidance, better training and preparation for the mentors, clarifying the roles of preschool principals, improving the arrangement and time management of conversations, and enhancing collaboration with universities to ensure mutual benefits for all parties. The findings indicate clear benefits of paid internships for the student preschool teachers, mentor teachers, and the professional environment of the preschool. The findings can be useful for further developing the structure of paid internships and strengthening the collaboration between schools and universities.