Evaluation of Online Mentoring of Practicum for Limited Licensed Teachers

Abstract

This study investigated the use of online mentoring in giving professional support to 26 limited licensed teachers doing a practicum in the area of emotional/behavioral disorders. The practicum involved planning, implementing and evaluating an intervention for a learner in the teacher's classroom who displayed longstanding problems in behavior. Each limited licensed teacher, called a practicum teacher, was assigned one or two mentors. The practicum teachers were responsible for posting weekly progress reports on their practicum activities and engaging in an online dialogue with their mentors. The mentor's role was to provide ongoing guidance and consultation to the practicum teachers. Data sources, such as a questionnaire, online observation of the mentoring process, the practicum teachers' reflection logs, and the practicum teachers' and mentors' responses to open-ended questions were analyzed to evaluate: (1) the structure of the practicum, (2) the practicum teachers' and mentors' perceptions of online mentoring, and (3) the difficulties faced by the practicum teachers and mentors in online mentoring. Results indicated that the practicum teachers and mentors gave very positive evaluations of both the practicum experience and the online mentoring process.