Effects of an Internship Upon Selected Goals of The Program

MANY COLLEGES and universities offering programs for the educa tion of teachers have in recent years turned to an internship for p r e service teaching experiences for the student. In the internship program, a student who usually is in the last year of his undergraduate program is provided long-term full-time experiences in a school classroom un der the direct supervision of both the classroom teacher and the college coordinator. This may constitute a major portion of a semester's or quarter's work. The student is expected, during the time spent in the classroom, to observe carefully the functioning of the class, parti cipate in a teaching capacity, and to discuss problems of the personnel of the school with the directing teacher and college coordinators. This study was an attempt to evaluate the internship experiences with special reference to: (1) emotional maturity and mental health, and (2) professional attitudes. Specifically, answers to the following questions were sought.