The Reflections of the English Language Teaching Department Students on Internship Programs: A Case of Erbil

Abstract

Practice teaching for pre-service teachers is a crucial affair before starting their carrier. It is considered one of the fundamental elements of whole teaching programs of education faculties since the teacher candidates find the opportunities to observe and practice their theoretical knowledge through practice teaching programs in schools. Within this context, the present research sought to reveal the reflections of the education faculty’s seniors on practice teaching course utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods. A private university’s English Language Teaching department’s seniors in Erbil were selected by convenience sampling as research sample, and 31 students participated in the questionnaire. A semi-structured survey used for this study including the parts of demographics, knowledge, skills and dispositions, field experiences and practice teaching, quality of instruction and two open-ended questions. The results indicated that most of the students expressed their positive reflections on their internship program. They believe the internship programs enable them to enhance their teaching skills and prepare them for real classroom atmosphere before graduation.