Supervision that Speaks: Understanding Feedback Practices during School Internship

Abstract

The school internship in teacher education acts as a crucial bridge between theoretical coursework and actual classroom practice. Central to this transitional phase, the role of supervisory feedback significantly influences the professional development of student teachers. The present study, therefore, sought to investigate the nature and frequency of interactions between university supervisors and student teachers before, during, and after classroom teaching sessions, examine how student teachers implement supervisory feedback into their practice, identify challenges faced in the feedback process, and ultimately offer suggestions to make feedback practices more effective during the school internship through a mixed method research design. The quantitative data were collected through questionnaires, which were administered to student teachers, while qualitative insights were gathered through semi-structured interviews with a smaller sample of student teachers from the two-year B.Ed. programme of Tezpur University, Assam. The findings of the study indicate that although an important developmental role is played by the supervisory feedback, its effectiveness is largely dependent on its clarity, timeliness, relevance, and the nature of the interaction between the supervisor and the student teachers. Significant barriers to feedback implementation that emerged during the analysis were unclear and delayed feedback and lack of follow-up. The need for more collaborative, specific, and reflective feedback, supported by modelling suggestions and consistent mentoring, was therefore emphasized by the student teachers. The study calls for more structured, empathetic, and responsive feedback practices that align with the developmental needs of student teachers and foster their growth as reflective and competent educators