Abstract
This article presents the results of a descriptive and empirical research regarding the role of the primary school teacher as a mentor in the context of students’ internship at the Pedagogical Department of Primary Education of the University of the Aegean, as this role emerges according to the opinion of primary school teachers and university students. The aim is that these results be taken into consideration for the purpose of designing a mentoring internship model to be implemented at the Pedagogical Department of Primary Education of Aegean University.
From the point of view of methodology, the research’s sample consists of 40 teachers and 40 students who attended a scientific conference organised by the Pedagogical Department of Primary Education of the University of the Aegean in June 2016. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire specifically designed to meet the needs of the research and they were analysed by means of a descriptive analysis.
From the analysis of the questionnaires it was found that: the main reason why teachers get involved as mentors is to spread knowledge and experience; providing counseling support, developing pedagogical skills and stimulating reflection constitute the most important actions on the mentor’s side; last, scheduled meetings, in which the progress of teaching is discussed, are the most important means of “counseling” (interaction) between mentor and student.
In conclusion, the results of the research show that both primary school teachers and university students at the abovementioned Department consider that the teacher’s role as a mentor in students’ Internships is in many aspects important as regards facilitating and guiding students to attend mentoring programmes in the context of Internships at Pedagogical Departments.
