Problems Related to Participants\u27 Roles and Programmatic Goals in Student Teaching Supervision

Current practices regarding the roles of cooperating teachers and university supervisors and the goals of student teaching were examined through an analysis of student teaching handbooks from midwest teacher education programs. Handbooks, representing 61 of the 340 teacher education programs in 13 midwest states, were analyzed to determine the roles assigned to cooperating teachers and university supervisors and to compare the goals of these programs to the outcomes measured in their evaluation instruments. The study found that student teaching materials lacked clear statements of program goals and objectives and lacked clear definitions of the roles of cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Correlation analysis indicated a lack of congruence between the stated program goals and the outcomes assessed in evaluative criteria. Recommendations relate to the clarity in defining roles and tasks and consistency between goals and outcomes