Abstract
This study examines the pilot phase of a yearlong early childhood residency internship versus a traditional internship. Researchers from a mid-sized, public university in the Southeast interviewed and surveyed education majors, cooperating teachers, administrators, and university professors at the conclusion of the candidates’ Senior I and II internship. Results indicated that a majority of the candidates preferred the year-round model; specifically, those in the year-round program reported increased skill and confidence in classroom management, deeper pedagogical and content knowledge and felt overall better prepared than candidates in the traditional, semester-long internship. In addition, more yearlong candidates secured teaching positions in the first month following graduation than candidates from the traditional program. Education faculty also saw evidence of deeper, more meaningful reflections and more studious work habits from the yearlong group when they returned for seminar classes in the evening. Finally, interviews with school administrators revealed they felt more comfortable hiring candidates from the yearlong group due to the relationships formed during their time in the school. Professors did report minor animosity between the traditional and the yearlong candidates due to the latter groups’ closeness with so many of the school personnel that simply was not possible for candidates in the traditional internship.
Recommended Citation
Carroll, Kimberly; Costner, Richard; Ratcliff, Nancy J.; and Hunt, Gilbert
(2018)
"Yearlong residency or traditional internships? The preferences of the stakeholders and rationale for their choices,"
Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina: Vol. 12:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/tejsc/vol12/iss1/5