Teacher Candidates' Struggles: Instructors’ Perspectives

Teacher candidates admitted to consecutive Initial Teacher Education programs usually have about nine months to complete all program requirements. Because of the intensity and demands of the program, some candidates may experience difficulties, causing them to struggle during their studies. This paper is a continuation of an ongoing mixed-methods study investigating the causes of teacher candidates’ struggles; identifying types of struggles, their severity, and prevalence; and surveying the actions taken by program instructors and teacher candidates. Building on the first qualitative phase, in the second phase, we are developing a survey to assess the prevalence and severity of different types of struggles, help seeking behaviours, and available support systems. Because struggles may have direct or indirect consequences for teacher candidates and for the students taught by these candidates, the results of this study will enable us to better understand and identify struggles and to implement effective support systems.