Abstract:

This qualitative study sought to examine how micro-teaching as a process enhances teaching performance and self-efficacy as perceived by first-year student teachers. Microteaching is defined as a system of "organised practice teaching" that makes it feasible to concentrate on specified teaching conduct and practise teaching under controlled conditions. It involves videotaping a student teacher teaching a small class of peers for a short time and targeting one or more educational outcomes. The students take turns to present to the lecturer or mentor. There is immediate feedback regarding the teaching process. Research implores first-year student teachers to be familiar with micro-teaching so they can perfect their teaching skills through frequent feedback and constant reflection on their micro-lesson. Micro-lesson activities enhance a student teacher’s self-efficacy. Herein, a student teacher's belief in his or her own abilities to demonstrate a required behavior or skill to achieve the intended outcome in the art of teaching is enhanced. Microteaching and observation are common teacher training strategies which enable student teachers to develop their teaching skills by focusing on specific teaching skills. In collecting data for the study, we used a convenient sample of twenty first year student teachers enrolled for the Bachelor of Education Senior Phase (SP) & Further Education and Training (FET) programmes at the Central University of Technology. The sample participated through focus group discussions. Thematic data analysis was employed in processing the data. The results highlighted the significance that feedback to first- year student teachers was critical in enabling them to self-reflect and enhance their teaching performance. The study revealed the cardinality of induction support for the student teachers. Without it, students felt disoriented and demotivated as novice teachers, therefore, such support is crucial in teacher training programmes.

Keywords:

Student teachers, micro-teaching, self-efficacy.