Understanding the Causes of Anxiety and Coping Strategies of Student- Teachers during Their Internship A Phenomenological Study
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Abstract
This study was intended to fulfill two purposes: 1) to identify the causes of student-teachers’ anxiety, and 2) to discover the coping strategies they employed during their internship program. The participants of this study were eight student-teachers who did their internship in the 2013-2014 academic year as required by their undergraduate program in education at a faith-based International University. The phenomenological approach was employed to understand their lived experiences in relation to anxiety and coping strategies during their teaching internship. Data were collected through individual meetings, group forums, observations and individual interviews. The study discovered that student-teachers’ anxiety was caused by various factors which can be grouped into three categories: preparation, classroom management and relationship. This study also identified four categories of coping mechanism employed by the student-teachers: adaptation, preparation, attitude and relationship. The findings of this study give cooperating teachers and internship supervisor insight into the experience of the eight student-teachers.
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