Students’ satisfaction with their internship: A case study of the Department of Educational Sciences and Social Work (DES & SW) at the University of Patras

Abstract

Internship is considered a matter of paramount importance as it links theory with practice and prepares prospective teachers for their entry into the profession. The question raised is whether prospective teachers themselves feel satisfied with their internship. The purpose of our research was to investigate both the organization of the internship in Departments of Primary Education (DPEs) and the satisfaction of students with their internship in a specific Department (DES&SW). In this paper, we focus on the latter. Our research was conducted using a mixed-method approach (with questionnaires and individual semi-structured interviews) during the 2023-2024 academic year with fourth-year students who had completed their internship. The results of our study showed that students are generally satisfied with their internship. However, lower levels of student satisfaction were associated with the available educational material and the duration of the internship.