| Abstract: | Many university faculties of education across Australia employ a model of internship for final semester pre-service teacher
education students to help them make a smooth transition into the teaching profession. While a growing body of research has
explored pre-service teachers’ experiences of their practicum, including the internship, which is the final professional experience
within a course of study, very little work has considered micropolitics as a lens through which to interpret interns’ relationships
with their school supervisors/mentors. This paper uses a micropolitical framework to interpret reflective reports written
by 145 Bachelor of Education (primary) interns who recorded their perceptions of their professional learning experience within
the context of a relationship with their school-based mentors. Several key themes are identified that highlight interns’ reports
of a range of micropolitical strategies at play. The paper concludes by raising a number of implications for universities
and schools regarding how better to facilitate interns’ transition into the profession. |
