Pedagogical Competence and Challenges of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers During Teaching Internship: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Teaching internships are a critical stage for pre-service teachers, enabling them to translate their pedagogical preparation into classroom practice. This study examined the pedagogical competence and internship-related challenges of pre-service mathematics teachers and integrated qualitative findings to explain the quantitative patterns. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the quantitative phase involved 32 participants (16 pre-service mathematics teachers and 16 cooperating teachers) selected through total enumeration. The qualitative phase included 7 pre-service teachers and 7 cooperating teachers selected through purposive, criterion-based sampling. The quantitative data was gathered using a standardized performance evaluation tool and analyzed using mean scores and t-tests, whereas the qualitative data from the semi-structured interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal consistently high pedagogical competence ratings for both the self-assessment and cooperating teacher evaluation, with professional behavior and voice modulation being the strongest areas. Lesson planning and communication skills obtained comparatively lower means, although they still had a high rating. No significant differences emerged between the self-assessments and cooperating teacher evaluations. The thematic analysis identified eight developmental challenges: communication competence, classroom management, instructional planning, learner engagement, the facilitation of higher-order thinking, learner diversity, professional confidence, and assessment practices. The convergence of high ratings and the qualitative evidence of continuing challenges suggests that these scores reflect entry-level professional readiness rather than full pedagogical mastery. These findings call on teacher education institutions to strengthen the skills of reflective mentoring, practice-based support, lesson planning, mathematical communication, assessment literacy, and differentiated instruction to better prepare mathematics teachers for being classroom-ready.