Mentorship in the Practicum: Post-Interns’ Perspectives
Edwin G. Ralph and Keith D. Walker

Abstract
Students in the professional disciplines typically rate their practicum/clinical program as the most important component of their pre-service education. A critical element in the practicum is the quality of the mentorship that the protégés receive during this experiential-learning phase. In this study, the researchers solicited the views of 204 post-interns from two faculties (Education and Engineering), with respect to their views of the most positive and most negative aspects of the mentorship they received during their recently-completed practicum placements. The findings reflected respondents’ perspectives on: (a) how favorable or unfavorable were the human relationships that emerged between/among participants, and (b) how effective or ineffective was the actual organization/operation of the practicum and mentorship procedures. The authors compare these results with those reported in the related literature; and they also raise implications for practicum organizers across the professions interested in enhancing their respective mentorship programs.

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