Mentorship and class size: Approach to building self-confidence for rural preservice teachers

Self-confidence is a vital trait that teachers are expected to possess before venturing into the teaching profession or going into a class to teach. The issue of self-confidence of teachers is considered to be predicated on different factors. This research study explored the connection between support from subject mentors to preservice teachers, class sizes taught by student teachers, and their self-confidence. A qualitative method was adopted for data collection from the six selected preservice teachers undergoing teaching practice in three carefully selected high schools in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The finding of the study shows that large class sizes mostly affect the self-confidence of preservice teachers negatively. Also, the role played by subject mentors in boosting the self-confidence of preservice teachers is immense and cannot be overemphasised. Thus, the study recommends, among other things, that preservice teachers should first be exposed to small class sizes to aid their self-confidence before being exposed to large class sizes. Meanwhile, subject mentors should be given periodic workshops on the things expected of them during teaching practice exercises and they should be motivated through various means to mentor preservice teachers.