Improving the student teaching experience: A Delphi study of cooperating teacher needs

The student teaching experience has given student teachers the practical experiences they need to apply the theories and skills that they acquired in their collegiate coursework. The cooperating teacher has served in a crucial role in teacher education programs as a guide and leader of the student teaching experience. With cooperating teachers as the leaders in the most influential and critical part of the teacher education program, and with such a great impact on the next generation of agricultural educators, their support has remained vital to the success of agricultural education. This study used a three-phase Delphi approach to identify the knowledge, skills and support needed by cooperating teachers to provide an effective student teaching experience. We developed a panel of 22 experienced cooperating teachers who had previously hosted student teachers. The panel achieved consensus on six items. These results indicate a need among cooperating teachers for training and communication tools that would provide the best student teaching experiences. This study helps to identify the needs of cooperating teachers, in an effort to advance their skillset, and the positive experience of student teaching.