Abstract
M.Ed. (Higher Education)
The B.Ed. undergraduate degree at a university in Gauteng attempts to prepare pre-service teachers by using their authentic experiences to expose these teachers to the South African school context. This is done using a scaffolding process that includes formative assessment, summative assessment and work-integrated learning. This dissertation describes a sequential mixed-methods design used within a constructivist paradigm to collect data on pre-service teacher preparation and the benefits of assessment as well as mentorship. Eighty participants completed sixteen questions on a nominal scale and eight participants from this sample were participants in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. The results indicated that pre-service teachers are adequately prepared through assessment, although assessment strategies need to be more authentic. This can be achieved by including content that provides pre-service teachers with greater emphasis on behavioural problems, learning disabilities and language barriers. Pre-service teachers also indicated that they would have preferred more support from mentor teachers in being guided on the day-to-day expectations of the role and, furthermore, how to choose subjects in line with the demands of the South African context as well as create a more collaborative school environment.