Pre service teacher play a dual role in teaching practice, both teacher and student. In the process of teaching

practice, their experiences as novice teacher is often different from in-service teacher. This study aimed to

determine the challenges faced by pre service teacher during their internship, as well as the coping mechanism

they used to navigate the challenges.

Employing the phenomenological design to focus on the essence of the pre service teacher experiences during

their internship. Through purposive sampling, 15 participants that being a pre service teachers enrolled in the

aimed at helping to produce outstanding teacher

Keywords: teaching internship, challenges, Coping mechanisms

Teaching internship is very well known as a practice to enhance Pre-service teacher skills and expertise. Practice

teaching serves as a culminating experience and a means of authentic experiential learning to better prepare

aspiring teachers for real teaching. The research focuses on the challenges and coping mechanisms of pre-service

teachers during their teaching internships. This implies examining the challenges student-teachers encounter

during their practical teaching experiences and coping mechanism they employ to overcome these challenges.

Universal journal of educational research (2021) Pre-service teacher education is a key factor in quality

education. In the Philippines, the pre-service preparation of teachers for the primary and secondary education

practice, their emotional experience as novice teacher is often different from in-service teachers. Pre-Service

teachers experienced various positive and negative emotions in their interactions with advisors, students, pre-

service peers, and other school staff. This research shows that the practice situation or environment evoke

different emotional experienced in pre-service teachers, positive emotions bring happiness and self-satisfactory,

and negative emotions lead to powerlessness, helplessness, and lack of security.

Internship programs for future teachers in Quezon Province are encountering multifaceted challenges. These

mainly involve not having enough resources, issues with the quality of mentorship, and practical challenges.

Interns often struggle with lesson planning due to limited experience, time management issues because of heavy

workloads, and a lack of essential resources like laptops and reliable internet connectivity, which significantly

affects their lesson preparation. Additionally, pre-service teachers face financial burdens and mobility challenges

supporting their growth and development. Additionally, the findings of the study informed seminar and training

program to support pre-service teachers’ professional growth and development during internships.

This statement of the problem explored and discussed the common challenges encountered by pre-service

teachers and coping mechanisms employ to navigate these challenges in the real classroom setting as they

navigated their professional experiences, enhanced their understanding, and indicated the potential solution to

support their growth and success.

encountered, the coping mechanisms they developed, and the professional growth from their experiences. This

framework recognized that pre-service teachers faced a range of instructional, emotional, and contextual

challenges during their practicum. These challenges served as scaffolding for growth, prompting the

development of adaptive coping strategies such as reflective practice, peer collaboration, mentorship, and the

integration of educational technologies.

Through the application of these coping mechanisms, pre-service teachers refined their instructional approaches,

build resilience, and enhanced their confidence. This process not only strengthens their teaching competencies

but also contributes to improved student learning outcomes and classroom engagement. This underscores the

importance of recognizing the challenges of pre-service teachers faced and equipped them with practical coping

mechanisms. By addressing the challenges they faced and fostered effective coping mechanisms, teacher

education programs can better prepare future educators for the complexities of the classroom, ultimately

study included a small sample size specifically ten (15) pre-service teachers from one private college in Quezon

Province. The selection of the participants for this study was carried out following specific criteria. The

participants involved pre-service teachers that have an experience and the willingness to share their insights.

Many potential participants were considered. Their demanding schedules and the duties of teachings such as

lesson planning and classroom management often left them unable to engage. On the other hand, the selected

participants met the criteria. They also demonstrated the availability and motivation to contribute meaningfully

to the research. This highlighted their interest in reflecting on their challenges and professional growth despite

the constraints faced by their peers.

The results may not have been generalized to the experienced of other pre-service teachers in different

educational settings. The findings were reliant on self-report data, which might have introduced biases such as

development or relationships with the students.

The last possibility was the researcher's potential biases and the qualitative nature of the study may have limited

the generalizability of the findings to other institution, or to a broader population of pre-service teachers. This

research employed a phenomenological approach, utilized interviews as the primary method of data collection.

It was important to note that this approach may have introduced subjectivity and may have been influenced by

personal biases.

Terms here are conceptually and operationally defined for better understanding of the readers.

Challenges - In this study, challenges are defined as the challenges pre-service teachers encounter during their

internship, such as lesson planning and classroom management. The challenges that necessitate individuals to

stress. (Algorani & Gupta, 2021) Defined coping mechanism as a cognitive and behavioral approaches that we

use to manage internal and external stressors.

Internship - Internship refers to the structured teaching experience in a private school in Quezon Province where

pre-service teachers apply their knowledge and skills. A professional learning experience that provides students

with relevant, hands-on work in their field of study. An internship allows students to explore and build their

careers while also learning new skills. It offers the opportunity to bring new ideas and develop talent and

potentially build a pipeline for future full-time employees.

Pre-service Teachers - It refers to the students who are preparing to become teachers through a teacher

education program (Division Memorandum No.160, s.2022). It is a student teacher from Northern Quezon

College, Inc. participating in the teaching internship program.

event. "Finlay (2020)" Researchers who are doing phenomenological studies are using in-depth interviews,

observations, and other types of data collection to understand how participants were making sense of their

experiences.

The study investigates various challenges and coping strategies for pre-service teachers in the course of their

professional development. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze various challenges that pre-service

teachers face, such as adapting to the educational setting, developing teaching skills, working with diverse

student populations, and balancing personal and professional responsibilities. Using interviews and observation

data, the phenomenological approach helps researchers understand the ways in which pre-service teachers cope

with these challenges. The phenomenological approach facilitates a thorough understanding of the experiences

of pre-service teachers, and the crucial insights gained through this research can be helpful in developing

which included direct quotes, summaries and interpretations as well as the discussion of how the results related

to the research objectives.

challenges and coping mechanism. Common challenges include creating and managing lesson plans, struggling

with time management, and feeling stressed due to heavy workloads. Along with these challenges, many pre-

service teachers also struggle to manage a variety of student behaviors, filled up their own knowledge gaps, and

adjust to new teaching contexts.

Pre-service teachers use a variety of coping mechanisms to address these issues. One of the main coping

mechanisms is to ask for help from friends, family, and cooperating teachers. They emphasize the significance

of prioritizing tasks, managing time effectively, and keeping a positive outlook. Pre-service teachers also make

use of readily available resources for lesson planning and instructional support, including laptops, internet

access, and online learning environments.

The findings also highlight the significance of personal qualities such as patience, resilience, and a willingness

One Private School has brought to light a diverse terrain, which is characterized with not only the large obstacles

but also the adaptive strategies that the educators applied in their first encounter with the teaching profession.

The preservice teachers came across with a number of challenges, especially the lesson planning, managing

classroom dynamics, and reconciling academic obligations with the practical demands of their internship. These

challenges were often accompanied by tension, exhaustion, and self-doubt as they were juggling their duties

both as students and as educators.

To cope with those issues, the pre-service teachers turned to different ways of coping to help them out in the

maze of their internship. Asking for help from teachers, friends, and family members was a very important move

since it made the resources for them to draw on in terms of emotional and practical support. Positive thinking,

efficient time management, and using the internet like YouTube and Google were all very important factors that

up, dealing with the challenges of pre-service teachers by employing proactive and empathetic means of support

does not only facilitate personal and professional development but also raises the level of education of future

generations. Educational institutions by putting forward the challenges of going from student to teacher position

and providing targeted resources will be able to support the emergence of an enthusiastic, competent, and strong

teaching workforce ready to have a positive impact on the lives of their students.

The following recommendations aim to foster a more resilient, well-prepared, and supported teaching workforce,

ultimately benefiting the quality of education.

It is highly recommended to actively participate in mentorship programs and well-organized professional

managing diverse student needs, leading to stress and burnout. Coping mechanisms include seeking peer support,

prioritizing well-being, practicing mindfulness, and engaging in self-directed learning. Recommendations

include institutions providing more professional development, administrators offering greater support, and

implementing workload management systems.

Educational institutions are advised to implement key coping mechanisms to enhance the experience and

professional growth of pre-service teachers by offering organized professional development programs designed

to address challenges faced by new educators, including workshops and seminars focused on teaching

methods, classroom management, and technology tools. Research on pre-service teachers' challenges and

coping mechanisms during their teaching internship in One Private College revealed obstacles in lesson

planning, classroom management, and balancing responsibilities, leading to tension and self-doubt. To

navigate these issues, pre-service teachers used coping strategies such as seeking assistance from cooperating

development through collaborative support can enhance pre-service teachers' growth, benefiting the overall

quality of education, and targeted resources can help develop a confident teaching workforce.

learning. Workshops that focus on using technology tools such as Google Docs and Classroom can also empower

pre-service teachers to enhance their lesson planning and presentation skills, ultimately fostering more engaging

learning environments for their students.

The challenges and coping mechanism that pre-service teachers deal with during their internships at private

colleges are clarified by this study. Despite this, there remain areas for further investigation that upcoming

researchers may consider. One such gap is the narrow focus of the research conducted at a private college in

Quezon Province. It is suggested that research be carried out in a wider context, incorporating various types of

institutions (both public and private) as well as diverse regions to enhance the generalizability of the results.

Furthermore, it is essential to investigate how social demographic factors such as socioeconomic status and