Having positive attitudes about teaching profession is important for pre-service teachers due to the fact that these attitudes affect pre-service teachers’ development as teachers (Guillaume & Rudney, 1993). School experience is the first place that has a great influence on developing pre-service teachers’ conceptions about teaching profession (Beck & Kosnik, 2002). Therefore, seeing positive and beneficial practices in school experiences is important for pre-service teachers’ development and perceptions about teaching profession.

In their first field practice, pre-service teachers are assigned to experienced teachers (mentors) to observe them at the school placement. This field practice experiences, can be considered as the first place for pre-service teachers where they are in touch with real classroom environment as teachers. According to Hudson & Skamp (2002) the quality of the school practice programs contribute to professional development of pre-service teachers. Since the teacher candidates are mostly in touch with their mentors in their school placements, it is important to investigate what pre-service teachers expect from their mentors and what is provided to them by the mentors. Beck & Kosnik (2002) states that teacher candidates expect to be supported emotionally and being treated as teachers by their mentors. Moreover, pre-service teachers expect to observe different kind of teaching strategies their mentor uses and learn how to handle unexpected situations in class (Kırbulut, Boz & Kutucu, 2012). Taking into account all of these, it is crucial for pre-service teachers to satisfy their expectations concerning their mentor in their field practice. Hudson & Skamp (2002) states that constructing knowledge about curriculum, teaching and learning, can be improved and changed by guiding. Since the first guiders in practice are the mentors in schools for pre-service teachers, what they expect and gain from their mentors during the school experience has a vital role on their professional development as a teacher. Consequently, to have today’s teacher candidates as knowledgeable in contexts, willing to teach and learn more as future teachers, the pre-service teachers should be satisfied in their field practices.

In the current study, the aim is to investigate the expectations of secondary science pre-service teachers from their mentors and whether or not these expectations were met at school placement. The research questions of the current study are;

1. What are the expectations of pre-service chemistry and physics teachers from their mentors during school experience?
2. What kind of expectations of pre-service chemistry and physics teachers from mentors were satisfied at the end of the school experience course? 

Beck, C., & Kosnik, C. (2002). Components of a good practicum placement: Student teacher perceptions. Teacher Education Quarterly, 29(2), 81-98. Guillaume, A., & Rudney, G. (1993). Student teachers’ growth toward independence: An analysis of their changing concerns. Teaching and Teacher Education, 9(1), 65-80. Hudson, P., & Skamp, K. (2002). Mentoring preservice teachers of primary science. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 7(1). Kirbulut, Z. D., Boz, Y., & Kutucu, E. S. (2012). Pre-Service Chemistry Teachers' Expectations and Experiences in the School Experience Course. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(2), 41-57.