<p style="text-align: justify;">This study investigated student teachers’ teaching self-efficacy level and factors that predict it (using five-factor mentoring model). Two hundred and ten third and fourth-year student teachers (N=100/N=110; 93.8% females) were involved in the study and asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. The “Mentoring for Effective Primary Teaching” instrument and “Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale” were used to collect the data. Findings indicated that higher levels of student teachers' self-efficacy are positively associated with the level of mentoring experience during the teaching practicum. The results found that fourth-year students reported significantly higher levels of teaching self-efficacy than third-year students. This study reported that there is a significant mean difference in student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in terms of having parents in the teaching profession. A multiple regression found that mentor teachers’ personal attributes are the best predictor of student teachers' teaching self-efficacy beliefs.</p>

This study aims to investigate the pre-service teachers’ experiences with online teaching, but also to uncover the challenges and opportunities for improving the distance education in the future. A qualitative research approach using phenomenology is adapted for the study. The participants were 18 pre-service teachers studying at the different programs of the University of Prishtina’s Faculty of Education. The interviews were conducted online. The transcripts of interviews were analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five themes were derived from the analysis of the interview data: quality of teaching activities, positive aspects of online teaching, limitations, factors affecting online teaching, and recommendations to improve online teaching and learning in the future. This study proved the importance of pre-service teachers’ interest and motivation, but also the faculty lecturers’ professional preparedness for online teaching. Findings revealed the inability to relate theory to practice during online teaching as a lack of interaction between the university and the schools. This study is expected to serve as a guide for the expectations of preservice teachers towards the improvement of distance education in the future.