PENGEMBANGAN KOMPETENSI GURU SEKOLAH DASAR MELALUI PROGRAM INTERNSHIP DI DINAS PENDIDIKAN JAWA BARAT DAN SDN KEBONJATI

Abstract

The internship program is a mandatory component of the Elementary School Teacher Education (PGSD) curriculum at Nusa Putra University, designed to equip students with real work experience prior to becoming professional educators. This article aims to describe and analyze the competency achievements of PGSD students during two internship placements: the Special and Inclusive Education Division (PKLK) of the West Java Provincial Education Office from 17 March to 31 July 2025, and SDN Kebonjati, Sukabumi City, from 1 September 2025 to 31 January 2026. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were collected through participatory observation, activity documentation, and daily logbooks kept during both internship periods, then analyzed descriptively and thematically based on four teacher competencies, namely pedagogical, professional, social, and personal competence. The findings show that the internship at the Education Office strengthened professional and social competence through policy understanding, data management, and cross-division coordination, while the internship at SDN Kebonjati strengthened pedagogical and personal competence through direct teaching practice, classroom management, and learning assessment. Together, both experiences contributed to strengthening all four teacher competencies as a whole. The article concludes that combining placements at the education bureaucracy level and the basic education unit level provides complementary preparation for the professional readiness of prospective teachers, and recommends that the study program maintain this dual-placement pattern.