Dealing with policy expectations of mentoring newly qualified teachers – a Norwegian example

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge about school leaders’ and mentors’ perceptions, experiences, and legitimizations of national policy expectations about the organizing of mentoring of newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The analytical framework is based on perspectives of governing with attention to policy by expectations combined with theory of making policy solutions thinkable, calculable and practicable. The thematic analysis of interviews of school leaders and mentors suggests that the organizing of mentoring NQTs is understood as a multitude of practices, the policy initiated NQT mentoring becomes a precarious practice within the school organization, and the legitimization of NQT mentoring reveal diverging purposes of such a practice. The findings raise concerns about how such perceptions, experiences, and legitimization can contribute to professionalizing and ensuring teacher retention.