“I give, and they give back”: teachers’ views on the professional implications of mentoring

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article provides an account of how six mentor teachers in Sweden reflect on the professional development opportunities they encounter, in the act of mentoring student teachers. The interview data come from the initial phase of a study titled Growing through mentoring: An activity-based inquiry into mentor teacher growth in knowledge and practices (Mentor Growth), which aimed to investigate the knowledge, processes and conditions involved in mentorship practices that lead to professional growth for mentor teachers. The study draws upon the theoretical concepts of social practice theory and situated learning in communities of practice, professional identity development and relational agency. The findings show that despite the challenges such as lack of time and poor support from the school leaders, mentoring benefits professional development by offering opportunities for fruitful collaboration with student teachers and self-reflection.