Mentor Teachers Research Articles

Constructing the Clinical Preparation Field: Re-Envisioning the Role of Pre-Service Teacher Clinical Supervision

Given the difficulties that newly trained teachers currently encounter in entering the profession, it has become increasingly necessary to reexamine the nature of pre-service clinically-based teacher preparation. This paper focuses on the role of clinical supervisors in the context of the College–Field Partnership (CFP), an innovative program that reframes clinical preparation as going beyond a focus on classroom teaching to experiencing the school as a whole. The paper is based on “Self-in-Field” action research (SiFAR) involving eight experienced clinical supervisors who were leaders of teams of clinical supervisors in the CFP program. Through joint reflection on their professional practice, they came to see the clinical supervisor’s role as constructing a “clinical preparation field” that extends beyond the traditional “triad” of pre-service teacher, mentor teacher, and clinical supervisor. Constructing an expanded clinical preparation field involves building relationships among a wide variety of actors within the school and the academic preparation program as well as fostering learning and development for students and school staff alike. Two important implications of this new role for clinical supervisors were the need to become more skilled at (1) dealing with the emotional elements of school practice and (2) facilitating organizational learning processes in the school.

Successful Practices of Novice Urban Physical Education Teachers

Purpose: Guided by the cultural relevance cycle, this study examined experiences of two novice physical education teachers in urban schools. We focused on successes that teachers encountered while navigating their novice years. Methods: Two purposefully sampled participants completed five journal entries and five semistructured interviews lasting between 45 and 90 min each. To promote trustworthiness, we utilized multiple coders, a peer debriefer, and triangulated data from multiple sources. Participants reviewed themes and responded to researchers’ interpretations. Results: We present the results through three major themes. The first theme involves knowledge of students and community. The second theme describes belonging in the school and community, and the third theme discusses curricular realignment. Discussion and Conclusion: By focusing on elements that empowered novice teachers to find success, initial teacher preparation programs and in-service teacher mentoring programs in urban school districts might identify teaching experiences that may contribute to novice teacher retention.

Learning Management at Private Junior High School

The researcher is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the learning management in this school because its implementation targets Qur'an tahfidz with a focus on the quality of Qur'anic tahsin using Al-Baqry to recognize the students' learning methods. This study utilizes a case study approach, with data collection techniques including interviews, document analysis, and observation. Data analysis involves creating detailed descriptions of the case, data reduction through summarization, focusing on essential aspects, identifying themes and patterns, and eliminating unnecessary information to provide a clearer picture. The researcher then presents the data to facilitate understanding of the findings. Finally, conclusions are drawn, and data validity is ensured through credibility testing and confirmability using triangulation. The research results indicate that the lesson planning at MTTQ School Private Junior High School includes achieving learning objectives, designing lesson plans, syllabi, semester programs, and annual programs. The organization of Qur'an memorization learning utilizes all learning components, including task distribution and selecting teaching tactics. The implementation involves face-to-face small group sessions, with one mentor teacher responsible for 8-10 students. The schedule is developed by the Tahfidz supervisor, school principal, and mentor teachers, allocating 6 hours a day for Tahfidz learning, divided into 3 sessions: 1 hour for memorization, 3 hours for review, and 2 hours for additional memorization. Evaluation methods include introductory supervision, ongoing supervision, and feedback supervision.

Action research арқылы кәсіби өсу: магистрлік бағдарламадағы ағылшын тілі мұғалімдерінің мүмкіншіліктері

This article provides a comprehensive overview of action research, emphasizing its significance as a systematic inquiry process conducted by English teachers within their own classrooms to improve teaching and learning. The main goal is to identify the popularity and usage of Action Research among EFL teachers, at the same time Master’s degree students. The study explores Action Research's role in improving teachers' professional growth and the basic knowledge of the graduate students on Action Research. Action research was first conducted in Kazakhstan in 2012 as a joint project of the University of Cambridge and Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) with the goal of improving educational practices. The quantitative research was conducted on the basis of the discipline “Action Research” for the 1st year graduate students of the profession “Two Foreign Languages” of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The results of a survey given to Master's students have different levels of familiarity and experience with Action Research. The study will assist to identify the spread and the usage of Action Research among EFL teachers in Kazakhstan. In addition, the study will help school administrators, teacher mentors to understand obstacles faced by EFL teachers and improve educational system in Kazakhstan.

TEAMRO: Final analysis of TEAMRO (TEAching Mentorship in Radiation Oncology), a Multicenter Prospective Phase 2 Intervention Study on Teaching Mentorship Skills to Residents Working with Medical Students

TEAMRO: Final analysis of TEAMRO (TEAching Mentorship in Radiation Oncology), a Multicenter Prospective Phase 2 Intervention Study on Teaching Mentorship Skills to Residents Working with Medical Students

The use of the mentoring institute on the example of teaching economic disciplines: patterns and implementation specifics

Mentoring in higher education is a necessity and an obligatory process of transferring the experience of teaching staff to young teachers. Statistics show that the younger generation is not eager to devote themselves to teaching, sometimes because they are not aware of all aspects of the profession. The mentoring task in higher education is to involve the younger generation in a unique pedagogical process. The work is complex, requiring from the parties a creative approach and the ability to turn a young specialist in the direction of pedagogy. Everything is important in this process from understanding the financial component to recognizing the social significance of the activity. Mentoring for young teachers, graduate students, masters in teaching economic disciplines, along with the regularities of the process has its own significant features, which arise from the economic reality study specifics, as well as the presence of numerous concepts and theories that interpret this economic reality itself and on the basis of this proposing a certain state economic policy. The issue becomes relevant also because the approaches to the federal state educational standards are being transformed in Russia.

Implementasi Pendidikan Inklusi di Sekolah Dasar: Tantangan Dan Strategi Efektif

This study aims to identify challenges and formulate effective strategies in implementing inclusive education in primary schools. A qualitative approach with descriptive methods was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the issue. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews and documentation involving school principals, classroom teachers, special mentor teachers and parents. The research findings show that the main challenges in implementing inclusive education are the lack of teachers' understanding and skills, limited facilities and infrastructure and resistance from parents. To overcome these challenges, several strategies were proposed, including continuous professional development and training for teachers, improving school facilities and infrastructure, and socialising and educating parents and communities. The case study of SD Negeri 13 Pandeglang shows that collaboration between the school, government and community can improve the acceptance and success of inclusive education. Support from the government in the form of clear policies and provision of adequate resources is also very important. In conclusion, with the right strategies and adequate support, inclusive education can be effectively implemented in primary schools, benefiting all students, including those with special needs.

Adaptation and validation of Mentoring for Effective Mathematics Teaching (MEMT) – Mentee and Mentor scales to Turkish

ABSTRACT This article aims to reveal the adaptation and validation process of the Mentoring for Effective Mathematics Teaching (MEMT) -Mentee and -Mentor scales in the Turkish context, which was developed to examine preservice mathematics teachers’ and mathematics mentor teachers’ perceptions of mentoring practices within the Five-factor mentoring model. In the direction of this purpose, two studies were conducted between the years of 2020 and 2022. Within the first study, the instruments were translated into Turkish, validity and reliability analyses were conducted. Then, the second study was conducted to strengthen linguistic and cultural revisions of the instruments. The result of the studies showed that the Turkish versions of the instruments for mentor teachers and preservice teachers’ perceptions of mentoring practices is usable. Furthermore, according to descriptive statistics, preservice teachers and mentor teachers gave high scores for each factor in the instruments, and the practices about Personal Attributes were perceived by them as among the most performed practices.

The impact of mentoring in higher education on student career development: a systematic review and research agenda

ABSTRACT Studies published over the last four decades provide the basis for a systematic review of the impact of mentoring in higher education (HE) on student career development. We review 73 papers published between 1986 and 2023 and develop a framework to examine the relationships between mentoring approaches and career development outcomes. Here, we distinguish between different student populations (female students, under-represented groups). Notwithstanding an overall positive verdict on mentoring's career development potential, with particular emphasis on career choice and transitioning behaviour, the results are not always positive, and many nuances in the data are evident. At a time of increased concern about student transitions into the labour market, practical implications can be derived which may strengthen mentoring's benefits, e.g. the value of peer mentoring for female students, and cultural proximity of mentors for under-represented minority students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. Key research recommendations include:(1) developing novel impact indicators related to emotion such as career inspiration and passion; (2) examining under-researched impact indicators related to non-traditional student careers (e.g. entrepreneurial intentions), and employment and socioeconomic impact indicators; and (3) investigating the role of context and mentoring content and delivery modalities, in helping to explain inconsistent findings across the reviewed papers.

How to achieve ‘egalitarian’ interaction between student teachers and mentor teachers? A study of a one-school-year teacher practicum in Germany

ABSTRACT The present study investigated how student teachers and mentor teachers in a one-school-year teacher practicum in Germany interacted in an ‘egalitarian’ way despite their experience-based gap in expertise, status and power. Our study is embedded in a participatory research context to involve the agents of change. The sample consisted of 57 student teachers and 98 mentor teachers in primary and lower secondary education. We used the critical incidents technique; critical incidents were collected through focus group discussions and analysed by qualitative content analysis. Egalitarian interaction was achieved through the participants flexibly changing roles in providing and receiving feedback and the use of an ‘experimental room’ where both student teachers and mentor teachers could reflect on and develop their teaching practice (through co-constructive knowledge creation while working together on teaching-related activities). For student teachers, being assigned the status of a ‘colleague’ demonstrated egalitarian interaction. Implications for developing participatory-involved mentoring concepts were discussed.

Design and Implementation of a Mentorship Education Program at Xavier University of Louisiana: Impact and Lessons Learned.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), such as Xavier University of Louisiana (Xavier), have strong cultures of mentoring underrepresented students. We report on the design and implementation of the Preparing Mentors and Advisors at Xavier (P-MAX) Program, a mentor-training program at an HBCU. Over half of the full-time Xavier faculty members have participated in at least one P-MAX event over the life of the Program, with about 60% completing the 8-hour foundational workshop. Pre/post program self-assessments indicate that mentors report significant increases in both their mentoring skills and confidence. Recommendations to consider when designing and implementing a mentor training program are provided. These range from being thoughtful about who delivers the mentoring lessons to paying close attention to the specific audience and institutional culture.

Applying the Participatory Evaluation Measurement Instrument in the Evaluation of a Public School Program for Teachers

Although most evaluators are familiar with participatory evaluation (PE), the ability to measure stakeholder participation in an evaluation remains challenging. Based on Cousins and Whitmore’s (1998) PE theoretical model, Daigneault and Jacob (2009, 2012, 2014) developed an instrument for measuring the degree to which an evaluation can be considered participatory. The present study used Daigneault and Jacob's Participatory Evaluation Measurement Instrument (PEMI) in the evaluation of a public school district's educator mentoring program. The evaluators examined the benefits and challenges of using the instrument in public school settings. This paper details the procedure of using PEMI to explore the level of stakeholder participation in the evaluation case and uses a process similar to the mini-ethnography method to reflect on the experiences of the evaluators through the procedure. Findings show that in addition to accurately capturing the perceived level of participation, PEMI may be utilized in the planning phases of evaluation.

The quality of social relationships with students, mentor teachers and fellow student teachers and their role in the development of student teachers’ emotions in the practicum

The emotional well-being of individuals is largely dependent on the quality of their social relationships, as acknowledged by self-determination theory and the belongingness hypothesis. While the significance of high-quality relationships for teachers has received increasing attention in empirical research, little is known about the impact of social relationships on student teachers' emotions in the practicum, especially from a quantitative perspective and considering multiple relationship qualities simultaneously. Research on this topic is highly topical as emotions have been found to be important drivers both for professional behaviour in the classroom and professionalisation processes in general. Against this backdrop, our study examined how the quality of social relationships between students in class, mentor teachers, and fellow student teachers influences the development of emotional experiences of student teachers in a school practicum. We conducted an online survey with 203 Austrian student teachers studying secondary education, inquiring about their emotional experiences and social relationships before and after their practicum. The results revealed that the quality of relationships with students in class was the most influential factor determining changes in student teachers’ emotional states during their practicum. These findings emphasise the importance of cultivating positive relationships with students in the classroom, especially during the school practicum in teacher education.

Being an effective English teacher through internship: Voices from the involved parties

The Indonesian national curriculum encourages higher education stakeholders to provide an internship program to increase students’ employability. In the field of education, an internship comes in the form of a teaching practicum where all interns or prospective teachers get hands-on experience in schools to develop the characteristics of effective teachers. To identify areas for improvement in the running program, gathering insights from those involved is necessary. The current case study details how the internship program facilitates effective teaching for prospective teachers. This research also discussed recommendations from involved parties to obtain reliable references to improve the program. The data were collected by interviewing four prospective teachers, two university supervisors, and two mentor teachers. This study used transcribing, member checking, and coding to analyze the interview results. The data revealed that the four steps in the program, i.e., deployment, observation, coaching, and teaching practices, helped the prospective teachers to build a robust construct of effective teachers, including socio-affective skills, pedagogical competence, content knowledge, and personal qualities. Additionally, the findings demonstrated the participants’ suggestions related to several technical issues of the program and recommendations to the prospective teachers regarding what they should do in joining the program. Regardless rooms of improvements that the program should follow-up, all participants agree to say that the practice teaching facilitates prospective English teachers to develop competencies of being an effective teacher.

The role of mentoring in modern education

The role of mentoring in modern education

Delving into EFL Pre-Service Teachers’ Emotional Experiences: Professional Identity Construction in Online Teaching Practice Programs

This paper presents the online teaching practice program that influence EFL pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) emotional experiences as the pre-cursor of their professional identity construction. This study involved six PSTs enrolled teaching practice program in an initial teacher education. Dialogic reflection before, during, and after teaching enactment was employed to dig up information about their emotional experiences in an online classroom setting. The data were analyzed using appraisal analysis (Martin and White, 2007) and thematic analysis. The results document negative emotional experiences such as feeling dissatisfaction, doubtful, and confusion which lead to positive emotional experiences, such as caring. Factors that influence PS Ts’ emotional experiences in online teaching practice are lack of Curriculum Knowledge (CrK), lack of subject-matter knowledge or Content Knowledge (CK), and lack of Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) in terms of assessing students’ competence, and the interlink between theory and practice. All PS Ts develop a good understanding of how to exploit technological tools by encouraging their self-concept. This study substantiates the importance of shared-space coaching for teacher mentors before they become an escort for PSTs who are going to be professional teacher mentors.

Mentoring in education: an analysis of international practices and their implementation in Russia

Introduction. In the context of an ongoing discussion about the necessity to enhance the institution of mentoring in Russia, the examination and critical analysis of the experiences of countries where the system of mentoring for novice teachers is regulated at the state level is of undeniable interest. Aim. The study aimed to identify the main features of mentoring in France and determine the potential for applying international experience in the Russian educational system. Methodology and research methods. The research employed the following methods: an analysis of pedagogical literature and normative documents in the field of education in France, and a questionnaire survey of novice teachers working as trainee teachers in primary schools in Paris. As a survey technique, a continuous online survey with a group was employed. Results and scientific novelty. The process of becoming a fully qualified lower primary teacher in France is outlined: it involves passing a competitive examination (CRPE) and successfully completing a probation period. During this probation period, candidates are required to work for one year in a school as a trainee teacher under the guidance of mentor teachers. The research focuses on mentoring practices in France, the pathways to becoming a new teacher mentor, their job requirements, professional training, certification processes, as well as their roles and responsibilities. Based on the results of a survey of trainee teachers, a social profile of a novice teacher in France was created. The main challenges and shortcomings of the participants were identified, and their interactions with mentors were analysed. The collected data enabled the authors to emphasise the benefits of the French education policy regarding entry into the teaching profession and to formulate recommendations for mentor selection and training in Russia. Practical significance. The content of the article will be beneficial for specialists in the field of comparative education and for members of the scientific and pedagogical community engaged in teacher training programmes.

Agree to Disagree: Multiple Methods to Assess Rater Agreement During Student Teaching

ABSTRACT To meet accreditation expectations, teacher preparation programs must demonstrate their candidates are evaluated using summative assessment tools that yield sound, reliable, and valid data. These tools are primarily used by the clinical experience team – university supervisors and mentor teachers. Institutional beliefs regarding best practices and external stakeholder demands often influence the design, execution, and evaluation of these tools, and the scholarly literature is robust with studies of the design and execution of the tools. This study extends prior research to investigate, in a novel way, evaluation of the tool and discrepancies among raters in the data yielded by the instrument. How important is interrater agreement on summative assessment tools in the student teaching experience? Should we simply dismiss these differences, forge ahead to minimize disagreement, or seek to better understand how and why limited agreement might occur? In this paper, we explore methods to evaluate interrater agreement between mentors and university supervisors and the ways in which these data can inform purposeful continuous programmatic improvement. Furthermore, we contend that “less is more,” as our data findings reveal similar outcomes with both simple and more complex statistical methods of examining agreement.

Putting the cart behind the horse: conceptualising the “emotionality” of mentoring in initial teacher education

Purpose This conceptual paper explores the complex, and neglected, area of mentor development in initial teacher education (ITE) in Australia. It focuses on the emotionality of mentoring, drawing on concepts of emotional labour and emotional intelligence to develop a framework of effective mentoring that helps explain the essence of a mentor’s role in supporting preservice teachers.Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper draws together mentor-support practice wisdom and research literature from several relevant areas. It draws on constructive developmental theories and complex stage theory to reaffirm the intricate nature of mentor learning and development. This paper critiques the current utilitarian emphasis on mentoring as a way to improve student outcomes without first having clarity on how to improve mentoring itself.Findings We introduce the mentoring as emotional labour framework as a way to better understand the nature of mentoring within ITE and as a tool for developing more effective mentor supports. We present “exemplar cases”, which are amalgamations of field observations to illustrate aspects of the framework – however, we do not claim they provide evidence of the utility or accuracy of the framework.Originality/value Previous research and policy have tended to gloss over the skills required for effective mentoring, whereas this paper places the emotional labour of mentoring front and centre, explicitly conceptualising and describing the personal and interpersonal skills required in a way that aims to support and empower mentors to recognise existing strengths and areas of potential growth.

A multi-feedback system integrated simulation-based teacher training to scaffold pre-service teachers’ teaching skills: A phenomenological approach

AbstractBefore taking full responsibility for a real classroom, pre-service teachers (PTs) can safely experience a rich learning atmosphere in a simulated virtual classroom environment and receive feedback on their lesson planning and teaching performance. This research aims to support and examine the process of structuring PTs’ teaching skills with a multi-source feedback system integrated with simulation-based teacher training (SimInTeach-FBS). A phenomenological approach was employed in order to understand the nature of PT’s experiences from a feedback system focusing on teaching skills. Seventy PTs, twelve mentor teachers (MTs), and six teacher educators (TEs) participated in the study. Various data collection tools were used to gain a deeper understanding of the participants' experiences: reflective journals, open-ended feedback forms, and observation notes. The results of the content analysis showed that teaching experience with SimInTeach-FBS raises self-awareness and improves PTs’ teaching skills. It was revealed that teaching skills were mutually structured, feedback given to the PTs multiplied the effect of the development process, and teaching experience facilitated the transfer of acquired teaching skills to real life.