Mentor Teachers Research Articles

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.

Sustaining induction teachers through partnerships: action research as a catalyst for change within complex contexts

Purpose The purpose of this action research study was to design, implement and evaluate interventions that enhanced the induction program for new teachers in a P-12 school district. At the outset, we hoped the study would provide new teacher support resulting in improved teaching practices, increased job satisfaction and/or increased teacher retention among the target population. With this in mind, our research question was: What structures and supports from a school-university partnership facilitate capacity-building among university teacher education faculty, school and district leaders, mentor teachers, and new teachers in the context of an induction program?Design/methodology/approach This study used an intervention-centered mode of action research methodology that aims to make systems-level change. This type of action research intends to solve real organizational problems with a focus on conducting “research in action” rather than “research about action” (Coghlan and Brannick, 2014, pp. 5–6). This approach necessitates that data collection and analysis are iterative processes, occurring throughout the research process, instead of solely at the end stages of the research process. Our action research process used Coghlan and Brannick’s (2014) action research cycle model. The cyclical four-step process includes constructing (verifying the problem in the local context), planning action, taking action and evaluating action. Facilitated by the interim director of a Professional development schools (PDS) partnership in the Southeastern United States, a team of co-researchers which included three university teacher education faculty and four school district administrators used action research methodology to create systemic change that enhanced the district’s induction program. We collected data through multiple qualitative methods, including surveys, focus groups, observations and interviews during the course of three action research cycles. These data and our theoretical framework (complex adaptive systems theory and social network theory) informed two major interventions that supported new teachers during the challenging first year of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.Findings The interventions and the research process were mutually beneficial for both institutions and contributed to professional learning and growth at the individual, group and system levels. The three major findings described include: (1) engaging in collaborative action research is mutually beneficial for both schools and universities; (2) induction programs benefit from university resources; (3) learning communities build all educators’ professional capacity.Research limitations/implications Our research recommendations are: (1) more research is needed on the benefits of school-university partnerships to induction programs; (2) school-university partnerships should leverage action research to improve systems; (3) within school-university partnerships, the connection between collaborative leadership and sustainability requires further research. One limitation was that this study was conducted in a single school-university partnership context involving a large public university and a mid-sized public school district that had a well-established partnership. More induction-centered research is needed in different types of school-university partnership contexts that have varying levels of longevity and partnership structures.Practical implications Our recommendations for practice include (1) school-university partnerships should leverage collaborative learning communities to catalyze individual, group and systems-level learning and change, and (2) school-university partnerships must prioritize induction support to strengthen the teaching profession.Originality/value Since Hunt’s (2014) literature review on induction support in PDS partnerships, very few empirical studies have been conducted in this research area. This study, which examined induction support in a PDS partnership over a two-year period, makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on induction teacher support in school-university partnership contexts. Facilitated by the interim director of a PDS partnership, a team of co-researchers, which included three university teacher education faculty and four school district administrators, used action research methodology to create systems-level supports that enhanced the district’s induction program.

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.

The preparation of supervisors through collaborative supervision: A narrative account

AbstractTeacher educators are typically involved in preparing preservice teachers (PSTs) in initial programs through teaching courses and supervising practicum experiences, including the culminating student teaching practicum. Using self‐study of teacher education practices (S‐STEPs) during supervision, the authors describe a scaffolded process of learning to supervise teacher candidates and engage in reflections about their experiences working collaboratively. This narrative account by a more experienced supervisor and a new supervisor uses samples of feedback to teacher candidates to demonstrate a collaborative process based on multimodal observational field notes, which included sample discourse from the classroom to exemplify interactions, teaching activities, and photographs of classroom activities. Both researchers participated in joint meetings with (1) PSTs to discuss feedback, (2) mentor teachers to discuss progress of PSTs, and (3) all PSTs to discuss themes that emerged from observations and assessments, something unique to this collaboration. The authors discuss how their collaboration led to curriculum changes to a TESOL methods, curriculum, and assessment course influenced by observations in the field. The article concludes with implications and recommendations for other teacher educators interested in collaborative supervision.

Enhancing Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Self-Efficacy through the Use of ELF in a Multilingual World

The teaching practicum, a psychologically demanding phase of professional development, yields diverse self-efficacy outcomes for pre-service teachers. While it is crucial to view the practicum as a cornerstone for shaping teaching beliefs, there exists a research gap in understanding its influence on the self-efficacy of pre-service English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers in East Asia and delving into the cognitive processes during this period. This mixed-methods study (n = 18) aimed to address this gap. The quantitative results revealed an overall increase in participants’ self-efficacy, notably in classroom management. The qualitative findings uncovered challenges faced by those with lower self-efficacy, particularly when discrepancies arose with mentor teachers over teaching English through a communicative approach. Conversely, individuals with linguistically and culturally diverse pre-practicum experiences exhibited resilience while maintaining robust beliefs about their own teaching. The findings suggest the necessity for tailored teacher preparation programs aiming at nurturing a multilingual perspective through interaction in English as a lingua franca.

Exploring Practical Pedagogy in High School Biology Education: A Qualitative Study of Pre-Service Biology Teachers’ Experiences in Vietnam

<p style="text-align:justify">This qualitative study examines the experiences of pre-service high school biology teachers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, focusing on the challenges and transformative learning experiences encountered during their school-based internship. It aims to explore the dichotomy between specialized biology knowledge and practical applicability in high school teaching and uncover the significance of fostering student engagement through innovative strategies and the role of mentor teachers in guiding pre-service teachers. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from pre-service biology teachers who completed a school-based internship in the Mekong Delta. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the interview data. The study highlights the challenges of bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and classroom practice, emphasizing the importance of innovative teaching strategies for student engagement. It recognizes the role of mentor teachers in guiding and enhancing the skills of pre-service teachers in creating effective learning environments. Findings suggest the need for curriculum reforms that balance specialized biology knowledge and practical pedagogical skills. The study emphasizes the importance of experiential learning through teaching apprenticeships to better prepare pre-service teachers for their professional journey.</p>

Creating communicative learning spaces in initial teacher education (ITE) with observation-grounded co-mentoring practices

ABSTRACT ITE has been criticised for being disconnected, with different languages being spoken in the two learning arenas of campus and schools. Bringing people together, such as through formal university-school partnerships, is not enough to open up communicative learning spaces – sites of collaborative learning that are democratic, safe and supportive. Practicum is recognised as a capstone experience in teacher education in which the mentor’s role is crucial. However, there are significant variations in the types and quality of mentoring and only some supportive frameworks. This paper investigates what arrangements are needed to enable mentoring practices as communicative learning spaces. An intervention was designed that structured conversations between student teachers, school-based mentor teachers and university-based teacher educators around an observation-grounded mentoring framework (OMF). Data was gathered from completed worksheets, reflection logs, and interviews and analysed through the lens of practice architectures. We explore issues of knowledge and power in the facilitation of learning when university-based teacher educators visit the school, and classroom observations frame the mentoring conversations. Findings show that the OMF offered a shared language for tripartite mentoring conversations as communicative learning spaces. The paper contributes to knowledge about supportive mentoring practices in ITE.

Exploring a TESOL supervisor's role in building mentor teacher community in professional learning sessions

Exploring a <scp>TESOL</scp> supervisor's role in building mentor teacher community in professional learning sessions

Positioning Field Supervisors at the Hub of Clinically Focused Teacher Preparation

ABSTRACT Clinical supervisors serve an essential role in the field of teacher preparation. Despite acknowledgment of the complexity of this work, supervisors are often marginalized, provided inadequate support in their roles, and seen as evaluators for individual student teachers as opposed to part of a larger program. Instead of positioning clinical supervisors at the fringes of our teacher preparation program, we reorganized our teaching internship to center supervisors as the hub connecting interns, collaborating mentor teachers, districts, and faculty. In this manuscript we share benefits of this relational model coupled with ongoing challenges. In the field of teacher preparation, there is a longstanding call for coherent preparation models that focus on, among other factors, the dynamic integration of clinical practice, the rigorous selection of clinical educators and coaches from both higher education and the PK-12 sector, and the designation of specific sites to support ongoing clinical preparation (AACTE, 2018; Darling-Hammond, 2014; Hands & Rong, 2014; McDonald et al. 2013, 2014; National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, 2010). Essential to implementing these models are those who serve as clinical supervisors.

“You have to be a bit of a rogue teacher” – A qualitative study of sex educators in Metro Vancouver

Comprehensive sex education (CSE) is evidence-based, addresses a wide variety of topics, and is inclusive of sexual and gender minority (SGM) experiences. However, teachers are often not trained to deliver CSE and are uncomfortable teaching it. This can lead to the omission of important topics and leave youth dissatisfied with their sex education. Thus, more research is needed to understand educator needs/approaches when delivering sex education and how educators incorporate SGM-affirming content. We conducted fifteen interviews with sex educators in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada, in autumn 2021, to understand current approaches to and gaps in the provision of CSE. We used an interpretive descriptive methodology. Personal and structural factors constrain the delivery of CSE in BC. Personal factors include motivation, teacher comfort/knowledge, personal trauma, and fear of pushback. Structural factors include inequitable access to parent advisory council funding, Learning Standards design, and the peripheral nature of sex education. Participant recommendations for the future of sex education include increased mandatory pre-service and in-service training, the implementation of “sex education mentors” in each district, an online hub of resources, and government funding for community-based educators. We recommend (1) that government funding be allocated for at least one trained sex educator in every school district who can coach and mentor teachers; (2) the creation and promotion of an online information hub which includes lesson plans, videos, and resources for teachers; (3) and that teachers’ colleges create mandatory courses on teaching CSE.

Iskustvo primjene modela metodske supervizije za mentore učitelja pripravnika

The induction phase plays a key role in shaping the professional identity of the teacher, so it is important that the beginning teacher has good mentoring support. Method-oriented supervision can be useful for the development of mentoring skills because it enables mentors to build their competencies through the integration of their practical experience and theoretical knowledge. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore the possibility of applying supervision in the development of competencies of beginning teachers’ mentors and to develop a model of method-oriented supervision. Proposed model was organized around the following topics: roles and responsibilities of mentors and beginning teachers, induction process, working alliance, experiential learning, communication skills and counselling skills. This model was applied with a supervision group consisting of five beginning teachers’ mentors. Based on the activity of supervisees during the process of method-oriented supervision and the reflections of the supervisor, it can be concluded that beginner teachers’ mentors developed educational mentoring approach. They also improved their observational skills and skills needed for establishing a working alliance. It can be concluded that the proposed model of method-oriented supervision has proven to be useful for the development of the competencies of the beginning teachers’ mentors. Key words: method-oriented supervision; experiential learning; mentorship; beginning teachers; professional development.

Infant/toddler mentor teachers’ professional learning through weekly co-planning meetings with preservice teachers

ABSTRACT Using communities of practice as a theoretical framework, the present study explored seven infant and toddler teachers’ professional learning in the context of weekly co-planning meetings with preservice teachers in four classrooms over one semester. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, observations, video-recordings, documents, and fieldnotes. The findings show that the teachers considered co-planning as crucial to their professional development. During co-planning, the teachers gained multiple perspectives through collective discussions; engaged in critical reflection; created new ideas of practice collaboratively; and enhanced their sense of professionalism. In addition, the preservice teachers were catalysts for the teachers’ reflection. The discussion highlights co-planning as a vehicle for sustaining a culture of reflective practice and collaborative inquiry; an opportunity to co-construct new knowledge and practice; and a space where teacher autonomy, collaboration, and experiential learning intersect to empower teachers in professional learning. Lastly, the study discusses ways to honor and support infant and toddler teachers’ professionalism.