Traditional Mentoring Research Articles

The relevance and promise of relational mentoring for school leadership: a conversation

Purpose– Studies uniformly portray the assistant principal (AP) position as challenging given a number of systemic issues that negatively impact job satisfaction and performance. Mentoring has been proposed as a way to redress these problems. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate an alternative to traditional mentoring and make recommendations for how to utilize this approach in supporting APs and principal interns.Design/methodology/approach– The authors employ a retrospective and conversational approach, sharing incidents and interactions from their professional experience and making connections to existing research literature. The authors explain the relevance of three concepts developed in relational cultural theory (RCT) including: interdependent self-in-relation, growth-fostering interactions, and an exploration of systemic power.Findings– The narrative exposes the ambiguity of school leadership and its toll, as well as how relational mentoring facilitates integration and making sense of challenging experiences for improved coping. Barriers in communication are described and the ways relational mentoring addresses these weaknesses by building trust, recognizing the expertise of mentor and protégé, and encouraging protégé empowerment and judgment.Research limitations/implications– Potential research limitations such as inaccuracies in recall, reliance on a single method, and hindsight bias are recognized and addressed to reduce their threat.Practical implications– RCT may provide ways to develop and structure more effective mentoring programs and educate both aspiring leaders and their mentors in their work together to provide for leadership development.Social implications– Improved mentoring practices have the potential to help APs socialize into the role more quickly and become more effective school leaders.Originality/value– The authors describe the use of RCT in a new context. The paper provides insights and guidance for APs, principals, principal interns, and leadership preparation faculty to offer a pathway on which to prepare the next generation of school leaders equipped with the desired competences and experiences to transform schools.

E-mentoring as a HRD intervention: an exploratory action research study within an International Professional Mentoring Scheme

ABSTRACTAdvances in technology have reshaped mentoring as a human resource development (HRD) intervention and heralded e-mentoring, using online solutions, as an alternative to traditional mentoring. In this article, we report on a unique learning opportunity as a part of the HRD curriculum in a higher education institution (HEI) in which mentoring was offered to pairs separated by not only geographical distance but also by time zone, culture and organisation (global mentoring relationships [GMRs]). We used an action research approach to aid the programme team’s understanding of their own practice and to evaluate 23 GMRs within an e-mentoring scheme in a UK-based university. We offer empirical evidence of the application of media richness theory as well as traditional models of mentoring to develop and evaluate e-mentoring relationships, particularly GMRs. Key findings highlight how the mode of communication and its media richness affect GMRs and demonstrate the effect of the type and style of mentoring on the success of GMRs. Based on our results, we recommend a combination of e-mentoring methods using various forms of technology and the sharing of models to create a common language to enhance the practice of e-mentoring in and across organisations.

Alternative Mentoring Types

Reaching beyond traditional mentoring models in education, this essay describes eight expanded and transformative forms that diversify, enrich, and improve relationships, environments, and systems.

Mentor

Mentor

Cooperative Mentorship: Negotiating Social Media Use within the Family

Cooperative Mentorship: Negotiating Social Media Use within the Family

The Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN): Community-Driven Mentoring for Women in the Atmospheric Sciences

Abstract Women are a growing percentage of undergraduate and graduate students in the atmospheric sciences, yet they remain a minority in senior positions. One approach for the retention of women is increased mentoring, which is linked to successful promotions, higher incomes, and greater career satisfaction. Informal peer networking is a form of mentoring that may be effective for underrepresented groups. The Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN) was established in 2002 with the mission to promote career development, build community, provide informal mentoring and support, and facilitate professional collaborations for early career women in the Earth sciences. Over time, ESWN has developed a mentoring philosophy that has reduced some barriers and challenges that women face in traditional mentoring relationships. The five main principles of the ESWN’s mentoring philosophy have evolved to include community-driven mentoring, diverse mentoring approaches for diverse individuals, mentoring across career phases, combined personal and professional mentoring, and effective mentoring in a safe space. Surveys of ESWN members report gains in areas that are often considered barriers to career advancement, including recognition that they are not alone, new understanding of obstacles faced by women in science, and access to professional resources. These gains have been accomplished through online and in-person ESWN activities guided by the ESWN’s mentoring philosophy. Understanding the success of the ESWN, as well as its limitations, has the potential to inform the larger atmospheric science community of additional strategies to improve mentoring and retention of women in the atmospheric sciences.

What Is Meant By The Term Group Mentoring?

Much like traditional dyadic mentoring experiences, group mentorship has been practiced since time immemorial. Benjamin Franklin, for example, as a young entrepreneur created the Leather Apron Club, a group mentoring experience for a select group of Philadelphia tradesmen. Since the late 1990s, when group mentoring became a serious focus of academic research, scholarship has focused primarily on the rationale for group mentoring and has explored the outcomes. As a community of scholars and practitioners, we have yet to fully explore or explain what we mean by group mentoring. In this article, I bring attention to, establish a foundation, and set appropriate parameters for group mentorship.

Mentoring Outside the Line: The Importance of Authenticity, Transparency, and Vulnerability in Effective Mentoring Relationships

Informed by the literature and professional practice, this chapter examines the unique mentoring challenges facing women and underrepresented minorities in higher education. Findings indicate that traditional mentoring approaches fall short in fully supporting the needs of underrepresented populations in higher education.

Mentoring as Transformative Practice: Supporting Student and Faculty Diversity

Mentoring as Transformative Practice: Supporting Student and Faculty Diversity

Moving beyond the reflectivity of post-lesson mentoring conferences in teacher education and creating learning/development opportunities for pre-service teachers

This longitudinal case study suggests ways to move beyond the reflective process usually associated with post-lesson mentoring conferences by describing the modalities likely to generate real learning/development opportunities. Based on cultural-historical activity theories (CHAT) and using methodologies from sociodiscursive interactionism, this study shows the joint construction of the meaning of teaching experience and proposes aids for developing the pre-service teacher’s power to act more effectively in the classroom. It provides a source for transforming the traditional mentoring methods, mediations and arrangements in teacher education. Proposals are made to further professionalise co-operating teachers at the new Graduate Schools of Teacher Education in France.

The Competences of Educative Mentor, Fostering Change in the Early Childhood Education

Modern pre-school education together with the whole educational system face the period of constant changes, in which new needs of novices, universities and educational institutions arise. It is extremely important to train such pre-school teachers who can successfully get involved into children educational system and to contribute to faster changes of pre-school educational practice. Purpose of Study - to construct and empirically ground the competences of educative mentor, fostering change in the early childhood education. Methods. The survey of pre-school teacher mentors. Factorial analysis of mentor competences structural factors. Participants. 459 of early childhood education and pre-school teacher mentors working under the conditions of regular reforms and changes for more than a decade and monitoring the future pre-school education teachers have been surveyed. Mentoring is one of the most effective strategies of teacher training, which helps to achieve these aims. The article emphasises and describes the concept of traditional mentoring based on behaviouristic theories, educative mentoring based on constructivist theories and reform-based change fostering mentoring. Having done the factorial analysis of mentor competence structural factors in the mentor competence model consisting of 8 competences, the following essential mentor competences have arisen: personal, communicative; expert assessment and reflection, student practice and reflection.

Virtual Mentoring of Preservice Teachers

The purpose of the study was to describe music teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges they experienced as virtual mentors of preservice music teachers. Each mentor was assigned a cohort of preservice teachers who were enrolled in an elementary general music methods course. Cohorts observed their mentor’s teaching via Skype. Mentors watched video of their cohort field teaching. After each experience, mentors met their cohorts via Skype for feedback and reflection. Data included mentors’ written reflections and interviews. Virtual experiences were valuable but different from traditional mentoring experiences. Benefits were similar to those identified by traditional mentors. Use of technology alleviated some challenges associated with face-to-face mentoring. Challenges of virtual mentoring related to limits of current technology. Music teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers should consider findings when making decisions about technology-based professional development experiences and teacher evaluation programs.

Answering the Call: How Group Mentoring Makes a Difference

Mentoring programs answer the call for social justice for many students who are in success-inhibiting environments. This study employed a case study design to investigate the perceived benefits from a group mentoring program. Data was collected from pre- and post-assessments focus groups, and artifacts. Four participant benefits were revealed: comfort, non-academic support, academic support, and safety. This study argues that group mentoring offers a viable option to traditional mentoring approaches. Additionally, recommendations include further exploration into benefits from other types of group mentoring programs. Schools with scarce volunteers and monetary resources could benefit from the implementation of this mentoring approach.

Developmental networks in translational science

Developmental networks in translational science

The Media Use of Liuzhou Folk Song Inheritance in China: According to the Investigation in Yufeng Folk Song Field Under Yufeng Mountain in Liuzhou City

According to the existing research, with modern urban civilization continuously extends into traditional rural society, the survival environment of traditional national culture is suffered from the impact of various aspects, including development of new media technology. However, in the process of the technical urbanization, Liuzhou folk songs have no depression from the impact. On the contrary, because of new methods to be imported into its inheritance, Liuzhou folk songs are presenting a boom. The fieldwork found that Liuzhou folk song inheritance is experiencing shift which is from the traditional mentoring to medium teaching in the process of the modernization. These media include textbooks about folk song creating, improvised dish homemade by singers, the network video resources, and network spontaneous learning community through QQ group and other social software. The active medium use to make folk heritage can adapt to the environment change, and make folk heritage for innovation and development. That has a certain advantage. But in other hand, there has been some limitation that because of the excessive emphasis on written rules and figures of speech, it should have a certain damage on the bearing cultural connotation of Liuzhou folk songs. People should pay more attention to it.

Beyond Mentoring

Support for music teachers new to the profession is important and necessary. Some school districts use traditional mentor–mentee pairings as their primary support for novice music teachers; however, many factors in the professional lives of music teachers, such as traveling among multiple schools or a lack of subject-specific colleagues often makes this type of mentoring problematic. This review of literature synthesizes the research on music teacher mentoring and suggests that avenues such as face-to-face professional learning communities of music teachers and virtual communities of practice be further researched and explored as an augmentation of the mentoring framework in the support of novice music teachers.

Mentoring of new teachers as a contested practice: Supervision, support and collaborative self-development

This article examines contested practices of mentoring of newly qualified teachers within and between Australia (New South Wales), Finland and Sweden. Drawing on empirical evidence from a variety of studies, we demonstrate three archetypes of mentoring: supervision, support and collaborative self-development. Using the theory of practice architectures, we show that (1) these three forms of mentoring represent three different projects: (a) assisting new teachers to pass through probation, (b) traditional mentoring as support, and (c) peer-group mentoring; and (2) these different projects involve and imply quite different practice architectures in the form of different material-economic, social-political and cultural-discursive arrangements.

The Academy for Future Science Faculty: randomized controlled trial of theory-driven coaching to shape development and diversity of early-career scientists.

BackgroundApproaches to training biomedical scientists have created a talented research community. However, they have failed to create a professional workforce that includes many racial and ethnic minorities and women in proportion to their representation in the population or in PhD training. This is particularly true at the faculty level. Explanations for the absence of diversity in faculty ranks can be found in social science theories that reveal processes by which individuals develop identities, experiences, and skills required to be seen as legitimate within the profession.Methods/DesignUsing the social science theories of Communities of Practice, Social Cognitive Career Theory, identity formation, and cultural capital, we have developed and are testing a novel coaching-based model to address some of the limitations of previous diversity approaches. This coaching intervention (The Academy for Future Science Faculty) includes annual in-person meetings of students and trained faculty Career Coaches, along with ongoing virtual coaching, group meetings and communication. The model is being tested as a randomized controlled trial with two cohorts of biomedical PhD students from across the U.S., one recruited at the start of their PhDs and one nearing completion. Stratification into the experimental and control groups, and to coaching groups within the experimental arms, achieved equal numbers of students by race, ethnicity and gender to the extent possible. A fundamental design element of the Academy is to teach and make visible the social science principles which highly influence scientific advancement, as well as acknowledging the extra challenges faced by underrepresented groups working to be seen as legitimate within the scientific communities.DiscussionThe strategy being tested is based upon a novel application of the well-established principles of deploying highly skilled coaches, selected and trained for their ability to develop talents of others. This coaching model is intended to be a complement, rather than a substitute, for traditional mentoring in biomedical research training, and is being tested as such.

Augmented reality telementoring (ART) platform: a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a new surgical education technology.

Laparoscopic skills training has evolved over recent years. However, conveying a mentor's directions using conventional methods, without realistic on-screen visual cues, can be difficult and confusing. To facilitate laparoscopic skill transference, an augmented reality telementoring (ART) platform was designed to overlay the instruments of a mentor onto the trainee's laparoscopic monitor. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of this new teaching modality to traditional methods in novices performing an intracorporeal suturing task. Nineteen pre-medical and medical students were randomized into traditional mentoring (n = 9) and ART (n = 10) groups for a laparoscopic suturing and knot-tying task. Subjects received either traditional mentoring or ART for 1 h on the validated fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery intracorporeal suturing task. Tasks for suturing were recorded and scored for time and errors. Results were analyzed using means, standard deviation, power regression analysis, correlation coefficient, analysis of variance, and student's t test. Using Wright's cumulative average model (Y = aX (b)) the learning curve slope was significantly steeper, demonstrating faster skill acquisition, for the ART group (b = -0.567, r (2) = 0.92) than the control group (b = -0.453, r (2) = 0.74). At the end of 10 repetitions or 1 h of practice, the ART group was faster versus traditional (mean 167.4 vs. 242.4 s, p = 0.014). The ART group also had fewer fails (8) than the traditional group (13). The ART Platform may be a more effective training technique in teaching laparoscopic skills to novices compared to traditional methods. ART conferred a shorter learning curve, which was more pronounced in the first 4 trials. ART reduced the number of failed attempts and resulted in faster suture times by the end of the training session. ART may be a more effective training tool in laparoscopic surgical training for complex tasks than traditional methods.

Effects of Mentoring and Assertiveness Training on Adolescents’ Self-Esteem in Lagos State Secondary Schools

The study investigated the effects of Mentoring and Assertiveness Training on Adolescents’ self-esteem in Lagos State secondary schools. A total of 96 adolescents (48males and 48 females) drawn from three public schools randomly selected from three Education Districts in Lagos State constituted the final sample. The dependent variables for this study were self-worth and gender. Descriptive survey and quasi-experimental design using the pre-test post-test control group design were adopted for the study. Two instruments used to generate data for the study were: Adolescents’ Personal Data Questionnaire (APDQ) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE. Two research questions were raised and two corresponding hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The two hypotheses were tested using the one-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 levels of significance. Hypotheses 1 was rejected while hypothesis 2 was accepted. The findings revealed that mentoring and assertiveness training were efficacious in raising adolescents’ self-esteem. The study also found that the significant effect of mentoring and assertiveness training on adolescents’ self-esteem was not due to gender. In the light of these findings, a number of recommendations were made, one of which is that teachers and schools’ management should promote peer-mentoring programme in schools because of the numerous advantages it has over traditional mentoring.