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Article
Publication date: 29 March 2021

Gideon Petrus van Tonder

The researcher emphasised with current research the need for an induction programme for beginning teachers in the South African context to overcome the challenges experienced by…

Abstract

Purpose

The researcher emphasised with current research the need for an induction programme for beginning teachers in the South African context to overcome the challenges experienced by beginning teachers while bridging from pre-service teaching to in-service teaching and to introduce and illuminate the design of a new multimodal induction model.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher followed a narrative approach by discussing previous research regarding the insufficient pre-service training beginning teachers received and the lack of a structured induction programme in the South African context.

Findings

Research has shown that South African beginning teachers have faced similar difficulties as beginning teachers worldwide, but South African beginning teachers are not subjected to formal induction programmes. While the South African Department of Basic Education offered guidelines for the beginning teacher orientation programme, there is almost no evidence in the literature that schools follow such guidelines.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of this paper give other researchers in this field a broader perspective on how the new multimodal induction model can make a measurable contribution to the school, the mentor, the beginning teacher and, most importantly, the learner.

Practical implications

The Department of Basic Education in South Africa and Principals need to follow the guidelines of this multimodal induction model to retain beginning teachers and improve the performance of learners.

Originality/value

This is a new model developed by the researcher to explore the benefits of promoting excellence in the teaching profession through a technology-rich, integrated induction programme to increase the productivity, retention and leadership of beginning teachers, enhance and prevent the loss of human capital, with the ultimate goal of improving learners' growth and performance.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Denise Beutel, Leanne Crosswell, Jill Willis, Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Elizabeth Curtis and Peter Churchward

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present an Australian mentor preparation program designed to prepare experienced teachers to mentor beginning teachers and second…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present an Australian mentor preparation program designed to prepare experienced teachers to mentor beginning teachers and second, to identify and discuss mentor teachers’ personal and professional outcomes and the wider contextual implications emerging from the Mentoring Beginning Teachers (MBT) mentor preparation program.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study, situated within Queensland, Australia, draws on qualitative data collected via interviews and focus groups with mentor teachers who participated in a large-scale systemic mentor preparation program. The program positions mentoring as supportive, based on a process of collaborative inquiry and encouraging critically reflexive praxis with the mentor professional learning focusing on reflection, dialog and criticality.

Findings

Initial findings show the outcomes of the mentor preparation program include building a common language and shared understanding around the role of mentor, consolidating a collaborative inquiry approach to mentoring and providing opportunity for self-reflection and critique around mentoring approaches and practices. Some findings, such as a greater self-awareness and validation of mentors’ own teaching performance, have confirmed previous research. However, the originality of this research lies in the personal and professional impacts for mentor teachers and the wider contextual impacts that have emerged from the study.

Practical implications

The study highlights the impact of the mentor preparation program on the professional learning of teacher-mentors and contributes to the current lack of empirical research that identifies the personal and professional impacts for mentors and the wider contextual factors that impact effective mentoring in schools.

Originality/value

The originality of this research lies in the personal and professional impacts for mentor teachers and the wider contextual impacts more broadly that have emerged from the study.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 August 2013

Justina Tan

The purpose of this paper is to explore mentoring experience through positioning theory lens. It discusses, specifically, the mentoring experience of beginning teachers and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore mentoring experience through positioning theory lens. It discusses, specifically, the mentoring experience of beginning teachers and mentors in a school in Singapore.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a case study approach. The data are collected mainly through interviews with beginning teachers and mentors.

Findings

The findings suggest that beginning teachers who had an emotionally assuring mentoring experience had mentors who positioned themselves as emotional providers. Those who had a professionally fulfilling mentoring experience had mentors who positioned themselves beyond the providers of emotional support. Beginning teachers who had a less satisfying experience had mentors who positioned themselves as physically and emotionally unavailable. Mentors who had a professionally frustrating mentoring experience had beginning teachers who challenged their positioning. Those who had a personally enjoyable and professionally satisfying mentoring experience positioned themselves as not averse to learning from beginning teachers.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that schools may want to give more attention to mentor preparation, and it should not be a one‐off exercise. The findings also suggest that it may be a good idea to also consider a pre‐mentoring session for both mentors and beginning teachers before they embark on the mentoring proper.

Originality/value

Although this study is at best a research in progress, it, however, signifies the first step towards initiating a dialogue in this aspect as there are hardly any studies that mentoring particularly in the context of Singapore. For the teaching profession in Singapore, this is especially a significant first step.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1978

JANET McINTOSH NEWBERRY

A field study involving beginning teachers in elementary schools documents a hesitation by beginning teachers to ask for assistance and a hesitation by experienced teachers to…

Abstract

A field study involving beginning teachers in elementary schools documents a hesitation by beginning teachers to ask for assistance and a hesitation by experienced teachers to offer it. Reasons given by both beginning and experienced teachers for this apparent barrier to professional consultation suggest that the beginners fear being seen as incompetent and their experienced colleagues fear being seen as interfering. This barrier is related to the more general work situation of the elementary teacher, with its high emphasis on autonomy in the selection and implementation of teaching methodologies.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Article
Publication date: 13 January 2012

Shakeel Sarwar, Hassan Danyal Aslam and Muhammad Imran Rasheed

The aim of the researchers in this endeavor is to identify the challenges and obstacles faced by beginning teachers in higher education. This study also explores practical…

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the researchers in this endeavor is to identify the challenges and obstacles faced by beginning teachers in higher education. This study also explores practical implications and what adaptation can be utilized in order to have high performance of the beginning teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers have applied qualitative and quantitative technique to collect and interpret data. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted from the 40 beginning teachers of the case study university in order to identify various hindering factors of high performance.

Findings

Research results indicate that by addressing the 11 major hindering factors of beginning teachers' high performance, i.e. less teaching exposure, overburden, strict evaluation, lack of training, insufficient material and supplies, lack of effective communication, student counseling problems, classroom discipline problems, difficulties in assessing students' work, least expectations of career in teaching and misbehavior of students, the performance level of beginning teachers in higher education can be enhanced.

Originality/value

The current research addresses the most neglected area about teachers' performance management, that is problems of higher education teachers in their early careers. This exploration of beginning teachers' hindering issues can play a vital role in developing human resource development strategies in universities. The present research can prove to be a significant initiator for beginning teachers as they will get a glimpse of what problem areas they could face.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 December 2017

Samantha Shields and Megan Murray

The purpose of this paper is to explore beginning teachers’ perceptions of the role of the mentor in the early stages of developing a professional identity. The beginning teachers

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore beginning teachers’ perceptions of the role of the mentor in the early stages of developing a professional identity. The beginning teachers in the authors’ study are defined as having been awarded qualified teacher status at the end of an initial teacher education programme or having completed their first term as a new teacher with responsibility for a class of pupils.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design was a qualitative, inductive study. The concepts of communities of practice, legitimate peripheral participation and power dynamics within a community underpinned this study. The data set was collected over a period of 18 months, through six focus groups and 40 questionnaires with beginning teachers across 34 schools altogether. The data set was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Findings

The findings indicated that the ways in which mentors use their power to recognise (or not) the legitimacy of beginning teachers as being part of the school community influences the development of beginning teachers’ professional identities. The thematic analysis of the data indicated the different types of support that mentors may provide: “belonging”, “emotional”, “pedagogical” and “space”.

Research limitations/implications

Further research into how mentors perceive their role in supporting new entrants into the profession is needed.

Originality/value

These findings are pertinent in England, as the increase in school-based initial teacher training provision will intensify the role of school mentors. These findings will be of value to other countries that are moving towards an increase in school-based teacher training.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 August 2023

Michelle Attard Tonna

Teachers in the initial stages of their career need support. The quality of their development will depend strongly on the kind of support that is given to them during induction…

Abstract

Teachers in the initial stages of their career need support. The quality of their development will depend strongly on the kind of support that is given to them during induction. In this chapter, the author explains how the induction years need to be seen as a distinctive part of the teacher education continuum, building on initial teacher education (ITE) and feeding into continuing professional development (CPD). The University of Malta's Faculty of Education proposed national strategy for induction of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) stresses the need for an effective design of induction programs in terms of the type of activities, the involvement of teacher education institutions and the role of the mentor – all of which can vary, depending on the learning needs of the NQT involved. Such programs will ensure that the support provided creates opportunities to relate back to initial teacher education and to prepare teachers for career-long continuing professional development. The aim of this discussion is to evaluate the current state of professional opportunities available for beginning teachers in Malta, and to discuss an effective approach which facilitates experienced teachers to build their capacities to play a key role, through mentoring, in their new colleagues' professional learning journey.

Details

Studying Teaching and Teacher Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-623-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2017

Jane Kirkby, Julianne Moss and Sally Godinho

The purpose of this paper is to present how the social learning theory of Bourdieu (1990; Bourdieu and Passeron, 1990) can be a valuable tool to investigate mentoring…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present how the social learning theory of Bourdieu (1990; Bourdieu and Passeron, 1990) can be a valuable tool to investigate mentoring relationships of beginning teachers with their more experienced colleagues. Bourdieu’s work provides a lens to magnify the social exchanges that occur during the mentoring relationship, so that what tends to be hidden in the “logic of practice” (Bourdieu, 1990) is drawn into view. The paper shows how the mentor is ascribed power that enables domination, and how this tends to result in cultural reproduction. A case study is used to identify aspects of social and cultural learning that demonstrate this process.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on a year-long narrative inquiry of beginning secondary teachers’ mentoring experiences in the state of Victoria, Australia. The data were generated through in-depth interviews and participants’ diary entries to answer the research question “What personal, professional knowledge is developed through beginning teachers’ early experiences with induction and mentoring?”

Findings

The researcher found that attention to minutiae of mentor/mentee interactions can suggest how symbolic violence shapes personal, professional knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

This small-scale study has some limitations. However, as an illustration of organisational learning, with strong connections to Bourdieu’s theoretical work, it can provide some illuminating insights into how policy can be enacted at the micro-level. In particular, there are implications for how mentor teachers engage in their roles and understand the potential impact of their interactions with beginning teachers.

Originality/value

This study applies Bourdieu’s framework of cultural reproduction as an analysis tool for a qualitative study of the mentoring of beginning teachers.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2012

Benjamin Kutsyuruba

The purpose of this exploratory article is to address the questions of teacher attrition and retention by examining the policies supporting beginning teachers in different…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this exploratory article is to address the questions of teacher attrition and retention by examining the policies supporting beginning teachers in different jurisdictions (provinces and territories) in Canada through teacher induction and mentorship programs.

Design/methodology/approach

This research study relied on the collection of documents as the primary method of data collection. Both policy documents as means of external communication and the informal responses to formal policies by various stakeholders were analyzed in a complementary fashion in this study. The study examined numerous government documents, websites, program/policy memoranda, newsletters, as well as academic reviews pertaining to beginning teacher induction programs across Canada.

Findings

Data analysis revealed significant policy variability across the provinces and localities, with comprehensive induction programs instituted only by the educational authorities in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Northwest Territories. A fundamental building‐block of the induction programs was the creation of a formal mentoring program that matched experienced teachers with teachers who were new to the profession and/or to the province/territory.

Research limitations/implications

Policy makers should consider the implementation of structured induction programs that successfully inculcate new teachers into school cultures and result in decreased teacher attrition and increased retention of beginning teachers. Mentoring is at the core of successful induction programs. Evident in all policy‐mandated induction programs under study was the importance of the school principal's role in effective functioning of mentoring programs. This aspect of the principal's role should be further examined and researched to understand the administrator role in the implementation and functioning of effective induction and mentoring programs for beginning teachers not only in Canada but worldwide.

Practical implications

In considering implementation of teacher induction programs, policymakers need to be aware that comprehensive, intensive support programs for new educators are both an effective and an efficient public investment. If mandated by policies at the macro levels as part of formal induction programs, mentoring programs have the potential to transform schools into collaborative places by establishing a culture of mentoring in schools.

Originality/value

Despite the perceived and actual benefits, government‐instituted induction programs for new teachers are not very common in Canada. While the discussions of such programs are certainly present in the educational literature, this exploratory pan‐Canadian review of induction and mentoring policies has the ability to inform provincial and territorial policymakers about the variability in institutionalizing those programs.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 October 2015

Edward J. Fuller and Lindsey Schrott

Policymakers have focused on improving STEM outcomes for US high school students for over 50 years. Much of this focus has centered on improving the quality of STEM teachers

Abstract

Policymakers have focused on improving STEM outcomes for US high school students for over 50 years. Much of this focus has centered on improving the quality of STEM teachers, particularly in poor and minority schools. Few, if any, of these efforts have considered the importance of the content knowledge of those providing instructional leadership in schools – namely, principals and assistant principals. This chapter examines the percentage of school leaders with teacher certification in mathematics or science and the degree to which teacher and school leader turnover interrupts the leadership–teacher relationships. The study concludes relatively few school leaders have the content knowledge to provide deep instructional leadership. Moreover, the study finds combined teacher and school leader turnover greatly diminishes the sustained relationships between instructional leaders and teachers, particularly in lower-performing schools.

Details

Promoting and Sustaining a Quality Teacher Workforce
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-016-2

Keywords

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