Embedding Mentoring Practices
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Authors
Swanepoel, Angela
Issue Date
2020-12-04
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Educative mentoring , Embedded mentoring practices , Mentoring archetypes , Novice teacher attrition , Pedagogical content knowledge , Teaching methods
Alternative Title
Abstract
Every year teachers enter the workforce with a wide range of educational experiences through alternative routes to certification and traditional teacher preparation programs. These teachers bring a pedagogical skillset that varies in terms of their practicum experiences and school of education course preparation. Much of the intricacies of student teaching are learned within the placement school and classroom but current statistics indicate that novice teachers leave the profession at rates of between 19% and 30% over their first five years of teaching with just 3% of novice teachers receiving comprehensive mentoring support. Teachers who do receive mentoring and collaboration cut the first-year turnover rate by more than half. This qualitative interpretive research explored the perceptions of six participants and addressed the gap in literature supporting mentoring being embedded earlier within teacher preparation programs. These perceptions were explored and guided the identification of core mentoring practices. Intentional, or purposeful, mentoring practices are essential components of a pre-service teachers’ repertoire and need to be embedded within pre-service teacher’s coursework. The research findings supported the significance of embedding mentoring practices to enhance the level of pre-service and novice teaching experiences. By connecting the methodological and theoretical contents of teacher preparation through embedded mentoring, the practice of critical reflection with authentic experiences would be established to reduce novice teacher attrition. Through the lens of mentoring, the results supported embedding such practices earlier into teacher preparation programs, specifically methods of teaching. Education has become an accessible global learning forum and embedding mentoring practices cannot be excluded from this conversation.
Description
Citation
A. Swanepoel, "Embedding Mentoring Practices", Ph.D. dissertation, School of Education, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 2020.