Mentoring relationships: A Mentoring in Action explanation of a state Resident Teacher Program

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: This study examined three case studies using the strategies of qualitative research.

Findings and Conclusions:

Using Megginson, Clutterbuck, Garvey, Stokes and Garrett-Harris's (2006) Mentoring in Action framework from the business world, the purpose of this study was to explain the mentoring process of selected teachers in secondary schools. This study specifically examined the mentoring relationship in differing school environments, the levels of mentoring in each environment, the aspects of mentoring not included in the framework, and the usefulness of this framework in the study of first year teachers.

There is little disputing that mentoring programs are beneficial; the success or failure appears to be in the implementation and support of the program (Gravett, 2003). The findings in this study indicate that although each district is involved in the same formal mentoring program; the program is implemented differently in each district. This implementation was independent of the size or demographics of the school district. The different implementations do not automatically dictate the success or failure of the mentoring program.

This study found that there are some common characteristics of the effective mentoring programs, even though the district implementation is different. These common characteristics are clear goals of the school culture, the presence of strong informal mentoring networks, the proximity of the mentor to the mentee, and the attitude of the mentee towards the mentoring process. These findings support the findings of previous research by Harrison et al. (2006), Gagen and Bowie (2005), Zachary (2005), Wang et al. (2008) and Clutterbuck (1998).