Teachers’ Perceptions of their Mentoring Role in Three Different Clinical Settings: Student Teaching, Early Field Experiences, and Entry Year Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in mentoring across three different clinical settings: student teaching, early field experiences, and entry year teachers. Eighteen teachers with mentoring experience in all three clinical settings were selected and interviewed. The teachers’ expectations for teacher development, mentoring relationships, and mentoring strategies differed across all three clinical settings. In addition, their confidence, their relationship with mentees, and their mentoring strategies were influenced by two features of the clinical setting: (a) the amount of time for mentoring interactions, and (b) the expectations for the mentee. To improve mentoring, the authors recommend (a) lengthening clinical experiences, (b) providing support for creating positive relationships, and (c) providing professional development specific to each of the three clinical settings.

Keywords:

• teacher education
• mentors
• cooperating teachers
• beginning teacher induction
• student teaching
• preservice teacher education

Notes

1. The term teacher candidates will be used to designate a preservice teacher during early field experiences, and the term student teacher will be used to designate a preservice teacher during the student teaching experience. Preservice teacher includes both teacher candidates and student teachers. Entry year teacher will be used to designate first year teachers. The term mentee will be used to refer to all three groups collectively.

2. We use the term mentor as an inclusive term that refers to a teacher who is mentoring in any of the three clinical settings: student teaching, early field experience, and entry year teacher. It is intended to be more broadly construed than the terms cooperating teacher or mentor teacher, which are often associated with mentoring student teachers or entry year teachers.