Experience of mentors and beginner primary school teachers in applying the principles of shared leadership during the school adaptation period: The case of Lithuania

Figures & data

Table 1. Mentor-leader activities in applying the principles of shared leadership

Author	Expectations for the mentor-leader
Bento, 2011	To continue learning and improving the learning process To participate in the decision-making process To organise qualification improvement, share experience To advise individually and help educators solve problems To participate in the evaluation process of activities and to provide constructive feedback
Harris, 2010	To seek authenticity in pedagogical activities To share best practices not only within the educational institution but also outside of it To build trust in educational institution To seek to involve as much of the school community as possible in the education process
Çetin & Keser, 2015	To participate in the evaluation of the activities of the educational establishment To create and maintain the vision and culture of the educational establishment To help plan the education process and provide constructive feedback
Valuckienė et al., 2015	To focus on training and learning, sharing best practices To create and maintain a culture of cooperation that promotes the professional growth of colleagues To bring colleagues together to implement innovation in education To support and promote the leadership of other members of the community

Table 2. Primary teacher training criteria (Driskell, 2015; Zuljan & Požarnik, 2014)

Country	Study period	Required degree		Beginner teacher’s stage
			Pedagogical practice time
France	5 y.	Master’s degree	300 hours	Practice in 4^th-5^th years of study. The beginner teacher receives special support during the first two years of employment. The first year after passing the recruitment test is a probation period, feedback/advice from mentors and the school inspector in monitoring the classroom is provided.
Germany	5 y.	Master’s degree	18–24 months	The beginner teacher working part-time receives support in the form of training seminars and mentors in order to develop professional competences and overcome initial insecurity. After three years of taking up their duties, teachers receive a term of office or (permanent) civil servant status.
Estonia	5 y.	Master’s degree	10 weeks	An introductory programme of a year with clearly defined objectives: to further develop the competences of the teacher and to provide support in solving practical problems. Four stakeholders are involved in the programme: school leaders, mentors, beginner teachers and university introductory year centres.
Finland	5 y.	Master’s degree	18 weeks	A six-month probation period during which the municipality and the school provide support to new staff in the system.
Canada	4–2 semesters	Master’s degree	16 weeks	During the first 2 years of pedagogical work, the educator participates in a program during which they collaborate with the mentor.

Figure 1. Structure of the semi-structured interview

Table 3. Justification for questions of the semi-structured interview with beginner teachers and their mentors

Interview question	Relationship of the question to the problem of the study	Manifestations of experience
Please tell me what kind of mentor experience do you have? What strengths of yourself as a mentor would you distinguish?	Find out the experience of teacher mentorship. The aim is to recognise the qualities of mentor leaders.	Mentor’s personal, work-related qualities are an aspect of leadership.
What do you think are the reasons why beginner teachers often turn to mentors for help?	To clarify the professional challenges facing beginners in the adaptation and integration process.	A culture of cooperation is being developed, and good practice is being shared.
In your opinion, how can a mentor help the beginner teacher in the early years of their career?	To determine the mentor’s role for the beginner teacher.	Involvement into organizational processes, psychological support, work-related support, sharing responsibility, counselling.
Would you agree with the view that sharing experiences and problem areas between mentors and beginner teachers can strengthen the beginner’s self-confidence and performance? What good practices would it be worth sharing?	To identify the manifestations of mentorship.	Continuous focus on training and learning, sharing of best practices, reinforcement and encouragement through confidence building.
To what extent do you think the observance of the lessons taught by the mentor is useful for helping the beginner teacher to improve and for the mentor themselves to improve?	To identify the manifestations of mentorship.	Competent feedback, monitoring good practices.
Professional competencies can be personal, didactic and subject-matter. What professional competences do you think the mentor can help the beginner to develop the most?	To determine the mentor’s role for a beginner teacher.	The development of professional competences.
How do you think a mentor can help a beginner teacher to integrate into the school community?	Identify the role of the mentor in the integration process of the beginner teacher.	A culture of cooperation is being developed.

Table 4. Sociodemographic characteristics of respondents

Respondent No.	Gender	Position	Years of work experience	Years of mentorship experience	City
M1	Female	Primary school teacher-expert	42	1	Vilnius
M2	Male	Primary school teacher-methodologist	30	4	Kedainiai
M3	Female	Primary school teacher	25	1	Vilnius
M4	Female	Head of Education	13	4	Kaunas
B1	Female	Primary school teacher	2	-	Vilnius
B2	Female	Primary school teacher	3	-	Kedainiai
B3	Female	Primary school teacher	2	-	Kaunas
B4	Female	Primary school teacher	2	-	Kaunas
B5	Female	Primary school teacher	3	-	Vilnius
B6	Female	Primary school teacher	3	-	Vilnius

Table 5. Examples illustrating the characteristics of the mentor as a leader

Subcategory	Mentors’ answers	Beginner primary school teachers’ answers
Professional experience	“Personal experience is a major achievement. A lot of work experience is the main thing < … > Mentors have to inspire with their work and to set their example to teach other teachers < … > a teacher has to be able to improvise and adapt to circumstances, react to the environment.” M1 “ … I’m not afraid to talk, to discuss with people, because I know the subject.” M2	“The teacher has the qualification of an expert, so her extensive experience is a key strength. At school, she organised seminars, quizzes, competitions, and the writing of dictations.” B1 “attention to detail, being systematic.” B2 “The goodwill to share her experience. < … > She shares her tasks, slides.” B3 “ … she has always showed an example of how to perform one task or another.” B4
Personal characteristics	“I’m an open person and I always tend to help < … > trust is very important. The next thing is respect.” M3 “a good mentor must not only help to achieve professional goals, but also to see a person as a personality, to help them develop fully.” M4	“Mentor is a wonderful teacher, a role model and an inspiring person. < … > Mostly the influence depends on the personality, i.e. on how that person will be able to engage, find a connection with the teacher.” B1 “Empathy is strength.” B3 “For the most part, a professional person is also a prominent personality.” B4 “She’s a maximalist and wants to try everything.” B5

Table 6. Examples illustrating the challenges faced by beginner teachers

Subcategory	Mentors’ answers	Beginner primary school teachers’ answers
Lack of working experience	“Assistance is needed to communicate with the parents of the pupils, to speak in the right tone.” M1 “He just lacks that work experience.” M3	“I asked questions about the role of the class leader: how to control pupils’ misbehaviour, how to motivate pupils, how to communicate with parents.” B1 “Most of the challenges are related to class management.” B3 “We need more help in dealing with parents.” B4 “How to mark standardised tests, what is the system in school.” B6
Adaptation in the organisation	“You want to show that they can do it, that they can really trust you < … >, and in fact you don’t know that microclimate or traditions very well yet—ethos altogether.” M2 “All people are new and unfamiliar to you. < … > An introduction to school life and traditions is crucial.” M3 “People are thrown in at school and left on their own. This raises the desire to change the institution.” M4	“A new person needs a lot of help to integrate.” B1 “I was assigned to a self-assessment group and … I didn’t understand anything. I lacked help here.” B2 “On certain internal rules of procedure.” B3 “The mentor can help, especially for a more closed person, perhaps by voicing their ideas in the team.” B4 “It was hard to orientate in the abundance of documents.” B6
Criticism for the activities of beginner teachers	“It is difficult to accept another person’s observations.” M3	“It should be agreed that this should be done without evaluation, amicably, so that it is reflective, nobody but mentor and teacher should be involved.” B6
Overwork	“They need to talk, sometimes you don’t even need to solve the problem for them, it’s enough to sit next to them and say “I understand you.” M4	“Burnout and just emotional state because work is quite emotionally draining.” B3

Table 7. Examples illustrating the expression of mentorship based on aspects of shared leadership

Subcategory	Mentors’ answers	Beginner primary school teachers’ answers
Emotional support and counselling	“I always try to help the teacher feel safe.” M1 “I show you that you have your goal and you can’t get distracted by other things.” M2 “I can motivate, encourage, support, compliment, thank. I can encourage positive change, help her do more than she expects of herself.” M4	“I was encouraged to keep improving, to attend training courses, seminars, to continue my studies.” B1 “In a difficult situation, the mentor emphasized that we both got into that situation, and showed me that it’s possible to find a way out of all the problems. It builds self-confidence, a sense of what I’m doing.” B3
Exchange of professional experience	“I always share my experience, experiences I’ve been through and knowledge.” M1 “Our every observation and advice were worth its weight in gold.” M3	“In our team, teachers often share their strengths.” B4 “I learned not only work-related skills but also managerial skills.” B5
Creation of a system of motivation for pupils	“It is important to show respect for children; it has also been very helpful in attracting the pupils’ attention and bringing them together.” M1	“How to motivate pupils, because this is what bothers me most.” B1
Provision of feedback	“We would watch the lessons and then discuss them. We started every discussion with what worked. With what she thinks she was good at.” M3 “I commend them for their concrete achievements. I would ask them how they were doing. What are the difficulties? I showed specific activities where mathematical thinking activities can be integrated.” M4	“We discussed what worked in certain lessons, we discussed it also in informal settings.” B1 “He said I hadn’t done self-assessment at the end of the lesson, he pointed out that children should talk more during a lesson on how to organise self-assessment.” B5

Table 8. Examples illustrating the conditions for organising mentorship

Subcategory	Mentors’ answers	Beginner primary school teachers’ answers
Mentor’s competence	“You have to give advice, ideas to make him feel good when he comes into the classroom, bringing something that’s already created.” M4	“will not necessarily share the task, but will make you think for yourself from other points of view.” B3
Constructive reflection	“It’s important to thank, to appreciate the human effort.” M1 “The mentor must not say too much of the things to be corrected, but praise and encourage.” M4	“It’s necessary to get a reflection, feedback from the mentor.” B2 “This would be followed by constructive criticism or feedback.” B3 “Personal growth depends on how often the contact with the mentor takes place.” B6
Positive organisational environment	“A new teacher has to feel that teachers are a team.” M1 “It’s very important for a beginner educator to have a person they trust who listens and supports, assists, at least tries to understand.” M3 “If they feel good, they create things.” M4	“It depends on the school administration: how much decision power is given to the employees themselves, how much trust is placed on teachers.” B4 “Activities were offered by mentors, but we organised them together.” B6

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