The characteristics of the role of early childhood education mentors in Jordan

Abstract

This study aims to explore empirically how far the roles adopted by the mentors of early childhood education students teaching in Jordan coincide with a model of roles suggested in the literature of teacher training. This study is an attempt to draw from the literature as many views about the role of the mentor as possible and then to attempt to develop a comprehensive model to describe mentoring. Such a model can then be explored empirically in the context of a Jordanian teacher education programme. The results of this study are reported in respect of two qualitative research techniques using evidence from three rounds of interviews with eleven early childhood education mentors and their fourteen student teachers, and the observation and field notes taken during fieldwork.

Keywords:

• mentors
• student teachers
• early childhood education
• student induction
• teacher training

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Professor Geoffrey C Elliott, Editor of Research in Post‐Compulsory Education, in preparing this article for publication.