Informal mentoring for aspiring school leaders: a phenomenological study

ABSTRACT

Informal mentoring had been previously identified as a vital component to leadership development and succession planning. Through a phenomenological approach, we sought to capture the lived experiences of aspiring school leaders pertaining to informal mentoring. Using open-ended questions and reflective activities, eight aspiring school leaders provided information about their experiences and characteristics of informal mentoring. Through a human science research perspective, four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) defining informal mentoring, (b) characteristics of effective informal mentors, (c) constructive relationship, and (d) mentoring recommendations. Participants found their experiences with informal mentoring beneficial. There was a reported high level of trust between mentor and protégé and the process was flexible. Because the aspiring leaders sought to become school leaders in the near future, most were cognizant of the fact they needed to have quality mentors, but also be a mentor to new educators.

KEYWORDS:

• Mentoring
• educational leadership
• leadership development
• leadership preparation
• phenomenology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher M. Parfitt

Christopher M. Parfitt, Ed.D. is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. Prior to work in academia, he previously served in school leadership and central-office positions and was a teacher. His research interests include succession planning, informal mentoring, assessment of dispositions, and supporting alternatively certified teachers.

Amanda L. Rose

Amanda L. Rose, Ed.D., is a secondary English Language Arts teacher and instructional coach in Lee County, Florida.  Her research interests include the professional development needs of alternatively certified teachers in Florida and methods to support novice teachers to ensure quality teaching and retention in the profession.