Analyzing Mentor Narratives of Reflective Practice: A Case for Supporting Adult Learning in Hungarian Initial Teacher Education

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we outline findings from a research project on mentor teachers’ conceptualizations and strategies of mentoring novice teachers for reflective practice. The study was conducted with the aim to explore the qualitatively different ways in which mentor teachers conceive of mentoring for reflective practice and also how they translate this into actual mentoring strategies. We interviewed 10 senior mentor teachers who are certified mentors at Hungarian primary and secondary schools. The transcripts were analyzed using a phenomenographic approach. Mentor teachers were found to oscillate between fragmented and cohesive conceptions of mentoring for teaching with varying levels of integrating the notion of reflective practice and addressing mentees as adult learners. Based on the results a structure of conceptualizations and strategies was created.

KEYWORDS:

• Mentoring
• reflective practice
• initial teacher education
• adult learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ Spring, 2017

² According to the current legislation of teacher education in Hungary, pre-service teachers spend the last year (two semesters, 17 weeks, 400 hours) of their university studies in schools with observing and teaching classes and completing teaching-related activities under a certified mentor’s supervision. The new mentoring system of the teaching practicum was introduced in 2013 and the first cohort of pre-service teachers conducts their long practicum in 2018/19.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Helga Dorner

Helga Dorner is senior lecturer and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Central European University, Hungary. She is lead faculty of the Program for Excellence in Teaching in Higher Education for Doctoral Students where she teaches courses in the field of teaching and learning in higher education and socialization of academics. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She researches teaching innovations, academic professionalism and mentoring for teaching in higher education. She consults with national and international (higher) educational organizations, regularly publishes scholarly articles and presents at conferences.

Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy

Kinga Kaplar-Kodacsy is an Assistant Lecturer and PhD student in Educational Sciences at Eötvös Lorand University (ELTE), Hungary, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Institute of Research on Adult Education and Knowledge Management. She teaches future HR counsellors and adult learning specialist courses like Communication Theory and Practice, Online and Distance Learning and Theory of Science. She is an experienced secondary school teacher and qualified teacher mentor. Her research interests include reflective practice of teachers, mentoring in secondary and higher education. Her current research projects are dealing with understanding the roles and concepts of ITE mentoring, exploring innovative mentoring practices in faculty development context and finding ways for improving teaching in higher education.