Mentoring programme and the transition of beginning teachers: view of the insiders

ABSTRACT

Transition is hardly a simple phase in any individual’s life, particularly from education to labour market. For professions such as teaching, the transition from being a student to a teacher is even ‘bumpier’ compared with other jobs unless it is cushioned by supports. The reason is beginning teachers are faced with numerous obstacles during this transition, including practice shock, identity conflicts, low self-efficacy, to name a few. Mentoring program henceforth is believed to assist novices in this critical professional turning point. The qualitative case study in this article was conducted to investigate how a mentoring program, seen as a reflective learning process in which the newly-qualified teachers are learners, facilitate the transition of two beginning teachers working in a higher education institution. The results yielded are changes in the teachers’ teaching beliefs, self-efficacy, teaching performance and professional development; and the socialisation process into the profession of the two participants, which is perceived to smooth their transition process.

KEYWORDS:

• Mentoring
• transition
• beginning teachers
• Vietnam
• teacher learning
• reflective learning
• professional development
• mentor
• mentee

Acknowledgments

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anh Ngoc Quynh Phan

Anh Ngoc Quynh Phan is finishing her PhD at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her areas of interest include transnationalism, migration, globalisation, mobility, international education, diaspora, teacher education, identity and TESOL.

Tho Xuan Pham

Tho Xuan Pham obtained his Masters degree in Australia. He has been working as a lecturer in University of Languages and International Studies for over two decades. His main areas of interest include linguistics, teacher education, and TESOL.