Pupils talking about their learning mentors: what can we learn?

The use of learning mentors to provide additional support to pupils who experience barriers to learning has become a feature of many schools in recent years. Mentoring places learning within a social context and recognises the necessity to ensure that students feel both comfortable with and in control of the learning process. This paper describes research which sought the views of young people who, having been identified as having social difficulties, had been supported by learning mentors. Their personal interpretation of mentoring and its impact on their lives is discussed and illustrated through use of their own words. Students interviewed demonstrated an ability to rationalise their own situations and behaviors and provide an indication of the important role that learning mentors have played in their lives.     

Care into Core

In 2002, the UK Government set the target of increasing participation in higher education to 50% of 18–30 year olds by 2010, with a particular focus on young people from ‘non‐traditional backgrounds’. In order to increase this participation, a range of initiatives have been introduced in an effort to encourage young people to enter post‐16 education. One significant initiative is Aimhigher, which specifically targets lower socio‐economic groups and aims to raise the attainment and aspirations of young people. This paper emerges from research conducted in 2008 into post‐16 withdrawal rates amongst Aimhigher students in the South East of England. Drawing from interviews and case studies with young people, further education (FE) colleges and schools, the paper argues that students benefit significantly from the intensive pastoral support provided in Aimhigher target schools, but that this is rarely carried over into FE. Although there is often significant pastoral support provided to students in FE, it is often quite disparate from that provided in Aimhigher schools and suffers from low take up. Whilst previous research investigating student withdrawal has focused on individual factors (socio‐economic status and ethnicity) or institutional factors (the labour market), this paper highlights the views of young people and argues that, through establishing effective and cohesive mentoring schemes, schools and FE colleges have a substantial role to play in reducing student withdrawal.     

Towards a spiritual pedagogy of pastoral welfare and care

Abstract

This paper considers the role of spirituality in the practice of pastoral welfare and care in English state schools. Set against an educational landscape of increasingly aggressive neoliberal interests combined with growing public disquiet over the mental welfare of young people, the author examines how spirituality might in response contribute to a pedagogy of pastoral welfare for pupil well-being. The paper begins by foregrounding the policy contexts for pastoral education in England and the challenges presented by the increasingly performative cultures that schools, children and young people have become subjected to. Highlighting concerns around the well-being of children and young people, the paper advances a spiritual pedagogy in pastoral care predicated on pivotal interrelated attributes of intrapersonal transcendence, care and educational practice. The paper then considers the possibilities presented by the spiritual realm in pastoral welfare and the positioning of this as an educational pedagogy and practice.     

Experiences of beginning teachers in a school‐based mentoring program in Sweden

Even though teacher education has been successful in preparing students for their future profession, the classroom reality can differ greatly from the inservice training. Many novice teachers therefore find the transition from student teacher to inservice teacher overwhelming To support beginning teachers, mentoring programs—where more experienced teachers support novice teachers—have become commonplace in many schools worldwide. In Sweden, mentoring for beginning teachers has been a frequent feature of support since 2001. This study, conducted in Sweden, examines seven novice teachers and the impact the mentoring process had upon them during their first‐year teaching. Based on interviews, it was found that these experienced both professional and personal support from their mentors. The study also showed the significance of observant leaders within the mentorship program following up on the development of the mentor–mentee relationship.     

The Importance of Mentoring Faculty Members of Color in Schools of Social Work

Mentoring has received little attention in the social work literature. The career advancement needs, and the importance of mentoring faculty members of color, have not been adequately addressed, nor have mentoring strategies. This article includes a review of the literature, a definition of mentoring, benefits of mentoring for mentors and mentees, and discussion of the need and importance of mentoring junior faculty members of color in schools and departments of social work, along with strategies to achieve this goal.     

Editor’s Overview: A 20-Year Content Review of Research on the Topic of Developmental Mentoring Relationships Published in the Mentoring & Tutoring Journal

Abstract

Empirical work from both sides of the Atlantic has been developed which attempts to bring the generations together in the context of school‐based projects and curriculum development. Against this background this article will seek to explore the impact that older people can have in an educational setting and examine the mutual effect this has in developing and promoting intergenerational understanding. This action‐research study (for The Beth Johnson Foundation, Stoke‐on‐Trent) elicited the views and experiences of children, older mentors and teachers involved in an intergenerational mentoring scheme. The study reveals that there have been significant gains for the children, older mentors (people over 50) and teachers involved in the intergenerational mentoring scheme. This article reports only the concise summary findings from a selected representative mix of the data gathered for the original action research. Evidence suggests that the mentors have become a wise advisor and friend to identified individuals and groups of children in the class setting, and that old and young people enjoy and value working together in an educational environment for the mutual benefit of each other. The study concludes that this evaluation should act as a base‐line towards some extended research into the sustainability of older mentors working in schools, and the humanising effect this has at whole‐school level in terms of improving intergenerational perception and cooperation and developing ‘active citizenship’ in schools.     

Creativity as a pastoral concern

In this paper, the author considers the contribution of creativity to pastoral care in education. Since its advent in English schools in the early 1970s, pastoral care has placed the affective realm and individual enrichment centre stage in both its curriculum aims and teaching approaches. These principles have, however, had much to contend with over the past 50 years; from the obtrusive effects of state intervention in schools, to the challenges confronting young people growing up in increasingly complex societies. For many teachers and practitioners, engaging young people in creative pursuits has come to be regarded as a necessary counterpoint to increasingly performative school cultures and an essential means to enabling vibrant forms of positive self-expression. The power of creative activities has received new impetus as a pastoral concern in light of two national trends. The first as creative arts provision in the curriculum in English state secondary schools declines as a consequence of Government qualification reforms, and second as an increasing number of young people are referred to Alternative Educational Provision with mental health issues. As a consequence, many pastoral educators have turned or, indeed, returned to creativity and creative practices as a primary means of supporting and enriching the lives of young people, particularly for those who now struggle in contemporary school environments. In light of these developments and drawing on research and practice in the field of creativity and pastoral care, this paper aims to cast further light on creativity in pastoral education.     

An Empirical Study to Examine for Androgynous Mentoring Behaviour in the Field of Education

Abstract

This empirical study focuses upon mentoring behaviour in the context of schools and colleges and is a continuation of an earlier empirical study which posited the theory that mentors will display androgyny—high levels of instrumental and expressive behaviour—whilst in their mentoring role. Sixteen mentors were invited to partake in a study that was designed to deploy both qualitative and quantitative methods in a complementary manner. Mentors reported the complementary nature of the mentoring role and other roles they performed and noted the positive, reciprocal nature of mentoring: such resulted in the mentors not seeing their role as a particularly demanding one. Evidence of mentors displaying expressive—or stereotypically feminine—behaviour within their role was apparent. The levels of instrumentality that the mentors felt others expected them to display were waived in favour of expressiveness when actual mentoring behaviour was reported: this was not mitigated by the gender of the mentor. Further, evidence emerged that the mentors would not alter their behaviour whether in a same or cross‐gender mentoring situation. The study concludes that mentors in education do not display androgynous behaviour whilst mentoring; rather they display high levels of expressive behaviour. Such would place mentoring as a stereotypically feminine role. The study further questions those who perceive cross‐gender mentoring as problematic, with mentor‐mentee age difference of possibly more concern. In order to allow full consideration of claims made, details of the previous study are given.     

Developing research potential through a structured mentoring program: issues arising

Changes in higher education have meant that academics originally in institutions without a strong research culture are now being called upon to raise their level of research activity. These institutions have implemented a range of strategies to support their academic staff making this transition. One program to develop research potential of staff is reported in this paper. It involved matching inexperienced researchers with experienced researchers who acted in a mentoring role. The individual mentoring was supplemented with a two day workshop covering research skills and also providing an opportunity to focus on the issues, questions and projects of the participants. An evaluation of the program revealed that participants benefited from the support provided by their peers in the program as well as from the support provided by the mentors. The mentors assisted the participants with specific aspects of their research and also with the social and political aspects of research involvement. The program legitimated the helping relationship established between participants and mentors.     

Evaluation of a University‐Based Mentoring Program: Mentors’ Perspectives on a Service‐Learning Experience

Researchers in the educational field have investigated how a caring adult can best provide mentoring support to youth placed at risk and what functions a mentoring program should serve to promote healthy mentoring relationships. However, the perspective of mentors rarely has been sought to elicit their evaluation of a mentoring program or recommendations for programmatic change. The purpose of this article was to investigate the views of university students serving as mentors in high‐need high schools or community centers. We asked 49 students, primarily undergraduates across a range of liberal arts disciplines, who were participating in a university‐based service‐learning mentoring program for youth attending high‐poverty high schools: (a) what activities they engaged in with mentees, (b) how they benefited from the mentoring program, and (c) how they perceived the program and what recommendations they had for change. Findings revealed specific suggestions that mentoring program coordinators can adopt to address mentors’ concerns and promote sustained, durable mentoring relationships for youth.     

History,Organisation and Power: a preliminary analysis of educational management in Tasmania

Mentoring currently plays an important role in the professional development of both trainee and newly qualified teachers. However, despite the prominence given to this in the delivery of programmes of teacher education and the associated literature there is as yet no consensus as to how it is best managed nor, indeed, that it should be done so in a way that can be universally applied to different schemes. In order to give an overview of the current state of the art this paper considers mentoring and its associated dimensions using the literature to inform the various aspects of the mentoring process: selection of mentors; preparation of mentors for the task; mentor‐student interaction; sustaining the mentoring role; assessment and mentoring in context.     

Taking care of youth mentoring relationships: red flags,repair, and respectful resolution

Mentoring is portrayed in the literature as benefiting young people, but ineffective or early termination of youth mentoring relationships can be detrimental. Researchers have not adequately explored issues surrounding the breakdown of youth mentoring relationships. Underpinned by a socio-ecological perspective, in this exploratory study we consider the various contexts within which these important relationships exist and identify early warning signs or red flags that a mentoring relationship is struggling. We interviewed mentees, mentors, and coordinators from four Western Australian youth mentoring programs about their experiences of mentoring relationships. Our findings suggest that red flags and repair strategies may be specific to particular programs, and that program coordinators play an important role in supporting relationships. Our research will help youth mentoring programs work toward early intervention strategies or appropriate and respectful termination of a relationship.     

Characterizing mentoring capital in a residency program through mentor’s voices

The purpose of our study was to examine mentors’ conceptualizations of mentoring residents (preservice teachers) in a teacher residency program. Understanding the nuances of mentoring in a year-long placement in a mentor’s classroom may further illuminate mentoring in this context. In this qualitative, longitudinal study, we used constant comparative analysis to allow the data to drive recurring patterns and ideas linked to real-life situations and values coding to examine mentors’ conceptualizations of mentoring in a residency program. Residents enrolled in the federally-funded Teaching Residency Program for Critical Shortage Areas program were placed in a high-need urban secondary school for a year-long clinical experience to work alongside mentors, who had a non-evaluative role. By examining mentors’ conceptualizations of mentoring in this particular context, our data reveal aspects of their agency that reflected three main themes: (a) professional altruism, (b) extant knowledge, and (c) resident as stimulus. Our findings add to the research on mentoring by illuminating the voices of mentors to describe how they conceptualized mentoring and to further examine their motivations for mentoring, contributions to the mentee, and professional gains.     

Mentorship and mitigation of culture shock: foreign‐trained pharmacists in Canada

Immigrants with professional qualifications face unique challenges in adapting personally and professionally to new environments. This ‘double culture shock’ experience may result in disengagement from the professional community due to perceived barriers to integration, with subsequent negative impact on employment prospects and professional role identification. The role of mentors in facilitating professional engagement by foreign‐trained pharmacists within the pharmacy profession has not previously been described in detail. This qualitative study examined the different mentoring strategies used by mentors and foreign‐trained pharmacists negotiating the licensure process in Canada. Using a categorization scheme described previously by major researchers, activity logs of mentors and mentees were examined and coded based on use of mentoring strategies. Focus groups and interviews were also undertaken with separate groups of mentors and mentees to discuss the use of these mentoring strategies for foreign‐trained pharmacists. Results suggest pharmacist‐mentors relied most heavily upon situative‐apprenticeship and humanistic perspectives in their mentoring relationships, and infrequently used critical‐constructivist mentoring activities or techniques. While mentees reported a high level of satisfaction with their mentors and the mentoring experience, they also expressed a desire for more activities of a critical‐constructivist nature as a way of assisting them in mitigating the double culture shock they experience during the licensure process.     

Mentoring beginning teachers: Mentor knowledge and skills

This article focuses on a number of quality assurance issues identified through the partnership scheme offered jointly by Homerton College, Cambridge and the University of Cambridge Department of Education, in conjunction with some ninety secondary schools situated predominantly within East Anglia. Our early experience has led us to reflect in some detail upon the foundations for successful mentoring within a partnership programme. Issues identified include: changing expectations within schools and HEIs; the selection of mentors and the safeguarding of mentor time; student entitlement and the comparability of experiences across mentors and across schools. The paper ends with a discussion of what we believe are the preconditions for high quality mentoring, taking into account the issues, identified above, which we think all partnership schemes will need to confront at some stage in their development.     

A sociocultural theoretical approach to understanding mentor–mentee interactions during a Teaching English as a Second Language practicum at the master’s degree level

Drawing on the sociocultural theoretical (SCT) perspective, we offer a microgenetic analysis of mentor–mentee interactions in the context of pre-service teachers’ practicum in a Master’s program for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Following two pairs of mentors and mentees, we analyze audio-recorded interactions and interviews and examine in depth how mediation occurs during mentoring and how such mediation assists the mentees in learning to become teachers. Our findings show that mentors’ mediation is dynamic and contingent upon the context in which mentoring occurs and that the quality and character of mentor–mentee interactions during goal-directed activities is a critical feature of promoting the mentees’ learning. Responsive mediation especially plays a key role in promoting the mentees’ cognitive development, and it is an essential component of effective mentoring. This calls for a more SCT-informed approach to conceptualizing mentoring and training mentors in practicums.     

A Helping Hand? A Study into an England-wide Peer Mentoring Program to Address Bullying Behavior

The purpose of this paper is to provide findings from a study into a school peer mentoring program which matched children aged between 9 and 12?years of age who were bullied or at-risk of being bullied with older student mentors. In total, 372 mentees as well as a comparison group of 1,249 young people from 22 English schools completed a questionnaire at the start and end of the school year (approximately nine months). An examination of the results showed that mentored students reported higher levels of bullying and life satisfaction, and statistically significant higher levels of school satisfaction than the comparison group at the end of the school year. These outcomes did not significantly vary by the mentee’s age, gender, or the number of mentoring meetings. Potential reasons for these findings are explored with a particular emphasis on the school environment and its influence on mentee–mentor and mentee–teacher relationships. The findings will have potential implications for future research and program developers.     

Mentoring as a tool to engage Aboriginal youth in remote Australian communities: a qualitative investigation of community members,mentees, teachers,and mentors’ perspectives

Sport-based mentoring programs have been used across many contexts to engage young people in education. In this research, we explored the influence that an Aboriginal controlled organisation’s youth mentoring program has on three remote Aboriginal communities in Northern Territory, Australia. We used a composite set of culturally sensitive methods by including artefacts from the community members and mentees, informal interviews with community, and semi-structured conversations with mentors and schoolteachers. The findings demonstrate the positive feelings, many benefits, and relationships that had been established between mentors and mentees, the organisation and community over time. However, participants also suggested that it would be beneficial to engage mentors in activities with students not in the school system, and adults in the broader community. Despite some identified challenges, the mentoring program was perceived to be successful in engaging remote Aboriginal children in school and developing future career aspirations.     

Mentoring support and the professional development of beginning teachers: a Chinese perspective

For a long time, there has been a tradition in China of experienced teachers helping beginning teachers. This empirical school study investigates the kinds of support that are provided by eight dyads of mentoring teacher and first‐year secondary school teachers in Guangzhou of southern China and the major factors affecting mentoring support. In addition, this research focuses on the professional development of first‐year teachers in areas of subject knowledge, student, teaching and classroom management. The findings reveal that mentors provide four forms of support: provision of information, mutual lesson observation, collaborative lesson preparation and discussion in the office. Factors affecting mentoring support include teaching workload, grade and subject, style of mentor–protégé interactions, relationships between mentor and mentee, incentives for the mentors, and collegial culture in the case study schools. It is notable that there are positive and negative developments perceived by the protégé and the foci of mentoring tend to be the teaching of content rather than curriculum and pedagogy.