What Does Mentoring Mean to Experienced Teachers? A Phenomenological Interview Study
Source: The Teacher Educator, v. 42 no. 4 (Spring 2007) p. 289-303.
This report investigates mentoring from the perspectives of 7 experienced secondary public school teachers from four different school districts in Oklahoma. The participants' teaching experience ranged from 10 to 30 years. The author reviewed the research process and data provided through the teachers' interviews and protocol writings to further explain the nature of mentoring and the benefits of mentoring experienced teachers.
The experienced teachers benefited from the mentoring process and their mentoring experiences in two important areas. At the professional level, the teachers gained a sense of self as professional educators. At the personal level, these teachers identified mentoring as a process that worked in almost any situation; in addition, they recognized that conversing about concerns with a knowledgeable colleague was a workable solution for solving issues. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.