Exploring the Contribution of the Five-Factor Mentoring Model in Advancing the Pre-Service Teachers’ Personal and Professional Growth

Abstract

The five-factor mentoring model is shown as a valid framework for measuring the impact of the mentoring received by pre-service teachers in the teaching practicum, but also for the mentor training. This mentoring model involves mentors’ personal attributes, system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modelling and feedback. This study examined the perceived mentoring experiences of fourth- year preservice teachers (n=100) during their 8-week school-based teaching practicum. This mixed-method study combined quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. The METP (Mentoring for Effective Teaching Practice) instrument developed by Hudson et al. (2005) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used in the data analysis. The semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 fourth-year pre-service teachers. The thematic analysis method was used for analyzing the interview data. Findings indicated that pre-service teachers were adequately mentored on personal attributes, while less reported was the provision of feedback by the mentors. Results indicate that pre-service teachers who taught more teaching lessons had a more positive experience with pedagogical knowledge provided by the mentors, but also received more feedback. Qualitative outcomes indicate that pre-service teachers believe they advanced their personal and professional growth when mentors shared their responsibilities with university supervisors to offer mentoring practices focused on belongingness, reflection, teacher attributes, and professionalism in teaching. This study has implications for pre-service teacher professional development during initial teacher preparation and mentor training.