THE ROLE OF MENTORSHIP IN TEACHING PRACTICE FOR DIPLOMA IN PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Authors

  • Wazha Maundeni University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
  • Makotoka Kahaka University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v9i7.4390

Keywords:

student-teachers, mentor teachers, teaching practice, professional development, Colleges of Education, Botswana

Abstract

This study examines the concerns of student-teachers at Serowe College of Education in Botswana on the role of the mentor teacher during Teaching Practice (TP) for professional development. The study adopted a qualitative methodological approach where only online interviews were used in order to observe Covid- 19 protocols for the protection of both the student -teachers and the researcher. The study sampled four (4) third year student-teachers just about to complete their course to share their experiences during TP. The findings reveal that the current arrangement where student-teachers are assigned to any class teacher in a practicing school does not benefit most of them in terms of professional development. This study also identified various factors that may contribute to the improvement of mentor-mentee relationships such as communication between mentor teachers and the higher institutions of learning (Colleges of Educations) through workshops as well as developing a mentor guide booklet to help mentor teachers to fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, it would be necessary to assign mentor teachers to mentees based on the areas of specialisation of the student-teachers and also motivate the mentor teacher with some incentives to ensure quality in the education system that is competitive globally.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

Author Biographies

  • Wazha Maundeni, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

    Wazha Maundeni is a Lecturer in Religious Education in the Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education, at the Faculty of Education, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. His research interests include ethical theory, pedagogy, religious tolerance, multi-faith and religious education.

  • Makotoka Kahaka, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana

    Dr. Makotoka Kahaka is a Lecturer in Moral Education in the Department of Languages and Social Sciences Education, at the Faculty of Education, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. His research interests include ethical theory, applied ethics, morality, moral education, personhood and personal identity.

References

Ambrosetti, A. (2012). The impact of preparing mentor teachers for mentoring. Joint AARE APERA International Conference, Sidney. 1-14.

Asuo-Baffour, H., Daayeng, A. & Agyemang, O. (2019). Mentorship in teacher education: challenges & support provided. European Journal of Education Studies, 6(1), 257- 280.

Bosser, U. & Lindahl, M. (2017). Teachers’ management of classroom discussions on socio-scientific issues. European Science Education Research Association.

Botswana Government, (1994). The Revised National Policy on Education April 1994. Gaborone: Government Printer.

Cal, A. & Termarn, A. (2016). Phenomenological epistemologies approaches and implications for HRD research and practice. National Institute of Development Administration. Bangkok, Thailand.

Carvalho, A.R. & Santos, C. (2021). The Transformative Role of Peer Learning Projects in 21st Century Schools—Achievements from Five Portuguese Educational Institutions. Educational Science, 11(196), 1-17.

Cropley, A. J. (2019). Qualitative research methods: A practice-oriented introduction for students of psychology and education. Riga, Latvia.

Duse, C. S., Duse, D. & Karkowska, M. (2017). How important is mentoring in education? MATEC Web of Conferences 121.

Fryer, R. (2018). The “pupil” factory: Specialization and the production of human capital in schools. American Economic Review, 108(3), 616-656.

Galamay-Cachola, S., Aduca, M. C. M. & Calauagan, F. C. (2018). Mentoring experiences, issues, and concerns in the student-teaching program: Towards a proposed mentoring program in teacher education. IAFOR Journal of Education, 6(3), 7-24.

Gray, D. E. & Goregaokar, H. (2013). The mentor handbook: A practical guide for VET teacher training. Council of the European Union, Brussels.

Huong, V. T. M., Tung, N. T. T., Hong, T. T. M., & Hung, D. H. (2020). Partnerships between teacher education universities and schools in practicum to train pre-service teachers of Vietnam. International Journal of Higher Education, 9(5), 134-152.

Hairon, S. & Charlene, T. (2013), Novice Teachers Learning from Others: Mentoring in Shanghai Schools, Australian Journal of Teacher Education.38 (3), 10.

Hong, C. E. & Riper, I. V. (2016). Enhancing Teacher Learning from Guided Video Analysis of Literacy Instruction: An Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Approach. Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education, 7(2), 94-110.

Kavanoz, H. S. & Yüksel, G. (2010). An investigation of peer-teaching technique in student teacher development. The International Journal of Research in Teacher Education, 1, 0-19.

Killian, J., & E. Wilkins (2009). Characteristics of highly effective cooperating teachers: A study of their backgrounds and preparation. Action in Teacher Education, 30(4), 67-83.

Maunganidze, O. (2015). College-School Dialogue and Mentoring in Teacher Training Programmes in Zimbabwe. Journal of Education and Learning, 4(2), 19-27.

Mohajan, H. K. (2018). Qualitative Research Methodology in Social Sciences and Related Subjects. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7(01), 23-48.

Musingafi, M. C., & Mafumbate, R. (2014). Challenges and prospects for school-based mentoring in the professional development of student teachers in Zimbabwe: Academics, mentees and mentors’ perceptions. Asian Journal of Economics and Empirical Research, 1(2), 32-39.

Ndhlovu, Z. B., Nkhata, B., Chipindi, F. M., Kalinde, B., Kaluba, C., Malama, E., Mambwe, R., Bwalya, K., Enala, S., Lufungulo, E. S. & Chipande, H. (2021). Subject specialisation in primary school: A theoretical review and implications for policy and practice in Zambia. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 10(4), 13-24.

Petrovska, S., Sivevska, D., Popeska, B., & Runcheva, J. (2018). Mentoring in teaching profession. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 6(2), 47-56.

Poland, S., Colburn, A. & Long, D. E. (2017). Teacher perspectives on specialisation in the elementary classroom: implications for science instruction, International Journal of Science Education, 1-18.

Prasad, R. (2017). Proposing Subject Specialization for Fijian Primary Schools. Fijian Studies, 14(2), 77-86.

Rania, N., Coppola, I., & Pinna, L. (2021). Adapting Qualitative Methods during the COVID-19 Era: Factors to Consider for Successful Use of Online Photovoice. The Qualitative Report, 26(8), 2711-2729.

Rebecca1, J. B. & Musisi, B. (2022). Mentoring Teacher Trainees in Universities in Uganda: A Dimension of Continuous Supervision of School Practice. American Journal of Sciences and Engineering Research, 5(1), 107-112.

Roberts, J. K., Pavlakis A. E., & Richards, M. P. (2021). It’s more complicated than It Seems: Virtual Qualitative Research in the COVID-19 Era. International Journal of Qualitative Methods Volume 20: 1–13.

Salleh, H. & Tan, C. (2013). Novice teachers learning from others: Mentoring in Shanghai schools. Australian journal of teacher education, 38(3), 152- 165.

Samkange, W. (2015). Subject specialisation at primary school: a new development in the Zimbabwean education system. Global Journal of Advanced Research, 2(5), 845-854.

Seenan, C., Shanmugam, S. & Stewart, J. (2016). Group Peer Teaching: A Strategy for Building Confidence in Communication and Teamwork Skills in Physical Therapy Students. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 30(3), 40-49.

Serowe College of Education Teaching Practice Handbook. (2011).

Tlokweng College of Education Prospectus: 2018-2020. Tlokweng College of Education (2018).

Tuffour, I. (2017). A critical overview of interpretative phenomenological analysis: a contemporary qualitative research approach. Journal of Health Commun, 2(4), 52.

Velez, J. J., Cano, J., Whittington, M. S. & Wolf, K. J. (2011). Cultivating Change through Peer Teaching. Journal of Agricultural Education, 52(1), 40–49.

Yafar-Werman, M. (2019). An Analysis of a Mentoring Program in a Northern New Jersey School District (Doctoral dissertation, Seton Hall University).

Webber-Ritchey, K. J., Simonovich, S. D. & Spurlark, R. S. (2021). COVID-19: Qualitative research with vulnerable populations. Nursing Science Quarterly, 34(1), 13-19.

Downloads

Published

2022-07-28

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 7 (2022)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).