Examining learning to teach through a social lens: How mentors guide newcomers into a professional community of learners
Abstract
A study examined how to effectively guide new teachers into the teaching profession. Findings revealed that school-based mentors were viewed as participants' main source of ‘cultural knowledge,’ mentors and student teachers identified specific contextual challenges with which student teachers struggled and for which mentors needed to provide support, and mentors and student teachers seemed to create a socially shared space through which they could negotiate and define the student teachers' participation. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Reference
Street, C. (2004). Examining learning to teach through a social lens: How mentors guide newcomers into a professional community of learners. Teacher Education Quarterly, 31(2), 7-24.
Journal
Teacher Education Quarterly
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
yes
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- student teaching placement schools
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
15
Other Participant Data
- Mentors (experienced teachers)
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- artifacts
- Interviews
- reflective essay
Data Analysis Tools
- emergent category designation (Erlandson et al., 1993)
Researcher Positionality
Research Questions
1. How did the participants define mentoring?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
2. How did the participants perceive mentoring to take place within their
particular settings?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
3. What factors contributed to the development of mentoring relationships?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes