An effective teacher education program should provide student teachers with comprehensive and
diverse teaching practice opportunities to cultivate their professional growth and classroom
readiness. These opportunities should include structured, hands-on experiences in a variety of
educational settings, allowing student teachers to engage with students of different backgrounds,
abilities, and learning styles. Through these real-world teaching environments, student teachers
can apply their theoretical knowledge, experiment with teaching strategies, and refine their class
management techniques. In student teaching practice, mentoring has become the cornerstone of
preparing student teachers for successful careers in education. This process involves experienced
teachers who provide guidance and support within a structured learning framework, helping
student teachers navigate the intricacies of the profession. Through one-on-one mentor-student
relationship, student teachers receive personalized advice and constructive feedback on their
teaching methods, class management, and lesson planning. This collaborative relationship not only
enhances student teacher’s practical skills but also fosters the professional growth, confidence, and
a deeper understanding of teaching responsibilities. By providing a supportive environment where
student teachers can reflect on their experiences and learn from seasoned mentors, student teaching
practice ensures that they are well-prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of their future
classrooms. According to learning theories of experience and social constructivism, mentoring, as
a concept, examines mentors’ willingness to share their professional preparation towards student
teachers during student teaching practice and how student teachers learn from them. This research
seeks to delve into the intricate relationship between teacher identity components and mentoring
factors in order to understand how they collectively contribute to the professional development of
student teachers during the mentoring process. Teacher identity components, such as task
perception, job motivation, and future perspectives, play a crucial role in shaping how mentor
teachers approach their work and envision their careers. These aspects influence their attitude
towards teaching and their ability to connect with learners. On the other hand, mentoring factors,
such as pedagogical knowledge, modelling, and feedback, provide essential support and guidance
to student teachers. Pedagogical knowledge encompasses mentors’ expertise in teaching methods
and educational theories, which they share with student teachers to help them refine their practice.
vi
Modelling involves mentors demonstrating effective teaching strategies and classroom
management techniques, allowing student teachers to observe and learn from real-world examples.
Feedback is another critical element. Mentors offer constructive criticism and suggestions to help
student teachers improve their performance and teaching approaches. By examining how these
teacher identity components interact with mentoring factors, this research aims to shed light on the
dynamic process of student teachers’ professional development. Understanding this interaction
will provide insights into the most effective ways to structure mentoring programs and support
student teachers, ultimately leading to more competent, confident, and well-prepared educators
who can positively impact their future students’ learning experiences. Data were collected using a
comprehensive survey administered to mentor teachers from primary schools (n=163) and student
teachers in their third and fourth year of the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Faculty of
Education of the University of Prishtina, in Kosovo. The survey encompassed a wide range of
questions designed to gather insights into the experiences and perspectives of both mentor and
student teachers regarding their roles, expectations, and interactions within the mentoring process.
In addition to the survey, in-depth interviews were conducted with a selected group of mentor
teachers (n=5) and student teachers (n=5) in order to gather more nuanced insights into the
significance of mentoring and its impact on enhancing the quality of student teaching practice.
These interviews provided a platform for participants to share their personal experiences, thoughts,
and reflections on the mentoring process, and offered a deeper understanding of how mentoring
shapes professional development. This research will generate new insights into the level of
conceptualizing student teaching practice in line with the developments in teacher professionalism – more specifically, who teachers are – and how these inputs can be best integrated within the
broader understanding of what makes quality mentoring for student teachers, including the
selection and professional development of student teachers. It will also generate practical
knowledge on how to organize successful mentoring for student teachers.
|
