Meaningful mentor development

Abstract

Mentors can be powerful agents of learning, but their mere presence does not guarantee the progress of an Associate Teacher. To be effective, mentors must be prepared for and supported in their role; however, an understanding of this provision is often lacking. This paper aims to identify and examine meaningful aspects of mentor development. More specifically, it seeks to analyse how mentors have experienced mentor development programmes and what they perceive as valuable and meaningful provision. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from 12 primary and 15 secondary mentors from within the same university Initial Teacher Education partnership in the north-west of England. Reflexive thematic analysis was then used to interrogate the data and identify patterns of response. While provision can manifest in various ways, meaningful mentor development was found to be purposeful, personalised, collaborative, developmental, dialogic, and ethical. Programmes that embody these characteristics are more likely to engage mentors in professional learning and help them develop their identity as mentors, along with the knowledge and skills needed to undertake the role.