ERIC Number: EJ1463548
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Nov-21
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2046-6854
EISSN: EISSN-2046-6862
Available Date: 2020-07-30
Addressing Mentor Wellbeing in Practicum Placement Mentoring Relationships in Initial Teacher Education
Jenna Gillett-Swan1; Deanna Grant-Smith2
International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, v9 n4 p393-409 2020
Purpose: University-affiliated mentors serve as liaisons between schools and pre-service teachers during practicum placements, offering academic, administrative and relational support. In the context of academic workload intensification, increasing student numbers and the need to respond to issues as they occur in time-pressured environments, the wellbeing of mentors can become compromised. Mentor wellbeing is explored, highlighting corollary impacts of threats to pre-service teacher wellbeing on those who support them. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive single case-study explored mentor lived experiences of wellbeing during the pre-service teacher practicum placement and mentoring process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mentors supervising pre-service teacher professional experience placements. Adopting a shadowed data approach, mentors shared their own experiences and reflected on the experiences of others. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Findings: Mentor and pre-service teacher wellbeing experiences exhibited similar wellbeing indicators, including personal and professional stress, workload strains and ethical dilemmas. Many mentors felt invisible in terms of supports for their own self-care as the focus was on meeting practicum stakeholder and student support needs rather than their own wellbeing. Originality/value: Changes to professional experience practices must consider potential impacts on pre-service teachers, in-school supervisors and the university-affiliated mentors as the wellbeing of each is potentially impacted the wellbeing of others in this professional experience triad. Increasing emphasis on work-integrated learning experiences across multiple disciplines invites future comparison and contrast of wellbeing experiences.
Descriptors: Mentors, Well Being, Interpersonal Relationship, Preservice Teachers, Teacher Education Programs, Faculty Workload, College Faculty, Practicums, Time Management, Teacher Student Relationship, Stress Variables, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Supervision, Supervisors, Work Based Learning, Daily Living Skills, Urban Universities, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; 2QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia