THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTORING BEHAVIOUR AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AMONG TEACHERS
ABSTRACT
The study investigated the nature of mentoring relationships and professional development among newly qualified teachers and experienced teachers in public secondary schools in Lagos State. To assess the respondents’ opinions, a descriptive survey design was used. The sample included 120 teachers chosen at random from Lagos State Public Secondary Schools.
In this study, five null hypotheses were generated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance using Pearson product moment correlational statistics and the t-test statistical tools. The findings show that there is a significant difference in mentoring behavior between the mentor and the mentee in the school, as well as between experienced teachers and newly hired teachers.
There is also a significant positive relationship between mentoring behavior and professional development among teachers, as well as between teachers’ skills and qualities required for a successful mentoring program in Lagos State secondary schools.
However, due to the mentoring program in place, there is no significant gender difference in the professional development of teachers in Lagos State secondary schools. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that experienced teachers and newly appointed teachers collaborate in order to ensure cooperation, and that mentoring be implemented in schools at all levels.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Study’s Background
Mentoring can be traced back to Greek mythology, specifically the story of “Mentor in Homer’s Odyssey.” The term “mentor” has become synonymous with “trusted adviser, friend, teacher, counselor, and wise person.” Words like student, protégé, learner, and mentee are used to describe those who are directed or mentored on the other side of the divide. There are always two sides to every story.
Mentorship also includes a mentor-mentee relationship. According to Cutterbuck (2000), mentoring has recently emerged as a serious topic in academic circles, requiring research and experimentation. Mentoring, according to Cutterbuck, is currently being implemented and used across educational systems worldwide.
This is due to the fact that mentoring encompasses all aspects of the educational sector, from peer mentoring in school to assisting with bullying issues, to professional development for teachers, management, and support staff.
It is difficult to define the term “mentoring” because most scholars and researchers have confused the meaning of mentoring with coaching and counseling as techniques of direction. There appears to be a misunderstanding about the actual function of mentoring.
This is due to the fact that the concept evolved differently in North America than in the rest of Europe. For example, the term “protégé” refers to a mentor relationship in which the learner is younger, less powerful, and naive; and who appears to be guided and directed by the older, more powerful, senior, and experienced individual who is also an expert (Oti, 2009).
Mentoring is a process that facilitates learning and development and, as a result, enhances or improves performance for an individual, a group of individuals, or a business organization (Sutton Regeneration Partnership, 1999). The main goal of mentoring is to support and encourage individuals to manage and control their learning in order to maximize their productivity, potential, personal skills and performance, and to be the person they are expected to be (Parsloe and Wray, 2000).
There is no formal mentoring program in the Nigerian secondary school system; instead, informal mentoring exists. This is a situation in which a senior member of staff selects another individual on an informal basis to mentor or direct him/her on the path to developing the teaching profession.
This individual is regarded as a newly qualified teacher or a newly employed teacher who has recently graduated from the school system and is unfamiliar with the intricacies of the teaching profession (Uzomah, 2008).
Individuals who are mentored (newly qualified teachers) see the mentoring system as a positive development. This is due to their perception of mentoring as a vehicle for career advancement. There is also a friendly relationship between mentors and mentees.
This is evident in their friendship and the esprit de corps that appears to develop between the director (the mentor) and the directed (the mentee). According to Ayomide (2003), because there is no formal mentoring program in the Nigerian secondary school system, most people who are mentored see mentoring as a form of assistance from an older teacher that should not be abused.
In light of this, they appear to embrace the development and see it as a method to improve their teaching profession. Most mentees respect and honor their mentor(s), viewing them as experts and wise advisers who keep them from making mistakes in their chosen careers (Adeleke, 2004).
To a large extent, the rapport that exists between the mentor and the mentee contributes to positive outcomes in the mentoring process. This is due to the cordial relationship that exists between the mentor and the mentee, which
encourages the mentor to have a good disposition in directing and teaching the mentee so that at the end of the mentoring process, he/she (the mentee) becomes a better professional person, which goes a long way in enhancing and improving the skills and professionalism of the mentee, who is regarded as the newly qualified teacher employed to teach (Adekoya, 2000).
Abel et al. (1995) identified a number of mentors’ roles for beginning teachers. They defined roles such as parent figure, support system, guide, counselor, scaffolder, and role model. This implied that mentors are a kind of surrogate academic parent, assisting people to do things correctly and increasing professionalism among their mentees.
They are role models because they play the roles that their mentees want to play in the future. Mentors’ responsibilities include assisting young, newly hired teachers in getting things done effectively and counseling new staff based on their acquired experiences from long service in the field of teaching.
According to Burgess and Shelton (2007), mentors’ functions include identifying starting points for mentoring, mentoring with the goal of achieving growth and professional development in the workplace, and assessing the mentee’s level of development and or growth.
Buell (2004) also identified four common mentoring techniques. Cloning, nurturing, friendship, and apprenticeship are some of the main approaches to effective mentoring, according to him. According to Buell, there should be a nurturing and friendly relationship between the mentor and the mentored. Such friendship should be cordial and nurturing, with no traces of insincerity.
The nurtured person should remain loyal and respectful to the person who nurtures him or her. That is to say, for the mentee to benefit from mentoring, both the mentor and the mentee must have a complete relationship. Kajs (2002) advocates for a framework for directing and mentoring novice teachers who are new to teaching and learning.
According to Kajs, the framework for supporting novice teachers should include: knowledge of the stages of teacher development, an understanding of adult learning principles, an understanding of the role of professional development, assessment skills, interpersonal skills, and relevant classroom knowledge and skills.
Kajs believes that if the above-mentioned framework for supporting newly hired teachers is implemented, the mentoring program will be successful, as will the goal of developing the new teacher’s teaching profession.
In another development, Williams et al (1998) conducted an effective study on mentoring relationships in secondary schools. The following elements of mentoring relationships were highlighted in the study: supporting, actively teaching, guiding, providing information, offering practical strategies, providing feedback on lessons, and providing clear assessments of practice.
Williams believes that relationship maintenance is critical if mentors and mentees are to achieve their objectives. Rowley (1999) also stated that the key characteristics of a ‘good mentor’ include commitment, recognition of the newly hired teacher’s role, providing instructional support, being effective with interpersonal skills, modeling continuous learning, and communicating hope and optimism.
Rowley also stated that in order to be a good mentor, the mentor must see the mentee as someone who needs to be directed, which is accomplished by providing instructional support and effective communication that keeps hope and optimism alive. Relationships between mentor and mentee may not be cordial and strong if communication and feedback are not present.
A mentee can go through five major stages, according to Boydell (1994). Doing things well, learning to improve; doing things better and learning to integrate; doing better things and learning to implement are the five steps identified. This implied that the main goal of mentoring is to teach the mentee how to do things better and more effectively.
1.2Problem Statement
The issue of a lack of relationship between mentor and mentee in the teaching profession cannot be overstated. This is because a lack of mentoring relationship between the mentor (experienced teacher) and the mentee (newly hired teacher) results in low performance and poor productivity of the newly hired teacher, who lacks the wherewithal to carry out the teaching job due to a lack of mentoring relationship.
If there is no mentoring relationship between the mentor and the mentee, it is clear that the newly hired teacher (the mentee) lacks knowledge of the intricacies of the teaching job. When a newly hired worker in the school system is not effectively directed and counseled by an experienced mentor (teacher), he or she performs below expectations, resulting in low productivity and, as a result, poor academic achievement of students, which has been the main cause of low educational standards in Nigeria today.
The foregoing issues prompted an investigation into the nature of mentoring relationships and professional development among newly qualified teachers in Nigerian public secondary schools.
1.3The Study’s Purpose
The primary goals of this research are as follows:
(1) Determine whether there is a difference in mentoring behavior in the school between the mentor and the mentee.
(2) Determine whether there is any mentoring behavior between experienced teachers and newly hired teachers in Lagos State secondary schools.
(3) Determine whether there is a link between mentoring behavior and professional development among secondary school teachers in Lagos State.
(4) Determine whether there is a link between teachers’ skills and qualities needed for a successful mentoring program in secondary schools in Lagos State.
(5) Determine whether there is a gender difference in the professional development of teachers in Lagos State secondary schools as a result of the mentoring program implemented.
1.4 Research Concerns
This study will address the following research questions:
(1) Will there be a difference in mentoring behavior in the school between the mentor and the mentee?
(2) Will there be a difference in mentoring behavior between experienced and newly hired teachers in Lagos State secondary schools?
(3) Is there a link between mentoring behavior and professional development among secondary school teachers in Lagos State?
(4) Is there a link between teachers’ skills and qualities required for a successful mentoring program in Lagos State secondary schools?
(5) Will there be a gender difference in the professional development of teachers in Lagos State secondary schools as a result of the mentoring program implemented?
1.5 Hypotheses for Research
In this study, the following hypotheses will be developed and tested:
(1) In the school, there will be no discernible difference in mentoring behavior between the mentor and the mentee.
(2) There will be no discernible difference in mentoring behavior between experienced and newly hired teachers in Lagos State secondary schools.
(3) There will be no significant relationship between mentoring behavior and professional development among teachers in Lagos State secondary schools.
(4) There will be no significant relationship between teachers’ skills and qualities required for a successful mentoring program in Lagos State secondary schools.
(5) As a result of the mentoring program implemented in Lagos State secondary schools, there will be no significant gender difference in the professional development of teachers.
1.6The Study’s Importance
This research will be extremely beneficial to the following people:
1. Teachers will benefit from the study’s findings and recommendations because they will gain insight into how to carry out their duties in the classroom. It will allow teachers to be more productive in their day-to-day duties of teaching and learning.
With this study, many teachers will be orientated in the art of teaching, fully aware that how they teach will affect students’ academic achievement in schools. It will also assist new teachers in understanding the significance of relationships and teamwork in the classroom.
2. Students: They will benefit from the study because it will help them understand that their teachers are expected to be exemplary if his/her teaching experiences will be of great benefit to the child or student. Students would be able to identify
teachers who “cheat” and real teachers of note in the school system based on the study’s findings and recommendations. Students would also be able to learn from this study that they need to be taught by trained and experienced teachers if they want to excel in their academic careers.
3. Government and School Authorities: The study’s findings and recommendations will be useful to both the government and school authorities in that they will help them understand the role mentoring relationships play in an ideal school setting. This is due to the fact that if teachers have a good mentoring relationship, there will be more teaching effectiveness in the Nigerian school system.
1.7The Study’s Scope and Limitations
The purpose of this research was to investigate the nature of mentoring relationships and professional development among newly qualified teachers in Lagos State public secondary schools. This study will be limited to a few selected secondary schools in Lagos State’s Mainland Local Government Area.
1.8Terms Definition
The following operational terms will be defined in this study:
1. Mentoring Relationship: This is the relationship between the mentor (old teachers) and the mentee (the newly appointed teachers).
2. Professional Development: This is the process by which teachers or workers in any organization are developed through training and retraining.
3. Newly Qualified Teachers: This is a new teacher in a school system. He or she is a newly hired teacher in either primary or secondary school.
4. Mentor: This is a person who mentors others. He or she could be an experienced and trained teacher who advises or counsels newly hired teachers in a school.
5. Mentee: This is a person who is being mentored. He or she could be a new teacher in a primary or secondary school who requires the direction, counseling, and guidance of an experienced educator.
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