Abstract
Many academic studies identify a lack of formal mentoring programmes or structures for novice teachers in schools. Novice teachers in South African schools are not equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to overcome the numerous challenges they face in their first years of teaching. This can cause them to feel overwhelmed, lost and afraid and lead them to abandon their careers early. This study investigated the need for mentoring programmes in schools for novice teachers and the importance of a mentor being present in a novice teacher’s career.
The aim of this study was to explore the role that mentoring by master teachers plays in the careers of novice teachers. The study used the tenets of social learning theory as a theoretical framework and adopted a constructivist research design to gain a deep understanding of the meaning of participants’ experiences. The study focused on the experiences of four novice teachers from two public schools. A qualitative research approach was used for data collection – the participants engaged with a narrative exercise and, thereafter, a one-on-one semi-structured interview. Qualitative analysis techniques were used to identify and analyse codes and themes from the data.
The findings revealed an urgent need for mentors and mentoring programmes for novice teachers at schools. Participants reported not being sufficiently equipped in their pre-service training for practical teaching, thus making their transitions to becoming professional teachers and their practical duties as novice teachers challenging. They believed that the presence of a mentor could have assisted them in overcoming challenges. Some participants had had brief encounters with a mentor-like figure in their schools, which they had found to be valuable.
On the basis of the findings of this study, recommendations are made for the informed selection and formal appointment of mentors for novice teachers and for addressing the lack of commitment of current mentors to the mentoring process. The inadequacies of pre-service training programmes should also be addressed.