Connolly, Steve M.; Bates, Gareth; Shea, James

dc.contributor.author	Connolly, Steve M.
dc.contributor.author	Bates, Gareth
dc.contributor.author	Shea, James
dc.date.accessioned	2020-07-06T09:40:05Z
dc.date.available	2020-07-30T00:00:00Z
dc.date.available	2020-07-06T09:40:05Z
dc.date.issued	2020-07-30
dc.identifier.citation	Connolly S, Bates G, Shea J (2020) '"First meetings": constructive first encounters between pre-service teachers and their mentors', International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 9 (4), pp.411-426.	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	2046-6854
dc.identifier.doi	10.1108/IJMCE-10-2019-0096
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10547/624138
dc.description.abstract	Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from an action research project in which the researchers sought to develop a set of questions for use by mentors (experienced teachers) and mentees (pre-service teachers) on a course of initial teacher education (ITE) when they first met – the “initial encounter”. Design Methodology/Approach: The researchers used an action research approach to address the lower retention rate of pre-service teachers from different backgrounds, such as Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME), and the issues around mentoring which may exacerbate this problem. Discussions between the course team and participating mentors and mentees suggested that the initial encounter between mentor and mentee was significant, and an action research methodology would allow for developing questions that might structure such encounters. Findings: The researchers found that a useful and effective set of questions could be developed and used by mentors and mentees. Additionally, this process gave researchers insights into the nature of the first encounters between mentors and mentees on an ITE course and how both groups see their roles. In several cycles of action research, the participants produced a number of iterations of such questions, which were refined across a two-year period. Research Limitations/Implications: While it is too early to tell if the issues leading to the lower retention rate of pre-service teachers that prompted the project have been reduced in any significant way, the researchers suggest that thinking about these initial encounters can impact the way a mentor and mentee goes on to build a relationship. Originality/Value: The authors found very little research in the field of teacher education which looks at initial encounters between mentors and mentees and thus make an original contribution to the mentoring literature.	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.publisher	Emerald	en_US
dc.relation.url	https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJMCE-10-2019-0096/full/html
dc.rights	Green - can archive pre-print and post-print or publisher's version/PDF
dc.rights	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/	*
dc.subject	mentoring	en_US
dc.subject	pre service teachers	en_US
dc.subject	Subject Categories::X300 Academic studies in Education	en_US
dc.title	"First meetings": constructive first encounters between pre-service teachers and their mentors	en_US
dc.type	Article	en_US
dc.identifier.journal	International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education	en_US
dc.date.updated	2020-07-06T09:19:11Z
dc.description.note	embargoed until publication date - update when available
refterms.dateFOA	2020-07-31T00:00:00Z