Personal support

As indicated in some studies, noted earlier, mentees also require personal support to enhance their capacity as professionals. In the subsequent sections, psychological support, mentors and mentees’ professional and personal qualities and peer support will be outlined as some important professional elements that support mentees psychologically in their early teaching socialisation in schools.

3.3.1.2.1 Psychological support

The impact of mentoring as providing psychological support for developing novice teachers’ professionalism has been widely studied in recent years. The psychological support from mentors has many influences for novice teachers, ranging from strengthening mentees’ emotion in their early periods of teaching socialisation to enhancing mentees’ teaching confidence (Achinstein & Davis, 2014; Fantili & McDougall, 2009; Israel et al., 2014; Jenkins et al., 2009; Koballa et al., 2008; Tan, 2013). In providing support, mentors ensure mentees feel secure and protected in the process of professional development, by which they can experience a sense of trust and attention from their mentors during the adaptation process (Chun, Litzky, Sosik, Bechtold, & Godshalk, 2010; Hennissen et al., 2011; Jonson, 2008; Tan, 2013; Wang et al., 2008).

New teachers who have those safe feelings typically are able to reduce the stress in a new educational environment and keep motivated during the teaching–mentoring activities. Personal support is given in the form of moral assistance in backing mentees’ progress through the supportive relationship. Many studies mention that a supportive mentoring relationship gives a powerful encouragement for mentees to maintain their integrity during their time in their school (Achinstein & Davis, 2014; Brenman, Thames, & Roberts, 1999; Hennissen et al., 2011; Israel et al., 2014; Rosenbach, 1999; Tan, 2013). The relationship is formed during collaborative interactions, which encourage new teachers to feel more confident, more protected and more accepted (Blair, 2008; Carter, 2013; Everson & Henning, 2009; Ferfolja, 2008; Lee et al., 2006; Lindgren, 2005) when facing conflicts from job workload, adaptation to a new environment and pedagogical and classroom problems.

Mentors also support their mentees psychologically through collaborative interactions and reflective dialogues on pedagogical matters during mentoring (Achinstein & Fogo, 2015; Babione & Shea, 2005; Bond, 1999; Hargeaves & Fullan, 2000; Kardos et al., 2001; McCormack et al., 2006; Zembytska, 2015). In this case, mentors assist mentees to promote higher-order thinking skills with the purpose of achieving professional development (Stanulis et al., 2012; Zachary, 2012; Zachary & Fischler, 2009). Through reflective discussions, mentees can advance awareness of their teaching needs, strengths and weaknesses and find solutions to improve teaching practices. Mentees’ pedagogical expertise develops their mental wellbeing, which helps them cope with critical and stressful teaching processes and changes their teaching practices, beliefs and attitudes in the classroom.

3.3.1.2.2 Professional and personal qualities of mentor and mentee

Some researchers have persuasively indicated that successful mentoring relies on the quality of mentors and mentees, in this case, their professional and personal attributes (Hudson, 2010, 2013a; Hudson et al., 2015; Johnson & Ridley, 2004; Kahle-Piasecki, 2011; Lacey, 1999; Matzler, Renzl, Mooradian, von Krogh, & Mueller, 2011; Maynard, 2000; Rajuan, Beijaard, & Verloop, 2007; Rippon & Martin, 2006; Straus, Johnson, Marquez, & Feldman, 2013; Sweeny, 2008; U.S. Department of Transportation [USDT], 1996; van Ginkel, Verloop, & Denessen, 2016). According to experts, the professional

and personal attributes are important to build a harmonious mentoring relationship which impacts mentees’ learning. Professional and personal attributes will be discussed below. Mentors who possess outstanding professional and personal qualities can be categorised as qualified mentors. With this outstanding qualification, they typically have the ability to create opportunities for their mentees in attaining pedagogical content knowledge using mentoring support enactment. Numerous researchers strongly suggest that qualified mentors will help mentees become competent professionals (Hudson, 2010, 2013a; Hudson et al., 2015; Johnson & Ridley, 2004; Kahle-Piasecki, 2011; Lacey, 1999; Matzler et al. 2011; Maynard, 2000; Rajuan et al., 2007; Rippon & Martin, 2006; Straus et al., 2013; Sweeny, 2008; USDT, 1996; van Ginkel et al., 2016). With good qualification, a “mentor can help the newcomers comprehend the culture and philosophy of the school and can offer the emotional and intellectual support that are needed in adaptation phase” (Jonson, 2008, p. 6). Qualified mentors also have the ability to facilitate their mentees with both professional and personal support, so mentees have more understanding about the school policies, students’ learning characteristics and general instructional strategies. By giving such supports, mentees will psychologically be ready to adapt, specifically in the classroom and generally in the school.

Qualified mentors possess various professional qualities, such as professional teaching credentials, excellent interpersonal skills and strong motivation and commitment. There is also an expectation that qualified mentors should be experts in both pedagogical knowledge and skills (Alhija & Fresko, 2014; Aspfors & Fransson, 2015; Brooks & Sikes, 1997; Pfund et al., 2015; Rowley, 1999; van Ginkel et al., 2016; Wang & Odell, 2002) that help them to encourage novice teachers to improve their pedagogical understandings and abilities for better student outcomes.

As explored earlier, mentors with excellent interpersonal and communication skills also contribute to mentees’ pedagogical expertise through providing emotional support (Arora & Rangnekar, 2015; Brooks & Sikes, 1997; Carr, Herman, & Harris, 2005; Gagen & Bowie, 2005; Hurd & Zimmerman, 2014; Johnson, 2014; Lyons & Perrewé, 2014; Rowley, 1999; Turban & Lee, 2007; van Ginkel et al., 2016; Yim & Waters, 2013). Many influential studies report that mentors’ interpersonal skills have dominant effects to the quality of mentoring, including: listening and counselling qualities (Johnson & Ridley,

2004; Jonson, 2008; Lacey, 1999; Shea, 2002; Sweeny, 2007; Zembytska, 2015); career advising and modelling qualities (Cho et al., 2011; USDT, 1996; Wang & Odell, 2002); and non-verbal interpersonal qualities such as eye contact, facial expression and voice tone controls (Cohen, 1995). Mentors with excellent interpersonal skills are capable of adjusting to their mentees’ personality effectively by helping them understand the correlation between teaching principles and real practices.

Although mentors who have pedagogical and interpersonal skills can facilitate mentees’ learning attainment, such qualities will not work well without the mentor’s strong commitment to mentoring practices. Many important studies highlight the critical roles of mentors’ professional commitment and willingness in leading effective mentoring (Carr et al., 2005; Joshi & Sikdar, 2015; Mammen, 2012; Matzler et al., 2011; Rhodes, 2007; Roegman, Reagan, Goodwin, & Yu, 2016; Rowley, 1999; Straus et al., 2013; Wang & Odell, 2002; Zembytska, 2015). With a strong commitment during mentoring, mentors can provide support to novice teachers in dealing with difficult teaching phases and encourage progressive learning.

Mentors’ outstanding personal qualities are essential factors in generating effective mentoring. As stated by Jonson (2008), mentors’ personality influences the nature of a successful mentoring relationship and supports mentees to enhance their professional competences and behaviour. The literature strongly suggest that effective or qualified mentors demonstrate a wide range of positive personal characteristics involving passion, empathy and generosity, building strong commitments in mentoring, providing balanced personal/professional support and promoting hope and optimism (Carr et al., 2005; Cho et al., 2011; Rowley, 1999), honesty, openness, sensitivity, enthusiasm, humorous, compassionate, and a non-judgmental attitude (Brooks & Sikes, 1997; Johnson & Ridley, 2004; Jonson, 2008). Good mentors use those personal traits to build a positive learning atmosphere that empowers mentees’ self-confidence and ability in independent decision making and pedagogical choices (Shea, 2002).

Considering that mentoring is a partnership affiliation between mentors and mentees, mentees’ personal characteristics are also crucial. These characteristics are factors which determine the learning outcomes in the mentoring program. Mentees with good personal qualities adapt with their mentors easily and are able to cooperate with their mentors in

creating a positive learning experience (Kahle-Piasecki, 2011). Lacey (1999) outlines the ability to take risks responsibly and the characteristics of being receptive to constructive feedback, work independently as good personal traits for mentees. Being learning and team oriented are two other qualities (USDT, 1996). Also important are being responsive to mentoring responsibilities, courteous and patient, committed and motivated faithful, emotionally stable, trustworthy, reliable, open minded, empathetic and communicative, and punctual (Sweeny, 2008). Mentees need to be self-aware and appreciative of their mentor’s professional and personal attributes. By having good personal characteristics, mentees who are able to recognise their mentors’ teaching strengths and problems could familiarise themselves with their partners in a positive collegial relationship and work together with their mentors on pedagogical matters effectively, which ultimately can contribute to each other’s professional development.

3.3.1.2.3 Peer learning support

Peer learning support, as one form of mentoring support, becomes vital for both mentors and mentees to engage in professional learning communities. Several studies revealed that both mentors and mentees need to join in learning to achieve significant learning outcomes through peer interactions, which support their psychosocial maturity, such as confirmation, psychological support and reflective feedback (Marshall, Lawrence, Williams, & Peugh, 2015; O’Neil & Marsick, 2009). Peer support can also result in career enhancement which can be realised by building teaching proficiencies, identity, self- confidence and participating in a broad network (Geeraerts et al., 2014; Kissau & King, 2015; Kram & Isabella, 1985).

For mentees, peer support is a promising strategy to promote their pedagogical confidence. Due to personal conflict or less support with mentors, according to Sweeny (2007, 2008), mentees sometimes consider their peers’ support more influential than their mentors’ support and, in this situation, they use their peer support as often the primary learning source for their professional development. However, for the majority of mentees, peer support commonly offers significant alternatives for: career-enhancing functions, such as, information sharing, career strategising, job-related feedback; and psychosocial functions, such as, confirmation, emotional support, personal feedback and friendship (Kram & Isabella, 1985). Mentees’ interaction with their peers encourages mentees to feel supported, comfortable and confident when facing conflicts from job workload,

school transformation and academic problems. This view of mentees’ feeling is rational, given that peer interaction incorporates equal relationship and ‘a two-way exchange’ approach, while mentoring involves more hierarchical relationship and uses ‘a one-way helping dynamic’ approach (Kram & Isabella, 1985).

For mentors, peer-learning interactions become a forum for informal sharing and discussion where they could learn and exchange their ideas about mentoring responsibilities and tasks. In a leading study, Kram and Hall (1989) argued that the peer- learning forum serves as a safe and convenient learning space that supports mentors’ development of professional and personal aptitude when managing a complicated and multi-layered mentoring process. Peer interactions are aimed to assist mentors in strengthening their commitment in mentoring (Sweeny, 2008) in a non-judgmental, encouraging and valuable mentoring affiliation (Kissau & King, 2015). When mentors support each other reciprocally, they can better support their mentees effectively. Therefore, these peer interactions can promote learning development for the needs of school transformation (Kram & Hall, 1989). Specifically, the support from peer interactions transforms teachers’ teaching practices, beliefs and behaviour in the classroom and changes student learning. In other words, peer support emerges as the essential device to help mentors be more committed in the mentoring program and, hopefully can enhance professionalism in school as well as enhance knowledge transference for better learning outcomes (Rhodes & Beneicke, 2002; Sweeny, 2008).