Teacher professional development through mentoring in Hong Kong public secondary schools : a multiple-case study

Abstract

Mentoring is considered to be an essential component of the Professional Development (PD) activities for teachers, especially beginning teachers, across the globe in the past two to three decades. In Hong Kong, mentoring as PD is getting more attention after the launch of the education reform in the 2000s. More and more schools are using mentoring as PD to foster professional learning for beginning teachers. However, even though mentoring is becoming more important for teachers in Hong Kong, there are no specific guidelines and regulations to govern the implementation of mentoring for teachers in Hong Kong currently. Previous studies have focused on exploring the benefits of either mentors or mentees; however, very few studies investigated the PD that both mentors and mentees receive through the mentoring process, which motivates this study. This study explores how the mentoring process brings about any PD to both mentors and mentees. Views from both mentors and mentees shape a comprehensive picture of how the mentoring process brings about any PD to both mentors and mentees. Inspired by the five-factor mentoring model (Hudson, 2005) and the development relationship in mentoring (Kram, 1988), the theoretical framework consists of four major elements include pedagogical knowledge, administrative knowledge, emotional support, and continuous learning. This qualitative study is a multiple-case study that explores how the mentoring process brings PD in the five elements suggested in the theoretical framework through four cases. Data collected in this study include interviews with the participants, written documents from the participants and the artefacts from the government and the schools, including the policy document, supporting toolkits or any relevant official documents. The major findings of this study provide insights into the PD of mentors and mentees. The study finds that both mentors and mentees got inspiration from teaching strategy and ideas through interaction, collaboration and reflection during the mentoring process. In echo with the previous studies, mentees received PD in pedagogy and non-teaching duties through the mentoring process. This study also finds that mentors receive PD if they are willing to participate actively in the mentoring process. However, the institutional limitations or the problems in communication seem to be the major challenges during the mentoring process that may hinder the PD they receive. The cases show us that even the problems are intractable at the moment; the attitude and the participation of both mentors and mentees could be the key to the mentoring process. This study enriches the understanding of the PD received by mentors and mentees through the mentoring process; and the challenges that hinder the PD during the mentoring process. In addition, this study suggests a more explicit policy about the mentoring process, ample support and training for mentors and most importantly, a call for active participation of mentors and mentees could be vital to mentoring process and nurture the professional development of both mentors and mentees.