Just and Inclusive Team Climates Affect Mentoring Satisfaction: The Roles of Negative Mentoring and Race

As more work is being conducted in teams, mentees have increased opportunities to develop non-traditional mentoring relationships. We investigate how and when three aspects of team climate (procedural justice, interpersonal justice, and inclusion) influence mentoring satisfaction among mentees with an informal secondary mentor. Using survey data from 116 researchers on environmental science teams, we test whether (a) just and inclusive team climates are related to mentoring satisfaction through positive and negative mentoring experiences and (b) race moderates the relationships between just and inclusive team climates and mentoring satisfaction. We found that negative mentoring experiences mediated the relationships between just and inclusive team climates and mentoring satisfaction. Further, just and inclusive team climates were positively related to mentoring satisfaction, especially for people of color. These results suggest that positive team climates support informal mentoring in teams by reducing negative mentoring experiences and creating a welcoming environment for individuals from marginalized groups.

Innovative Approaches to Traditional Mentoring Practices of Women in Higher Education

The chapter will present research specific to the mentoring needs of women in higher education, specifically females in early and mid-career as well as women pursuing senior faculty status and positions of leadership. The chapter will begin with a description and rationale of mentorship, specifically among female faculty, as well as an explanation of the traditional model of mentoring. The chapter will then lead into a discussion of both traditional and innovative methods of mentorship and evaluate the benefits of mentoring to the mentor. Throughout the chapter, mentorship relationships among female faculty are evaluated under the theoretical lens of relational cultural theory and social learning theory. The chapter will conclude with a discussion of future research and potential practice of mentoring female faculty in academia.

Impact of Group Mentoring on the Professional Development of Early Childhood Teachers in a Shanghai Kindergarten

This study sought to discover whether group mentoring could serve the purpose for which it is intended in an early childhood educational context. As an alternative to the traditional mentoring model, group mentoring attempts to provide as much, if not more, instructional and emotional support as traditional mentoring relationships, which we assume to be conducive to teachers' professional development in Chinese early childhood educational contexts. In addition, group mentoring facilitates communication, collaboration and mutual growth in ways that traditional mentoring lacks. It also examined whether both mentors and mentees could be involved in the mentoring process as learners and as reflective educators on their journey of professional development, including developing their reflective and research capabilities. This qualitative case study focused on the impact of group mentoring on the professional development of four teachers in a Shanghai kindergarten. Within the theoretical framework of COP (Community of Practice), it was an investigation of how the group mentoring process, an alternative to traditional models of professional development, had an impact on the teachers in a changing early childhood education context in China. This study featured in-depth individual interviews with the four teachers (two mentors and two mentees), who are in the same mentoring group, and observations of their group mentoring activities. Data was coded and analyzed qualitatively. Major themes emerged from the study: the teachers' perceptions of the model, the benefits and challenges it brings, and its influence on their relationships and identity. The study aimed to gain insight into how group mentoring, a potentially optimal model, has exerted an influence on the teachers' professional development. This study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and areas for future research.

Reciprocal Peer Mentoring

Practicum in pre-service teacher education offers ample opportunities for developing a practical conception of teaching and learning. Yet it may also promote further worry for pre-service teachers if not sufficiently resourced and carefully structured. This chapter intended to delve into practical implications of reciprocal peer mentoring in practicum. Placing onus on restructuring the traditional mentoring model currently used in most pre-service teacher education programs, this chapter postulated that integration of reciprocal peer mentoring with systematic opportunities for peer conference and peer observation might be a viable suggestion to resolve the perceived shortcomings in practicum. Moreover, this chapter proposed that apart from gradual transition to full-fledged teaching, an earlier onset of teaching practices shaped by periodic rotations in teaching practices might help to maximize contributions of engagement in practicum experiences.

Supporting the Development of Novice Teachers: A Multi-tiered and Differentiated Approach

This article explored innovative methods of delivering novice teacher induction in support of assisting and retaining new teachers. Rather than conducting traditional mentoring and new teacher professional development days, the authors advocate for more personalized, differentiated, and systemic ongoing methods including assigning and training Support and Content Mentors, providing a Streamlined and Scaffolded Teacher Induction Program, and then offering in-depth Differentiated Instructional Coaching support in order to assist in developing and retaining new teachers.

Experiences and Needs of Multicultural Youth and Their Mentors, and Implications for Digital Mentoring Platforms: Qualitative Exploratory Study

Background Mentoring programs (ie, programs that connect youths with adult volunteers) have been shown to improve outcomes across the behavioral, social, and academic domains of youth development. As in other European countries, mentoring programs have few traditions in Norway, where interventions for multicultural youths are usually profession driven and publicly funded. Faced with the risk of disparities in education and health, there is a need to better understand this group’s experiences and requirements relative to mentoring. This would also serve as a basis for designing and implementing digital support. Objective The objective of this study was to gain insight into multicultural youth mentees’ and adult mentors’ experiences and needs in the context of an ongoing mentoring program, how digital support (electronic mentoring) might address these needs, and how such support could be designed and implemented. Methods The study used a qualitative approach, with data from 28 respondents (21 mentees and 7 mentors). In total, 4 workshops with mentees as well as semistructured interviews with mentees and mentors were conducted. The sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Results In total, 3 main themes were identified from the experiences and needs reported by the mentees and mentors. These included a need for connection, help in achieving goals, and the need for security and control. Subthemes encompassed a desire to socialize with others, balancing the nature of the relationship, paying it forward, building trust, sharing insights and information with peers, goal-oriented mentees and mentors wanting to assist with goal achievement, and the fundamental need for privacy and anonymity in the digital platform. Conclusions The findings of this study are supported by the literature on traditional mentoring, while also offering suggestions for the design of digital solutions to supplement the in-person mentoring of multicultural youth. Suggestions include digital support for managing the mentee-mentor relationships, fostering social capital, and ways of ensuring security and control. Features of existing electronic health apps can be readily adapted to a mentoring program context, potentially boosting the reach and benefits of mentoring.

Impact of Group Mentoring on the Professional Development of Early Childhood Teachers in a Shanghai Kindergarten

This study sought to discover whether group mentoring could serve the purpose for which it is intended in an early childhood educational context. As an alternative to the traditional mentoring model, group mentoring attempts to provide as much, if not more, instructional and emotional support as traditional mentoring relationships, which we assume to be conducive to teachers' professional development in Chinese early childhood educational contexts. In addition, group mentoring facilitates communication, collaboration and mutual growth in ways that traditional mentoring lacks. It also examined whether both mentors and mentees could be involved in the mentoring process as learners and as reflective educators on their journey of professional development, including developing their reflective and research capabilities. This qualitative case study focused on the impact of group mentoring on the professional development of four teachers in a Shanghai kindergarten. Within the theoretical framework of COP (Community of Practice), it was an investigation of how the group mentoring process, an alternative to traditional models of professional development, had an impact on the teachers in a changing early childhood education context in China. This study featured in-depth individual interviews with the four teachers (two mentors and two mentees), who are in the same mentoring group, and observations of their group mentoring activities. Data was coded and analyzed qualitatively. Major themes emerged from the study: the teachers' perceptions of the model, the benefits and challenges it brings, and its influence on their relationships and identity. The study aimed to gain insight into how group mentoring, a potentially optimal model, has exerted an influence on the teachers' professional development. This study concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings and areas for future research.

Lessons Learned: Coaches’ Perceptions of a Pilot E-Mentoring Programme

The purpose of this study was to examine mentor and mentee perceptions of the viability of a pilot e-mentoring programme for U.S. lacrosse (USL) coaches. Twelve mentees and 12 mentors were paired into dyads, met at a national coaching convention, and were directed to continue their mentoring relationship for up to 6 months via an online platform. Semistructured postprogramme interviews were conducted with four mentors and six mentees at the conclusion of the mentoring relationships. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed via thematic analysis. Results showed that mentors and mentees experienced many of the benefits, barriers, and advantages found in traditional mentoring and e-mentoring relationships. Of interest were three key findings in which trust and respect was quickly experienced by participants, equity within the relationship created collegiality, and technology barriers limited effective teaching methods. Based on the results, practical implications for e-mentoring programmes are presented.