NQTs’ experiences of being mentored during the Covid-19 pandemic in Wales: “not proper mentoring” just “ticking boxes”
Julia Holloway, Alexandra Morgan, Emmajane MiltonPurpose
High-quality educative mentoring is vital in shaping the experiences of newly qualified teachers (NQTs). In Wales, inconsistencies in mentoring provision for NQTs have been highlighted, raising concerns about the quality and quantity of support. This study tracked nine NQTs over the course of one academic year, during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of identifying the nature of mentoring support provided.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection involved online, semi-structured interviews to explore NQTs’ experiences of being mentored during their first year of teaching and how they perceived it supported their professional learning and practice.
Findings
NQTs experienced mentoring as primarily instrumental and administrative, focusing on documenting and providing evidence to meet external quality assurance requirements. Meaningful mentor–mentee discussions, central to developing professional judgement and expertise, were limited. Although conducted during the pandemic, these findings align with pre-pandemic studies, suggesting the existence of ongoing systemic issues in mentoring.
Practical implications
NQTs need mentoring support that is educative to develop their critical thinking about teaching and learning, professional expertise and practice. This seems particularly important for the education sector considering the ambitious education reform agenda in Wales, the legacy impact of Covid-19 on both learners and the teaching profession and increasing pressure in terms of recruitment and retention.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the understanding of NQTs’ experiences of being mentored in Wales during induction in the context of a pandemic and raises critical questions about mentoring provision for NQTs and the profession more broadly.