[Canada] A Mentoring Profile Inventory for Cooperating Teachers

• In Event: International Perspectives on Mentoring in Practicum Settings

Abstract

Objectives
We report on the development of an online instrument that enables cooperating teachers (CTs) to quantify the aspects of their practice that motivate and challenge them in their work with student teachers (STs).

Perspectives
At the heart of any professional development endeavour is ability to make explicit the assumptions that underlie one’s practice (Bullough& Draper, 2004). The literature shows that CTs’ assumptions are inextricably tied to their commitments to working with STs; specifically, their commitments to pupils (Fieman-Nemer, 2001), to the profession (Kitchel& White, 2007), and to self (Koskela&Ganser, 1998). Unfortunately, little is known or written about these commitments beyond these general attributions. The MPI responds to this need by facilitating CTs’ examination of their commitments in terms of what motivates and challenges them in their work with STs.

Results
At each stage the MPI returns underwent successive confirmatory factor analyses with equamax (orthogonal) rotations to distribute the variances as evenly as possible across the various factors, yet to maintain minimally correlated scale scores developed from the factor structures (Costello & Osborne, 2005). The result is a statistically robust (valid and reliable) mentoring profile for cooperating teachers.

Authors

• Anthony Clarke, The University of British Columbia

• John Collins, The University of British Columbia

• Valerie Triggs, University of Regina