Quality of Mentor Feedback: Relationship to Teacher Efficacy and Effectiveness and Skills as a Mentor

• In Event: Examining Mentoring and Feedback for Preservice Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of the feedback mentor teachers give to their student teachers. In addition, the relationship between and the teaching efficacy, effectiveness, and skills of mentor and the quality of their feedback were examined. Participants were 95 mentor teachers and 105 student teachers obtaining their EC-6 initial teacher certification. The quality of the mentor feedback was only average. None of the mentors gave feedback with “expectations for development.” Few (3.8%) gave “prompts for improvement.” No significant relationship between the quality of feedback and the mentors teaching efficacy was found. There was a significant positive correlation between the quality of feedback and the mentors’ skills as reported by their student teachers.

Authors

• Amber L. Brown, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Denise Ann Collins, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Joyce Myers, The University of Texas - Arlington