Influences of Various Teaching Cultures on Teaching Practices and Dispositions of Mentoring on Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Mentorship and Mentoring Practices SIG Paper Session

Abstract

Preservice teacher education becomes increasingly field-based, which ultimately relies more on mentor teachers to help preservice teachers learn to teach in their classrooms. Diverse school teaching cultures presumably shape the teaching practices and dispositions of mentoring that mentor teachers developed, which in turn influence their mentoring practices with preservice teachers in their classrooms. This study examines the relationship between various teaching cultures and mentor teachers’ teaching practices and dispositions of mentoring drawing on survey data. It found that teaching practices and mentoring beliefs are related with each other, which are not always shaped similarly by different schools where they were teaching. Finally, implications for the field-based preservice teacher education policies, programs, and teacher mentoring are discussed.

Authors

• Jian Wang, Texas Tech University

• Raymond Flores, Texas Tech University

• Robert Bleisch, Texas Tech University