SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 14 Issue: 3

Role Dynamics and Activities of Physics Teachers as Mentees in a Mentoring Program

Ayşegül Sağlam Arslan(Trabzon University)0000-0001-8340-2205
Alpaslan Şahinoğlu(Gümüşhane Fen Lisesi)0000-0001-5298-4660
Meral Beşken Ergişi(TRABZON UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-1163-8662
Pages
—
Publication Date
2025-07-31
DOI
—
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings revealed that mentees adopted a variety of dynamic roles throughout the process, including informer/informed, critical thinker, inquirer, content developer, and passive attendee.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:A variety of applications and methods are employed to support teachers' professional development and continually update their teaching practices.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Among these, mentoring, widely studied, stands out as a pivotal method that significantly contributes to enhancing educators’ skills and knowledge.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings revealed that mentees adopted a variety of dynamic roles throughout the process, including informer/informed, critical thinker, inquirer, content developer, and passive attendee.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:mentoring · mentee roles · physics teachers

Abstract

A variety of applications and methods are employed to support teachers' professional development and continually update their teaching practices. Among these, mentoring, widely studied, stands out as a pivotal method that significantly contributes to enhancing educators’ skills and knowledge. While mentor roles have been widely studied, less attention has been given to the roles of mentees within the mentoring process. Yet, understanding these roles is crucial, as they significantly influence learning outcomes. This study aimed to explore the roles adopted and activities undertaken by mentees during a structured group mentoring program designed to support three in-service physics teachers’ professional development. The findings revealed that mentees adopted a variety of dynamic roles throughout the process, including informer/informed, critical thinker, inquirer, content developer, and passive attendee. These roles reflected varying degrees of engagement and made distinct contributions to the learning environment. Active roles such as informer and content developer promoted higher cognitive involvement and knowledge sharing, while even passive roles facilitated learning through observation and reflection. Importantly, mentees frequently shifted between roles, underscoring the flexible and evolving nature of participation in effective mentoring settings and highlighting the need for responsive, learner-centered support structures.

🔖

Cite This Article

Arslan, A. S., Şahinoğlu, A., Ergişi, M. B. (2025). Role Dynamics and Activities of Physics Teachers as Mentees in a Mentoring Program. Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, Volume: 14 Issue: 3. https://ajindex.com/articles/1121758

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (44)

  1. Achinstein, B., & Athanases, S. Z. (2006). Mentors in the making: Developing new leaders for new teachers. Teachers College Press.
  2. Anderson, E.M., & Shannon, A.L. (1988) Toward a Conceptualization of Mentoring. Journal of Teacher Education, 39, 38-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002248718803900109
  3. Attaluri, P. K., Wirth, P. J., Shaffrey, E. C., Bentz, M. L., & Afifi, A. M. (2025). The less emphasized link in mentorship: The role of the mentee. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 155(5), 958e–960e. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000011835
  4. Ball, D. L., & Cohen, D. K. (1999). Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education. In L. Darling-Hammond & G. Sykes (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 3–32). Jossey-Bass.
  5. Barrera, A., Braley, R. T., & Slate, J. R. (2010). Beginning teacher success an investigation into the feedback from mentors of formal mentoring programs. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 18(1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260903448383
  6. Besken-Ergisi, M. (2021). How does working with and mentoring student teachers shape teacher educators’ professional identity? In L. Shagrir & S. Bar-Tal (Eds.), Exploring professional development opportunities: Promoting faculty-student partnerships (pp. 128–142). Routledge.
  7. Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3–15. https://stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:vc541fv0664/Borko-PD_and_Teacher_Learning.pdf
  8. Clarke, A., Triggs, V., & Nielsen, W. (2014). Cooperating teacher participation in teacher education: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 84(2), 163–202. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313499618
  9. Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. L. (2009). Inquiry as stance: Practitioner research for the next generation. Teachers College Press.
  10. Edwards, A., & Protheroe, L. (2003). Learning to see in classrooms: What are student teachers learning about teaching and learning while learning to teach in schools? British Educational Research Journal, 29(2), 227–242. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0141192032000060957
  11. Ehrich, L. C., Hansford, B., & Tennent, L. (2004). Formal Mentoring Programs in Education and Other Professions. A Review of the Literature. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40, 518–540. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X04267118
  12. Evertson, C. M., & Smithey, M. W. (2000). Mentoring Effects on Protégés’ Classroom Practice: An Experimental Field Study. The Journal of Educational Research, 93(5), 294–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670009598721
  13. Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 1013–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/0161-4681.00141
  14. Fer, S. (2015). Öğretim tasarımı [Instructional Design]. Anı Yayıncılık.
  15. Fong, N. S., Zakaria, M. H., & Wan-Mansor, W. F. A. (2013). Roles of mentees via virtual mentoring. Jurnal Teknologi (Sciences & Engineering), 65(2), 133–140. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v65.2359
  16. Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every school. Teachers College Press.
  17. Hobson, A. J., Ashby, P., Malderez, A., & Tomlinson, P. D. (2009). Mentoring beginning teachers: What we know and what we don’t. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(1), 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.001
  18. Hobson, A. J., & Malderez, A. (2013). Judgementoring and other threats to realizing the potential of school‐based mentoring in teacher education. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 2(2), 89–108. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-03-2013-0019
  19. Hudson, P. (2013). Mentoring as professional development: ‘Growth for both’ mentor and mentee. Professional Development in Education, 39(5), 771–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2012.749415
  20. Johnson, W. B. (2015). On being a mentor: A guide for higher education faculty (2nd ed.). Routledge.
  21. Kemmis, S., Heikkinen, H. L. T., Fransson, G., Aspfors, J., & Edwards-Groves, C. (2014). Mentoring of new teachers as a contested practice: Supervision, support and collaborative self-development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 43, 154–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.07.001
  22. Klasen, N., & Clutterbuck, D. (2002). Implementing mentoring schemes: A practical guide to successful programs. Routledge.
  23. Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1121–1134. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1121
  24. Langdon, F. J. (2013). Evidence of mentor learning and development: An analysis of New Zealand mentor/mentee professional conversations. Professional Development in Education, 40(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2013.833131
  25. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge University Press.
  26. Legler, N. (2023). Needs assessment and data analytics: Understanding your constituencies. In D. Law & N. Dominguez (Eds.), Making connections: A handbook for effective formal mentoring programs in academia (pp. 104–130), Paper 7. Utah State University. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/makingconnections/7/
  27. Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (2008). Teachers in professional communities: Improving teaching and learning. Teachers College Press.
  28. Lindgren, U. (2005). Experiences of beginning teachers in a school-based mentoring program in Sweden. Educational Studies, 31(3), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055690500236290
  29. Livingston, K. (2022). What do we mean by mentoring? The context for mentoring in Scotland. In S. Eady, J. Essex, K. Livingston, & M. McColl (Eds.), Mentoring teachers in Scotland: A practical guide (pp. 3–18). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429356957-2
  30. Lomba-Portela, L., Domínguez-Lloria, S., & Pino-Juste, M. R. (2022). Resistances to Educational Change: Teachers’ Perceptions. Education Sciences, 12(5), 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050359
  31. Lopez-Real, F., & Kwan, T. (2005). Mentors’ perceptions of their roles in mentoring student teachers. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(3), 275–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500286267
  32. Merket, M. (2022). An analysis of mentor and mentee roles in a pre-service teacher education program: A Norwegian perspective on the future mentor role. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 30(5), 524–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2022.2127261
  33. Orland-Barak, L. (2006). Convergent, divergent and parallel dialogues: Knowledge construction in professional conversations. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 12(1), 13–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13450600500364547
  34. Patton. M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
  35. Rogoff, B. (1994). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 1(4), 209–229.
  36. Shea, G. F. (2001). Mentoring: How to develop successful mentor behaviors. Crisp Publications.
  37. Sucuoglu, H. (2018). Design and implementation of mentoring programs. In K. Dikilitas, E. Mede, & D. Atay (Eds.), Mentorship strategies in teacher education (pp. 284–296). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-4050-2
  38. Snyder, R.R. (2017). Resistance to change among veteran teachers: Providing voice for more effective engagement. NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 12 (1). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1145464.pdf
  39. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
  40. Wang, J., & Odell, S. J. (2002). Mentored learning to teach according to standards-based reform: A critical review. Review of Educational Research, 72(3), 481–546. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543072003481
  41. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
  42. Yıldırım, A. & Şimşek, H. (2013). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri [Qualitative research methods in social sciences.] (9th ed.). Seçkin Yayıncılık.
  43. Zachary, L. (2000). The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  44. Zeichner, K. (2009). Teacher education and the struggle for social justice. Routledge.