An exploration of novice teachers’ experiences of induction and mentoring in a secondary school in the Umzinyathi District.
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Date
2023
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Abstract
The significance of induction and mentorship as key components of novice teachers' professional development has regularly been underlined in various studies. The role of induction and mentoring within organisations ensures that newly appointed members of staff are quickly adapted to their new roles and how these institutions function. This indicates that it is crucial to introduce a new employee to their new workplace. In South Africa, many schools face challenges of large classes, few resources, and remote locations, leading to novice teachers feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. This makes the role of induction and mentoring even more significant. The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of selected novice teachers concerning induction and mentoring in the early years of their teaching profession in a rural Secondary School in uMsinga, KwaZulu-Natal.
Hudson’s Five-Factor Model for Effective Mentoring was used as the conceptual framework in the study. This qualitative study was located in the interpretative paradigm, using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Although there was evidence of induction and mentoring, the findings revealed that the induction and mentoring received was not consistent across participants, which would suggest a lack of a formally designed programme. This also suggests that mentors did not fully understand their roles and as a result, the five key factors of effective mentoring outlined by Hudson were not applied equally. This led to gaps in the induction and mentoring received. Secondly, the study revealed that there was no formal structure to the induction and mentoring provided in the school, as evidenced by the lack of minutes of meetings on induction and mentoring. There was no policy on induction and mentoring other than the DOE mandated QMS policy for schools, and the QMS policy document was not shared with novice teachers. The study found that mentoring support could be strengthened if mentors understood their roles more fully and if there was a clearly developed programme in place. In addition, there was a need for the SMT to lead the process and use the system of QMS to develop effective induction and mentoring. Finally, it was recommended that the DOE play a key role to ensure full implementation of the QMS in schools.
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Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.