Perceptions of School-Based Teaching Practice Mentoring in Cameroon

Teaching practice (TP) mentoring has been extensively discussed as a central component of initial teacher education. However, limited research has examined the meanings that participants in a TP mentoring relationship attribute to the word “mentoring” and how their interpretations of “mentoring” might influence the distribution of roles within the mentoring relationship. This study addressed the research gap by investigating both cooperating teachers’ and student-teachers’ perceptions of school-based TP mentoring in the Cameroonian context. Four cooperating teachers’ and four student-teachers’ perceptions of TP mentoring were explored through analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted individually. Findings of the study revealed alignment in terms of power dynamics but contradictions between cooperating teachers’ relatively constructivist views on how student-teachers should be learning and student-teachers’ beliefs about cooperating teachers imparting knowledge to them. These different perceptions, the findings also revealed, influenced the distribution and enactment of roles in practice. The study highlights the need for greater clarity around TP mentoring expectations and discusses practical implications for mentoring preparation programmes targeting both cooperating teachers and student-teachers.