Qualitative multi-case study uncovers how relational mentorship shapes belonging in early childhood pre-service teachers, highlighting the need for inclusive initial teacher education.
Key Points
To examine how early childhood pre-service teachers construct, experience, and negotiate belonging and professional identity during professional placement experiences.
Employed a qualitative multi-case study design utilizing student reflections, field notes, and semi-structured interviews.
Analyzed data through reflexive thematic analysis using the Early Years Learning Framework concepts of belonging, being, and becoming.
Belonging was dynamically and relationally constructed through everyday interactions, thriving when pre-service teachers felt trusted, valued, and meaningfully engaged.
Affirming, scaffolded mentorship significantly enhanced teacher efficacy, agency, and professional identity, whereas deficit-oriented mentoring and exclusionary practices restricted growth.
Strengths-based mentoring actively mitigated institutional and structural inequalities encountered during professional placements.