Research Mentoring

Definitions and framework

University of Glamorgan – M. Hall

Definitions

What is Mentoring?• Mentoring is a structure and series of processes designed to create

effective mentoring relationships; guide the desired behaviour change of those involved; and evaluate the results for the protégés, the mentors and the organisation..”Murray 2001: p. 5

• “… A formalised process whereby a more knowledgeable and experienced person actuates a supportive role of overseeing and encouraging reflection and learning within a less experienced and knowledgeable person so as to facilitate that person’s career and personal development..”Roberts 2000: p.162

Definitions (continued)

What is Mentoring “.. A one-to-one, non judgemental relationship in which

an individual mentor voluntarily gives time to support and

encourage another...”Carrad, cited by Miller 2002

“.. A mentor is someone available for the performer to

learn from. The mentor’s aim is to be available for the

performer to use as a resource…Nigel McLennan, 1995

Definitions (continued)

What is Mentoring

• “.. mentoring can help you understand the inner workings of the company and draw on the experience of someone who’s already gone through what you’re going through..”

• Murray 2001: p.10

• Best practices now prove that facilitated mentoring can give the mentee the same opportunity offered the apprentice of medieval times: a chance to learn from a master…”

• Murray 2001: p.11

Historically, ‘mentoring’ derived from Greek mythology

In Hommer’s Odyssey, Odysseus prepares to fight the trojan war and entrusts his son, Telemachus, to the care of his friend, Mentor, who was a wise and trusted adviser who would be responsible for guiding all aspects of the boy’s development. Miller 2002: p.24

Les Adventures de Telemaque – Fenelon 1699

Unlike the Greek legend where it is debated whether it is Mentor or the goddess Athena acting through him, who was the wise counsellor to Telemachus, Fenelon in these adventure stories made Mentor the wise and trusted counsellor. The popularity of this book in the early 18th Century is often accredited as harbinger of the term ‘mentor’ in the English language. Miller 2002: p.24

Historical Perspective

Andrew Miller 2002: p28-30)

Mentoring is a relationship involving process:

• helping process

• teaching –learning process

• reflective process

• career development process

Achieved through a supportive relationship within a formalised framework.

The Essential Attributes of Mentoring

Social Learning Theory

Bandura 1977 & 1997

Situated Learning – Lave & Wenger 1991 & 1998 “Communities of

Practice”

HumanismCarl Rogers (1902-1987)

Underpinning Theory

Theoretical context 1

• Social Learning Theory

– Bandura 1977 & 1997

– People LEARN BY OBSERVING, IMITATION and MODELLING

– Learning occurs within a SOCIAL CONTEXT

– Concept of MODELLING crucial to this theory

This provides a theoretical rationale for understanding the mentoring process.

Theoretical context 2

• MODELLINGInvolves the notion of REINFORCEMENT and PUNISHMENT.

Four ways that modelling behaviour is reinforced:

• 1. Observer is reinforced by the model.– E.G. A student dresses to fit and is accepted by the group.

• 2. Observer reinforced by a third person.– E.G. Modelled behaviour is noticed and praised by a third party.

• 3. Imitated behaviour itself leads to reinforcing consequences.

• 4. Vicarious reinforcement.– Model’s response is reinforced and the observer’s actions mimic this.

Theoretical context 3

• Conditions for effective modelling:

1. Attention

2. Retention and remembering the observed

behaviour

3. Ability to replicate the behaviour

4. Motivation

Theoretical Context 4

Vygotsky: (1896-1934)

• The More Knowledgeable Other– Someone who has a better understanding or higher

ability level than the learner with respect to a particular task, process or concept

• The Zone of Proximal Development- The distance between a learner’s ability to perform a

task with adult guidance/peer collaboration and learner’s ability to solve the problem independently.

Community of Practice

• A collective of people involved in purposeful activity, learning through participation

• Characteristics– Mutual engagement– Joint enterprise– Shared Repertoire– Has a life cycle

Lave & Wenger

• Situated learning - knowledge is not acquired

• People learn through a framework of participation

• Key Concepts –– Community of practice– Legitimate peripheral participation– Holistic

Legitimate peripheral participation

• Legitimate peripheral participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991) – “ a process by which newcomers become part of a community of practice” (p.29)

• Provides a means of analysing and understanding different ways in which learning takes place, where the focus is on learning by participation in the social world

Holistic

• It involves the whole person and people change as a result. “Learning … implies becoming a different person” (Lave and Wenger, 1991, p.53)

• As people participate, the community changes as new knowledge and meanings are generated

• Learning always happens irrespective of the context

The Mentoring Process

•Meet,

•Establish trust,

•Set goals, •Check progress and identify learning needs to achieve goals,

•Targets met,

•End relationship.

Stage 1 – ‘Forming and Storming’Includes the first meeting, developing trust and rapport, making an agreement and some testing out of each other.

This stage can feel uncomfortable, as trust will not have fully developed and you may feel uncertain as the relationship is new and untried.

[ Some mentoring relationships may become stuck at stage one because of a poor match between mentor and mentee ]

Chronological Model

Stage 2 – ‘Norming and Performing’

Includes the bulk of the meetings where goals are set, reached and reviewed and a good relationship is formed.

Stage 3 – ‘Closing’

When the targets, or agreed goals have been achieved and the mentee has developed to become more confident and independent, an end to the mentoring relationship can be negotiated.

Chronological Model: continued

Best Practice

• Most Structured/formal Mentoring schemes recommend:

– Initial Training for mentees

– Devising a code of practice or set of guidelines to help inform the mentoring relationships

Bibliography

• Suggested Reading

Miller, A 2002

‘Mentoring Students and Young People - A handbook of effective practice’ Routledge: Oxford

MacLennan, N 1995 ‘Coaching and Mentoring’ Gower: Hampshire UK

Murray, M 2001 ‘Beyond the Myths and Magic of Mentoring’ Josey Bass: San Francisco, USA

Roberts, A 2000

‘Mentoring revisited: a phenomenological reading of the literature’ Mentoring and tutoring , 8 (2)

Bibliography• Social Learning TheoryBandura, A (1977) Social Learning Theory New jersey, USA: Prentice Hall

Hergenhahn, B.R & Olson M.H. (1997)

An introduction to Theories of Learning 5th ed (chpt 13- Bandura) USA: Prentice Hall

Schaffer, H.R. (2004)

Introducing Child Psychology (Chpt 7 Vygotsky) Oxford: Blackwell publishing

• Situated LearningLAVE, J. and WENGER, E. (1991)

Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge, Camb. Uni. Press

WENGER, E. (1998)

Communities of Practice Learning, Meaning and Identity, Cambridge, Camb. Uni. Press