The study focused on the challenges pre-service teachers face while learning to teach Accounting in the context of mentoring at a University of Technology. The major purpose was to investigate the kinds of challenges pre-service teachers face in teaching Accounting and how their respective school-based mentors respond to these challenges. It is vital to understand these challenges while learning to teach Accounting before a mentor can respond to them. This study was located within an interpretivist paradigm. The interpretivist researcher is keen to address social issues in and through their research. To position this study within the context of learning while teaching within a context of mentoring, I utilized case study research methodology. The main purpose of utilizing case study methodology was to develop a deep understanding of the challenges pre-service teachers face while learning to teach Accounting and the nature of mentoring. The voices and experiences of the respondents were used to explore and understand the reality embedded in the mentoring of pre-service teachers during teaching practice. The research sites included six schools located in the Cape Metropole, Western Cape, South Africa. I used purposive sampling to select the participants for my study. I focused on Accounting as a ‘vehicle’ to guide my choice of sampling to explore how pre-service teachers learn while teaching Accounting. The sample of this study consisted of six pre-service teachers learning to teach Accounting in the fourth year B Ed:FET programme and their respective school-based Accounting mentors. The main reason for using the fourth year preservice teachers was that in their final year of study they spend six months at a school to work alongside a school-based mentor. This time period gave the researcher sufficient time to explore challenges and how the school-based mentors respond to them. The research methods used in this study were reflection journals, unstructured interviews, focus group interviews and fieldnotes. Reflective journals can provide the teacher educator with a valuable tool showing how pre-service teachers perceive and experience teaching practice while learning to teach (Mills, 2007:69). The pre-service teachers were requested to complete entries in a reflection journal on a weekly basis, to write on their experiences while learning to teach Accounting and to describe the nature of their school-based mentors’ support. The purpose of the unstructured interview with the pre-service teachers was to gain a better understanding of their challenges while learning to teach Accounting and their interaction with their mentors, if the information in their reflection journals were unclear. Unstructured interviews were conducted with the Accounting school-based mentors to ascertain the preservice teachers’ performance while learning to teach Accounting, and to gain perspective of the Accounting mentor’s role as mentor. Two focus group interviews were conducted with the pre-service teachers to corroborate the challenges the pre-service teachers experience while learning to teach Accounting. A total of 96 reflection journal entries were collected from the pre-service teachers, 18 unstructured interviews were conducted with the pre-service teachers, 12 unstructured interviews were conducted with the school-based mentors and 2 focus group interviews were conducted. Data revealed that despite mentoring having the potential to enhance the preparation of preservice teachers, it does not always yield positive results. It also became clear in the data that the nature of the Accounting discipline requires a different type of mentoring as opposed to other disciplines. Hence a ‘one size fits all’ mentoring institutional policy does not yield the desired results of mentoring pre-service teachers in the B Ed:FET programme. Findings from this study suggest that the university must play a greater role in developing mentorship programmes to support pre-service teachers learning to teach during teaching practice, especially for Accounting pre-service teachers.

M. Phil. / The purpose of this study was to explore the role and experiences of the coordinators of structured mentoring schemes across various sectors of society in South Africa. A purposive sample of 25 schemes was identified and both quantitative and qualitative data was obtained through questionnaires and interviews. It was found that mentoring in South Africa, as with overseas countries, is used for a wide variety of purposes. There are varying degrees of success reported from these schemes and the predominant model of mentoring as reported in the research tends to follow the “sponsorship” approach to mentoring, which may not be the most appropriate for transformation in South Africa. Coordinators often find their roles lonely and frustrating, partly because the role is combined with other roles which take priority. Coordinators tend to initiate their own role and derive mainly altruistic role satisfaction. This initiation of the role can lead to organizational isolation and lack of management support for the mentoring scheme. Recommendations for development and support of coordinators are made.

Mentoring is a powerful developmental tool that can be utilised in organisations to enable learnerships to learn various skills – hard and soft – that will enable them to become more equipped for the workplace. The hard skills refer to technical competencies, e.g. computer literacy, and soft skills refer to competencies such as interpersonal skills, communication skills, work etiquette, etc. Mentoring is no quick fix to filling all the gaps within a learnership, but it can add significant value to have a formal mentoring strategy within organisations to transfer much needed skills and competencies. The literature on mentoring provides many examples of possible strategies, and in this research project, the competencies of both mentor and mentee were highlighted, together with the advantages, disadvantages, myths and challenges in formal mentoring strategies. The process of developing a mentoring strategy is not complex, but requires support and involvement from various stakeholders to ensure the sustained success of a mentoring strategy. The different models of mentoring strategies in the literature review provided a framework for the researcher to develop a mentoring strategy that was tested through the completion of questionnaires sent to organisations that employ learnerships. The research study rated the responses of the respondents on the suggested model and various steps to be followed in the process. The research study concluded with a formal mentoring strategy or model that can be used within organisations that employ learnerships.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management) at the Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / This research investigates the induction of newly appointed educators at four selected rural secondary schools in the Port Shepstone Region KwaZulu-Natal during the period 2001 to 2003. This study explores the notion of induction as a means of allaying fear, insecurity and uncertainty and any sense of unfulfilled expectations that newly appointed educators experience. This study also intends to apprise education departments of the need to make induction a more effective professional experience for the benefit of newly appointed educators / M

M.Ed. (Psychology of Learning) / Although mentorship implies expertise, such expertise in teaching is not sufficient for being an effective teacher educator and thus does not guarantee effective mentoring (Timperley, 2001:121). A number of researchers (Hoover, 2010; Kiggundu, 2007; Quick & Sieborger, cited in Kiggundu, 2007; Timperley, 2001; Weiss & Weiss, 2001, cited in Keogh, 2005) found that mentors need to enter mentoring encounters well prepared and they should be guided by more than intuition and expertise in their domain. They indicated that research based selection strategies and training programmes need to be developed since practicum arrangements for the selection of supervising teachers and mentors seem to be done on an ad hoc or voluntary basis and that, in general, training in mentoring skills and principles are non-existent or insufficient. With Vygotskyan and Bakhtinian theories as basis, this study attempts to offer research based guidance for significant and meaningful mentoring conversations, since conversation is the vessel through which learning is mediated. This study investigates the structural dimensions of mentoring conversations and how they relate to learning outcomes of student teachers. The outcome of this study equips mentors with research based knowledge on how they can deliberately structure their conversations with mentees to optimize the learning outcomes of the conversation. This study analyzes samples of mentoring conversations and engages in three levels of analysis. On the primary level, the structure of the conversation is determined, in terms of the structural model of Tillema (2011). A secondary level of analysis follows which identifies conceptual artefacts, a notion of Bereiter (2002), (cited by Tillema & van der Westhuizen, 2006), as outcomes of the learning conversation.

Die doel van die studie was om vas te stel hoe die verpleegkundedosent die begeleiding van verpleegstudente in die praktyk ervaar. In die verlede was begeleiding van verpleegstudente met praktika in gesondheidsorginstansies deur ʼn professionele verpleegkundige gedoen wat deel was van die personeel se verantwoordelikhede. Die verpleegstudente doen hul teoretiese kennis op by ʼn tersiêre instansie en verkry hul praktiese kennis by ʼn geakkrediteerde gesondheidsorginstansie soos vereis deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Raad op Verpleging (SARV). Een van die take van ‘n verpleegkundedosent van die privaat opleidingskool is om die kliniese begeleiding van verpleegstudente in geakkrediteerde instellings te doen. Omdat verpleging ʼn beroep is waar vaardighede belangrik is, is praktiese inoefening van prosedures en evaluering van die verpleegstudente se vaardigheid daarin noodsaaklik. Die verpleegstudente is heeltyd besig met die pasiënte in die vorm van prosedures waarby die teorie wat in die opleidingskool verkry was, gekorreleer moet word met die prosedure om die hele prentjie te vorm. Dit is dus nodig dat begeleiding van die verpleegstudente gedoen moet word om vaardigheid en toepassing van kennis te verseker. Die navorser het ʼn kwalitatiewe, ondersoekende, beskrywende en kontekstuele studie gedoen waarvan die populasie die geregistreerde dosente van verskeie provinsiale en privaatverpleegskole in die Klein-Karoo en Suid-kaapdistrikte was. Die navorser het gebruik gemaak van ʼn nie-waarskynlike steekproef. Inligtingryke data was ingesamel deur semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat aangevul was met veldnotas soos verkry tydens onderhoude. Data-ontleding was reeds begin met data-insameling en Tesch se inhoudsontleding was gebruik om ʼn mening te vorm. ‘n Literatuurkontrole was gedoen om te bepaal wat vorige navorsing oor begeleiding bevind en aanbeveel het. Lincoln en Guba se model was gebruik vir betroubaarheidsversekering volgens die kriteria wat hulle aanbeveel het, naamlik geloofwaardigheid, oordraagbaarheid, betroubaarheid en bevestigbaarheid. Uit die data-ontleding het vier belangrike temas en subtemas te voorskyn gekom. Die temas was dat die verpleegkundedosente aspekte van die begeleiding van verpleegstudente in die gesondheidsorginstansie as positief en ook as negatief beleef. Die wyse waarop die gesondheidsorginstansies bestuur word, het die begeleiding beïnvloed en daar was riglyne voorgestel wat die kliniese personeel en dosente kan rig wanneer hulle betrokke raak by die begeleiding van verpleegstudente. Die begeleiding van verpleegstudente deur verpleegkundedosente, kliniese dosente en die gesondheidsorginstansie se opgeleide personeel, is ʼn belangrike deel van verpleegopleiding en bepaal uiteindelik die kwaliteit van die pasiëntsorg wat verskaf word deur die verpleegkundiges. Die navorser het riglyne daar gestel om die begeleiding van vepleegstudente te rig. Die riglyne moet nou geïmplementeer en getoets word binne die konteks van die bepaalde verpleegskole en dan weer geëvalueer word. Beperkings wat ondervind was in die studie was dat die steekproef ʼn klein groepie verpleegkundedosente op die platteland was, wat veralgemening bemoeilik, veral in die stedelike konteks. Die begeleiding van die verpleegstudente is gedoen met die ingeskrewe verpleegstudente (Die Suid-Afrikaanse Raad op Verpleging Regulasies, Regulasie 2176 en 2175 van 19 November 1993), naamlik die kategorie met die minste status en verantwoordelikheid onder verpleegstudente. Veralgemening na alle kategorieë, veral verpleegstudente besig met professionele verpleegprogramme, mag dus nie sinvol wees nie.

Institutions of higher learning should be doing leadership development of females to enhance the gender balance. The number of females employed in South African higher education is almost equal to the number of males, yet the highest proportions of females continue to hold the lowest academic and support positions. To compound the problem, after attracting suitable female staff, institutions do not have programmes to encourage them to remain within the system. Females need to surmount extra hurdles to be considered as leaders, and have different experiences of organisations from those of their male peers. Research suggests that women have the qualifications, skills and experiences required for leadership. This study aimed to look at mentoring as a strategy to enhance female leadership development. A literature review was conducted to understand the term mentoring and all related aspects. The aspects included the functions and phases of mentoring, as well as the process of a mentoring programme. Recently organisations have begun to realise how important mentoring can be to their success. Research has shown that mentoring facilitates leadership development through the career and psycho-social functions that the relationship provides. The study also investigated gender and leadership, and highlighted the barriers faced by women. The empirical part of this study was to determine employees‘ perceptions of mentoring. It was conducted in a Higher Education Institution. Random sampling was used to select respondents. The sample size consisted of 110 respondents. A structured pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analysed Abstract Page iii using the relevant statistical package. Independent t-tests and analysis of variance techniques were used to determine statistically significant differences in perceptions between groups according to race, qualifications, period of employment and the type of appointment (academic/administrative). Statistically significant differences were found between race groups and the period of employment. Qualification and type of appointment did not significantly affect employees‘ responses. The major findings indicate a general congruence towards mentoring as a suitable strategy to enhance female leadership development. Institutional barriers were identified and the organisation needs to acknowledge and understand the organisational culture before embarking on this process. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations based on these findings are provided.

This study investigated the relationship between supportive behaviours and employee outcomes. The supportive behaviours were identified in the mentoring literature as being associated with the roles and functions performed by mentors. The term 'supportive' was used in order to recognize that people other than mentors (e.g., co-workers) could provide these behaviours. Questionnaires were used to assess employee outcomes and the level of supportive behaviours received by employees from different members in their organizations. The sample consisted of 624 managerial, technical, supervisory, and professional employees who worked for one of five organizations in British Columbia; 442 employees returned questionnaires. Respondents indicated the extent to which people with whom they had worked had provided them with behaviours associated with the eight supportive functions of Sponsoring, Exposure and Visibility, Teaching the Job, Teaching the Informal System, Protection, Role Modeling, Encouragement, and Personal Counselling. Principal component analysis indicated the presence of one general factor that accounted for over 50% of the variance; separate components for career and psychosocial functions (Kram, 1985) were not found. Principal component analysis indicated that all employee outcomes assessed in the study could be grouped into one of three types of outcomes: Job-Related (job satisfaction, role conflict, role ambiguity, organizational commitment, acceptance by co-workers), Skill Development (job, interpersonal, conceptual), and Promotional (rate of salary increase and promotions, satisfaction with progression). It was hypothesized that the level of supportive behaviours received by employees from as many as three sources would be positively related to all three types of outcomes, but that the relationship would be higher for the Skill Development and Promotional Outcomes than for the Job-Related Outcomes. This hypothesis was only partially supported. Although supportive behaviours were positively and significantly related to all types of outcomes, the relationship between behaviours and the Skill Development Outcomes was significantly higher than the relationships between behaviours and the other two types of outcomes. Failure to find a higher relationship between supportive behaviours and the Promotional Outcomes is discussed in relation to organizational reward systems. The level of supportive behaviours received from sources other than the highest source of supportive behaviours did not explain additional variance in employee outcomes over that explained by the level associated with the highest source alone. Failure to find incremental effects due to additional sources was most likely due to the high correlations (.70 to .80 range) among the level of supportive behaviours received from the different sources. These correlations may have been artifactually inflated because of the instructions that were used concerning which sources of supportive functions respondents were to rate on the supportive behaviours (respondents only rated sources on the supportive behaviours if the sources provided three or more functions). Because a number of hazards and disadvantages have been associated with intense mentor-protege relationships, it was hypothesized that the more evenly supportive behaviours are distributed across sources, the higher would be the employee outcomes. Although the way in which given levels of supportive behaviours were distributed across the sources was unrelated to employee outcomes, the hazards associated with given levels of supportive behaviours were negatively and significantly related to employee outcomes (the Job-Related ones, in particular). Methods for reducing the level of hazards are discussed. The scale that was developed to assess supportive behaviours was found to be reliable, content valid, and construct valid. Possible uses of the scale are discussed. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

D.Cur. / The focus of this study was the mentoring of newly appointed nurse educators in nursing education institutions (NEIs) in South Africa. The mandate of higher education institutions changed due to the transformation of higher education in South Africa. The need for recruiting and retaining nurse educators to meet the demands of teaching and learning became evident. It is important that newly appointed nurse educators (NANEs) be mentored in order to meet higher education demands. The researcher identified the need to develop a model for mentoring newly appointed nurse educators in nursing education institutions in South Africa. The applicable research questions were: What are the mentoring needs of NANEs in NEIs in South Africa? How can the mentoring needs of NANEs in NEIs in South Africa be met? What model could be developed to mentor NANEs in NEIs in South Africa? What guidelines could be formulated for the model to mentor NANEs in NEIs in South Africa? The aim of the study was to develop a model for mentoring NANEs in NEIs in South Africa. The objectives of the study were to: determine and describe the mentoring needs of NANEs in NEIs in South Africa, identify and conceptualise a framework for how the mentoring needs of NANEs in NEIs in South Africa can be met and describe a mentoring model for NANEs in NEIs in South Africa. The design of the study was quantitative, qualitative, descriptive and theory-generating (Walker & Avant, 1995:136). The study was conducted in four phases. A quantitative, qualitative, descriptive and theory-generating research design was conducted using questionnaires, literature triangulation, inductive and deductive strategies (Mouton, 1989:21). Quantitative data was analysed using the statistical package of social sciences (SPSS) and descriptive statistics. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on data from the empirical phase to identify and analyse central concepts for model development (Burns & Grove, 2001:242). The population of study was newly appointed nurse educators in nursing education institutions in South Africa. Probability and non-probability sampling approaches were used with multi-stage cluster and purposive sampling methods (Burns & Grove, 2001:242). The conceptual framework for the model was based on purpose, context, role-players and their roles in mentoring. The results of the study indicated that 90 (67%) of the participants did not function according to their key performance areas. The participants specified competency development needs. The study confirmed the need for the mentoring model. The assumptions for the model were based on the multi-dimensional, multi-layered (macro, meso and micro), highly interactive and complex (external and internal environment) context. The agent in the study referred to the mentor and a mentee (stakeholders), who are holistic beings functioning at a bio-psycho-social and cultural level. Mentoring is an interactive participative, purposeful dynamic process of relationship-building, development, engagement and reflection. The outcome of mentoring is to empower and build capacity and competency. A critical self-reflective questionnaire was designed and utilised to evaluate the model for its clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility and importance. The model was presented from the first to the third phase at different international and national conferences and the two promoters, who are experts in management, teaching and ethics in higher education, gave direction to the researcher and added value to the quality of the study. The researcher recommends that a mentoring programme be developed to mentor NANEs in HEIs. The model can be used to improve practice by developing mentoring programmes for use in clinical, management, education and nursing research.

No description available.