published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The concluding chapter explores implications of the research findings for the accessibility of teachers' craft knowledge, wider issues about the conditions necessary for the potential of school-based initial teacher education to be realised, and future research in the field.

In Ireland, formal mentoring as a mechanism for supporting student learning in the Teaching Practice (TP) phase of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is at a developmental stage. The Irish Government appears to support mentoring initiatives in ITE, however, there is little evidence of a clear policy on student teacher learning, and the role of mentoring within it. This study investigates physical education teacher education (PETE) student learning on TP within a community of practice framework. Currently, the process of informal mentoring of PETE students during TP is undertaken by untrained cooperating teachers (CTs) as an unacknowledged gesture of goodwill. This has implications for the quality of PETE student learning during TP and became the subject of this research. Employing a range of qualitative data collection methods, this study focused on one umbrella case study (Greendale University, schools and PETE students) and five individual case studies: tetrads of PETE student, CT, university tutor (UT) and school principal (SP) during one academic year. PETE student learning was investigated from the perspectives of each member of the tetrad and data collected were analysed using grounded theory. Findings from this research concluded that (a) untrained CTs were unsuitable mentors and (b) untrained UTs were inappropriate tutors for PETE students as they both needed teaching expertise, a positive disposition and adequate training to embrace their respective roles. The study also found that within TP, there was a perceived lack of parity between the schools and university, with SPs feeling excluded and taken for granted by the university. This often led to open hostility between CTs and UTs, who were unclear about their respective TP roles. The combination of these factors resulted in PETE students learning the powerful hidden curriculum of TP which encouraged them to learn pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in an unsupported and often isolated manner.

In 2001 the then UK Government set a national target to get 50 per cent of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 into higher education by the year 2010. To achieve this goal, higher education institutions were required to deliver Widening Participation initiatives that would target under-represented groups in a bid to raise aspirations and bring them into the sector. The study that underpins this thesis was an investigation into the issues surrounding widening participation from the perspective of students in their final year of compulsory schooling. It began as a year-long longitudinal study of the students’ views as they moved towards a key transitional point in their lives. Nine students were identified from Year 11 in one school. Three were drawn from each of the following three categories or groups of students: (i) ‘traditional students’, these were students who were deemed as belonging to groups that were already well-represented in higher education; (ii) ‘non-traditional’ students, these were deemed ‘non-traditional’ in the sense that they were seen as belonging to groups that were under-represented in higher education; (iii) ‘widening participation’ students, these were recipients of a widening participation initiative delivered by their nearest university which, by implication, also deemed them as being ‘non-traditional’ in the sense that they were seen as belonging to groups that were under-represented in higher education. Each participant was interviewed in-depth three times whilst they were in Year 11; in December 2003, in March 2004, and again in June 2004. Whilst all interviews sought to elicit information about their lives at that point in time, the first interview was intended to gather relevant information about their past lives, the second a more in-depth look at their current lives, and the third focused on their future lives. Follow-up data were collected from some of the participants in 2009, 2010 and 2011. An in-depth interview also took place in June 2004 with the university’s Widening Participation Officer and the school’s Head of Year 11 and Widening Participation Co-ordinator. They are considered to be key informants to widening participation initiatives, more broadly in the case of the former, and specific to the school in the case of the latter. The thesis reports on the process through which participants were selected (or not selected) for widening participation intervention, learning identities in school and out, imagined futures, choices, and ultimately what happened to those students who were tracked beyond Year 11. Flaws in the widening participation policy agenda at the time of the main data collection period were identified as: (i) the individualization of the problem which drew attention away from the structural nature of the problem of under-representation and also from deep-rooted flaws within the education system; (ii) the lack of awareness of the longitudinal nature of the problem whereby entrance into higher education is dependent on prior learning and prior qualifications – this resulted in little or no account being taken in the selection process of widening participation-targeted individuals’ previous patterns of achievements, such that they may not be on a trajectory that makes higher education a viable option, and (iii) the valuing of non-participation in higher education. The thesis concluded by acknowledging that a new legislative framework about to be implemented in 2012 appears to be addressing some of these concerns. Issues that remain unaddressed include deep-rooted problems within the formal education system, the valuing of non-participation and of vocational training, and an appreciation that learning takes place on a trajectory.

This study described the mentoring relationship between doctoral nursing students and their committee chairs. Twenty-two public university doctoral programs responded to a request for names and addresses of their doctoral candidates. The Major Professor Mentoring Scale was used to measure the mentoring relationship. The survey also included demographic and open-ended questions regarding the student-committee chair relationship. Surveys were mailed to 269 doctoral students with an 86% return rate. A principal components analysis was performed to identify the structure underpinning the relationship. The typical doctoral student in this sample was found to be a 44 year old Caucasian female, married with children, working full or part time while pursuing a PhD degree. Students traveled an average of 85 miles each way to campus and nearly half had selected their program based on its location. The typical committee chair was a Caucasian, tenured, associate or full professor between 46 and 69 years of age. The majority of chairs were married and had funded research projects. The students in the study reported knowing their chairs for an average of five years. The study revealed that mentoring is occurring in the majority of relationships between doctoral nursing students and their committee chairs. Students identified many strengths and weaknesses in their relationships with their chairs although the relationship appears to be largely positive. The mentoring relationship is composed of four principal components, the largest of which is psychosocial support. Dissertation support, role modeling and scholarly collaboration comprise the other three components. The factor receiving the most positive rating was role modeling, suggesting that students see their chairs as intelligent and hard-working. Students also report positive feelings about both the psychosocial and dissertation support they have received from their chairs. Students reported more neutral feelings about scholarly collaboration suggesting that this is not a frequent occurrence in the relationship. Demographic variables including age, sex, race, geographic distance and family status were not predictors for mentoring scores.

This research considers the experiences and difficulties that professional doctoral students face and the supervision relationship. Winnicott’s psychoanalytical ideas are used to understand and make sense of the less visible dynamics that shape the professional doctoral students’ narratives. Semi-structured interviews are used to sensitively explore in-depth the nature of difficult experiences. The method of analysis was both compatible with the psychoanalytical theoretical perspective and with the qualitative interview method. The analysis provided an opportunity to listen to and make sense of the professional doctoral students’ narratives in four different ways. The thesis begins with a review of the wider doctoral education research context. Changes, taking place in that context, are considered, looking particularly at the impact of the knowledge economy on doctoral educational research in general and, more specifically, on professional doctoral educational research. Literature within doctoral education highlights supervision models and psychoanalytical supervision models designed for doctoral supervision practice and doctoral student support. Key findings relate to the professional doctoral students’ expectations and the perceptions that shape their difficult experiences. Firstly, professional doctoral students have little knowledge of doctoral supervision before beginning their first doctoral supervision relationship. The professional doctoral students’ expectations and perceptions influence their supervision relationships. When the professional doctoral students negotiate their expectations, they experience a productive working supervision relationship. However, when professional doctoral students exclude difficult experiences from their supervision relationships they do not get an opportunity to make sense of their experiences. Informal pastoral support, such as cohorts, peer groups and families, provide additional space for the professional doctoral students to talk about their difficult experiences. However, this thesis shows that informal support does not provide an academic framework for the professional doctoral student to understand their difficult experience within a doctoral research context. In contrast, this research suggests that the supervision relationship between the professional doctoral student and the supervisor can offer a supervision space informed by Winnicott’s psychoanalytical ideas. In this space supervisors and supervisees can explore difficult professional doctoral student experiences in a creative, playful and academic environment. The thesis concludes by considering the implications for doctoral supervisors and for professional doctoral students. In doing so, I offer recommendations that include points to consider for Higher Education policy, professional doctoral education and supervision training.

The purpose of this qualitative, narratological research was to gain a deeper understanding of the stories of three African American counselor educators who experienced research mentorship as counseling students and faculty members while working towards tenure. The three participants were employed as assistant professors in CACREP-accredited counselor education graduate programs provided their perspectives of research mentorship. The primary research question for my research was: How do pre-tenured African American female counselor educators perceive their research mentorship experiences? The foundation for my study was provided by the review of literature focused on critical race theory, marginalized groups in academe, mentorship among specific populations, and research mentorship Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The transcribed interviews, vitas, and faculty profiles were analyzed by within-case and cross-case analysis. The findings indicated seven super-ordinate themes. 1) Benefits of Research Mentorship, 2) Social Racial Membership with Other Forms of Marginalization, 3) Professional Networking/Support, 4) Perceptions of Institutional Climate and Culture, 5) Perceptions of Research Mentoring Experiences, 6) Barriers of Research Mentorship, and 7) Behaviors that Foster Effective Research Mentoring. Implications for students and counselor educators along with recommendations for future research are presented. Personal reflections of the researcher are provided.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of master’s level counseling students who have a counselor education faculty member as their mentor. Seven master’s level counseling students between the ages of 25-30, from a state university, voluntarily participated in this study. Participants were six female students and one male student. Four participants were mental health counseling majors, while three were school counseling majors. Data were collected through a demographic survey and semi-structured interviews. Three themes were developed based on participants’ experiences. They were (1) “going above and beyond,” (2) “guide you and explore options,” and (3) “provide support and encouragement.” The theme “going above and beyond” was described by participants as their mentor performing extra tasks that were not in their job responsibilities. Participants explained “guide you and explore options” in terms of their mentor guiding them in their professional development and career options. The theme “provide support and encouragement” described the participants’ mentors showing genuine interest in them and providing them with support and encouragement throughout their relationship. Based on previous literature, research, and the current study, a mentoring framework for counselor education is proposed. The framework contains three categories which are (1) guidance, (2) encouragement, and (3) above and beyond. Implications for counselor educators and recommendations for future research are provided.

Previous research suggests that little is known about female mentoring relationships, particularly among undergraduate students. The purpose of the present study was to investigate mentoring relationships experienced by female undergraduate merchandising management students. The investigation included the overall prevalence of mentoring experiences, the specific kinds of mentor roles, the prevalent sources of mentoring, and the relationship between class standing and the overall prevalence of mentoring. Survey methodology was used. The sample included females enrolled in the merchandising management program at a western university (n=102). Their ages ranged from 18 to 38 years with a mean and mode age of 21 years. The Student Experiences Questionnaire used for the present study included three sections: (1) the Professional Socialization Scale (PSS) developed by Stenberg (1988) to identify and measure the prevalence of mentoring and specific mentoring roles; (2) a parallel scale designed by the researcher to identify the sources of mentoring; and (3) demographic and exploratory items in order to provide direction for further studies. Statistics used to analyze the data included percentages, means, factor analysis, and ANOVA. The study included five objectives with four hypotheses. It was hypothesized there would be a low level (2.00) of overall mentoring. Contrary to this hypothesis, the mean for overall prevalence was higher than predicted. It was hypothesized that informal and least powerful mentor roles would be the most experienced. A factor analysis was performed on the matrix of intercorrelations among the items on the PSS. It was not possible to test Hypothesis 2 because the factor analysis did not generate mentor roles that could be described according to influence or power. It was only possible to identify factors according to the specific helping actions that took place. The relationship between class standing and overall prevalence of mentoring was tested. Results showed no differences among freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. There was no formal hypothesis formed regarding mentoring sources. Friends were the mentoring source with the highest frequency. Employers were the second most frequent mentoring source followed by professors, and advisors. The most important findings of the study were: the absence of specific mentor roles previously identified in the literature and friends and employers as the most frequent source of mentoring. Specific helping behaviors were identified from a factor analysis of items on the PSS that loaded highest on the factor analysis. Friends and employers were identified as the most frequent sources of mentoring. / Graduation date: 1992

Graduate school socialization and mentoring are based on adult development theory as articulated by Jung, Erickson, and Levinson. As adults mature, they go through several stages of detaching from family and learning how to live in the world. During this period (which encompasses undergraduate and graduate education), special relationships are often formed to help ease the transition to adulthood by providing advice and mentoring. A mentor is a person who helps guide another person into a profession and contributes to his or her professional development. The mentor may serve as a professional role model and teacher, providing encouragement, direction, information, and friendship. Levinson’s work in particular revealed mentoring to be an important part of adult development. However, a review of the literature revealed a lack of research on the characteristics and consequences of mentor relationships and on male-female differences in mentor relationships A written multiple choice survey was administered to 28 male and 28 female doctoral level faculty members at Western Kentucky University. The results were examined to learn whether subjects had been mentored in graduate school, and whether they had same-gender or cross-gender relationships. The study assessed the characteristics and functions of mentoring relationships, and sought to determine whether graduate school mentoring was associated with differences in productivity, professional satisfaction, and whether they had become mentors themselves. A stratified sample was used to match subjects by academic college, year degree was received (within five years), age (within 10 years), and, where possible, academic department and type of degree. The results were analyzed using the Chi-Square test for significance. It was found that 78.6% of the men and 75.0% of the women had mentors, but women were significantly more likely than men to have had cross-gender relationships. The presence or absence of mentoring was not significantly related to either productivity or professional satisfaction. Although the difference was not significant, faculty members who had been mentored were more likely to become mentors themselves. The findings from the present study were compared to the findings of previous research, and suggestions for future research were discussed, including the need for similar research with a larger sample that includes a wide variety of professional and non-professional occupations. A longitudinal study which follows the professional development of students who have been questioned about their mentor relationships was also suggested as a means toward a better understanding of the possible contribution of mentor relationships to a person’s professional development.