The reflexive diaries of mentors in an induction program

Abstract

The induction period is a stage of becoming a teacher. The figure of the mentor has received considerable attention in research on teacher training. The mentor is a teacher with recognized experiences, expertise and specialized training as a trainer, who provides support to novice teachers’ teaching (Orland-Barak, 2014; Korthagen, 2014; Kuh, 2016; Yuan & Lee, 2016). In this paper we describe the process of mentoring that has been developed throughout an induction program for novice teachers in the Dominican Republic. A total of 32 mentors participated in this research, distributed over several areas across the country. The data analyzed in this article were drawn from the reflective diaries that mentors wrote during the program. The total data made up 1,176 pages of text, grouped in 32 reflective diaries of mentors. Aligning with other research on novice teachers and induction programs, the results show the prevalence of problems are related to the methodology, discipline and motivation in all the first years of teaching. These problems are analyzed from the point of view of the mentors themselves who provide supports for novice teachers.