| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺東大學 === 教育研究所 === 93 === The Case Study of an Unsuccessful Mentoring Relationship
Tre-Ping Lee
Abstract
The establishment of a successful mentoring relationship needs the support of a stable triangle relationship, of which roles include a student teacher (mentee), a mentor teacher (mentor), and a supervisor faculty, and they work together during the period of the student teacher’s practicum. The mentoring relationship, which is based on the roles of a mentee and a mentor, is the key to a successful mentoring relationship. This study was conducted through qualitative research based on the complex and dynamic characteristic of mentoring relationship.
This study was to discuss the triangle relationships of a mentoring journey through a first-hand experience of an outstanding and experienced elementary school teacher, who experienced and believed to have failed in a mentoring relationship as she mentored a student teacher for one year. The research has the following conclusions:
1. The mentor had strong feelings of failure, being hypocritical. She experienced an unpleasant and failed mentoring journey.
2. The causes of the failed mentoring relationship were the followings:
a. The mentor did not declare definitude disciplines to the mentee from start.
b. The mentor’s periphrastic communication style to the mentee.
c. The mentor’s personality of hypocrisy.
d. The passive learning attitudes of the mentee.
e. The side effects that came from the administration such as placing the mentee as a substitute teacher in other classrooms.
f. The supervisor faculty showed no concerns during the mentoring process.
g. The mentee failed to meet the mentor’s expectations.
h. The isolated characteristic of the classroom limited the possibilities of revealing the actual mentoring relationship.
i. The supervisor faculty and the administration of the elementary school failed to efficiently play the role of supervise.
3. The characteristics of this case: a harmonious- surface relationship, an unilateral cooperative relationship and a non win-win relationship.
4. In this case study, the mentor was an outstanding teacher but that did not give her the ability to dominant the mentoring relationship, instead she felt being dominated. The role of the mentor faced many difficulties because the supervisor and the mentee did not commit in the mentoring process.
5. The mentoring relationship will be a win-win game if the participants in the triangle relationship commit in the mentoring process.
Based on the research conclusion, the researcher had the following suggestions:
1. To the supervisor faculty,
a. shall visit the mentor’s school to show appreciations.
b. establish a supporting network that is needed in the mentor–mentee relationship.
c. fully understand the interactions in a mentor–mentee relationship and the benefits of an internship.
d. make sure the mentee fully understand the concepts of a mentoring relationship before the actual internship.
2. The mentee should actively participated in and take initial actions in learning with the mentor. He or she should also value the developments of the mentoring relationship.
3. The administration and the supervisor should cooperate to establish a network that supports the mentoring process, especially the mentor.
4. The mentor should actively seek for supports and pursue further studies in mentoring and social relationships.
5. Suggestions for future research,
a. the needs for more unsuccessful cases of mentoring relationship.
b. to explore the possibilities of successful cases of mentoring relationship.
c. the needs for more local cases and researches of mentoring relationship.
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