CONFERENCEhttps://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2025.41 | 575-591 | PDF
The Forms of Support Provided by the Mentor and Analysis of the Underlying Approach: The Issue of Contextualising Academic Knowledge in the Professionalization Process
Birutė Anužienė¹, Salomėja Šatienė¹, Skaidrite Gūtmane²
¹Klaipėdos valstybinė kolegija / Higher education institution, Lithuania
²European Christian Academy, Latvia
Abstract
A number of studies carried out internationally on the process of contextualizing different types of academic knowledge through the use of embedded student practice systems revealed the difficulties pre-service teachers face in integrating academic knowledge into their teaching practice. The difficulties are particularly evident in the assessment of a child’s educational achievement and progress. Thus, the mentor’s support for the student teacher becomes an invaluable asset in the professionalization process.
The aim of the study is to reveal the forms of mentor support for the student teacher and the underlying approach to the mentor support in students integrating their academic knowledge into practical activities in the assessment of children’s educational achievements and progress. The methods used include: analysis of scientific literature to reveal the theoretical assumptions of the study; observation and cross-interview method (Clot et al., 2000) to collect data on the mentor’s support and its meaning, to identify the underlying approach to and the forms of the support; Theureau’s (2006) action research technique to analyze the data. The research is based on a constructivist epistemological approach, which aims to highlight the meaning given to reality from the point of view of the actors (Fourez, 2008). The methodological basis for the analysis is Leclercq et al.’s (2014) support model complemented by elements of Paul’s (2009) model. Based on the research findings, it can be argued that the form of support chosen by the mentor and the approach that underlies it are closely linked to the mentor’s approach to the student’s teaching practicum. The study found that mentor’s support may be expressed in different ways, and the forms of support vary: a) dialogue-based support (in the form of counselling or guidance); b) speculative-approach-based support (in the form of coaching); c) normative-approach-based support (in the form of individual mentoring).
Keywords: contextualizing academic knowledge, mentor support, professionalization, student teacher, teaching practicum
In: Human, Technologies and Quality of Education, 2025. Proceedings of Scientific Papers = Cilvēks, tehnoloģijas un izglītības kvalitāte, 2025. Rakstu krājums. Ed. L. Daniela. Riga: University of Latvia, 2025. 698 p.
ISBN 978-9934-36-461-7
https://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2025