Looking through the Eyes of Mentors and Novice Teachers: Perceptions Regarding Mentoring Experiences

Over the last decade, we have witnessed a declining trend in the teaching work force. The shortage of certified, STEM teachers is of concern throughout the world. Addressing the shortage of STEM teachers, STEM initiatives in Israel have emerged in order to ensure that excellent STEM teachers will provide excellence in STEM education. Our research focuses on a mentoring program that aims to: (1) facilitate the process of integrating new teachers, and (2) ensure high quality teaching to enhance students’ achievements. The finding revealed that a teacher's mentoring job is muli-faceted; mentoring novice teachers addresses affective, discipline-based aspects of both pedagogical and content knowledge, and technical aspects on a daily basis. The findings can promote the improvement of mentoring programs that aim to further improve the integration and retention of novice STEM teachers within the educational school system.