A Pilot Study on the Mentoring of PGCE Physical Sciences Students at a Teaching School

This paper reports on research on the mentoring experiences of three PGCE Physical Sciences students at a teaching school affiliated to a teacher education institution in South Africa. The research was underpinned by a conceptual framework developed by Edith Lai (2010) that addresses the relational, developmental and contextual dimensions of mentoring. The study employed a qualitative case study design, and entailed the collection of data from interviews, lesson plans, mentor reports, and mentor-mentee discussions. The findings reveal that all students perceived their mentoring to be supportive in planning lessons that reflected a shift in their pedagogical orientation towards a more learner-centred direct interactive approach. It was also evident that the students were developing a critical friendship with their mentor teacher in a space of trust and emotional support. However, contextually it became evident that the students did experience a challenge in transiting the cultural divide between the school they attended as learners and the teaching school. Against these findings, guidelines are offered to enhance the mentoring experiences of students at teaching schools.