The Well-Being of Novice State School Teachers in the Mentoring Programme in Turkey: A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

In the midst of different teacher education programmes and teachers from many varied backgrounds, it is essentially necessary to provide mentoring to teachers that have just departed on a teaching career or started working in a new institution. Providing mentors for teachers is a part of their continuing professional development (CPD), and many factors such as the availability of mentors, teaching schedules, financial issues, the well-being of trainers, and in-mentoring teachers should be taken into consideration while discussing the mentoring practices. The timing and content of mentoring seminars, schools’ facilities, students’ engagement of their lesson affect the well-being of teachers’. The study conducted in Turkey with six teachers who are in their first or second year in government schools. It is found that the use of mentoring programmes and teacher involvement should be given priority when planning mentoring CPD programmes. In order to sustain the well-being of teachers, the mentoring programmes should be designed by taking into consideration such as timing and content of the seminars, physical conditions of schools, usefulness and teacher involvement which guides the well-being of the novice state school teachers.