Getting to the heart of mentoring relationships: a dissertation

340 Pages·2002·5.3 MB·English

by  LeDuc, Karen

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GETTING TO THE HEART OF MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS
A DISSERTATION
Submitted by
Karen Leacu LeDuc
In partial fulfillment ofthe requirements
for the degree of
DoctorofPhilosophy
Lesley University
May
2002

The purpose ofthis study was to understand how the mentoring relationship and
its organizational supports help to inform mentoring programs in public schools.
Mentoring is defmed as a complex interaction between a public school teacher, the
mentor, and a new-to-the-district teacher, the protege. The mentoring relationship is
examined fromthe perspectives ofthe mentor and protege.
A relational perspective, drawn fromresearch on women, specifically the
elements ofempathy, mutual empathy, and empowerment, and the model ofmutual
intersubjectivity (Jordan, et al, 1991), was used to gain an understanding ofthe complex
mentoring relationship. The organizational constructs, specifically "followership"
(Sergiovanni, 1992) and the process ofinitiation, implementation and continuation
(Fullan, 1991) were applied to the planning ofa formal mentoring program.
Through qualitative research methodology stories were collected from mentors
and proteges through a series ofopen-ended surveys which led to in-depth individual
interviews offive mentor/protege pairs. The analysis ofthe surveys and interviews
revealed four salient aspects ofthe mentoring relationship (1) qualities ofthe mentor
and/or protege; (2) activities that helped to fiilfill the role ofmentor; (3) the impact of
organizational issues; and (4) participants reflections on the mentoring relationship.
The fmdings supported the use ofa relational model for analyzing and supporting
mentoring relationships. Additionally, the organizational constructs, specifically
Sergiovanni's idea of"followership" and Fullan's model for change, are important
aspects to consider when developing mentoring programs.
This study contributes to existing literature on mentoring. The fmdings could be
used as a basis for developing and improving mentor-training programs. The implications

ofthis research across disciplinary boundaries was that the relational model should be
used in developing teacher mentoring programs in the public schools to enhance the
success ofnew teachers.