History of Mentoring in Pre-Service Teacher Education in Turkey

Abstract

This study aims to elaborate on the history of mentoring in pre-service teacher education in Turkey since the foundation of the republic (1923). Existing literature does not provide information about the availability of an implemented pre-service teacher education between 1923 to 1998. However, a non-structured, undesignated formation in pre-service teacher training was initiated unofficially in the Village Institutes (1940-1954) and the formation reached a better structure in the following decades. The literature on pre-service teacher mentorship in Turkey emerged in the post-1980s. This study examines pre-service teacher mentorship chronologically. Firstly, an incipient pre-service teacher mentoring was inferred within the Village Institutes (1940-1954), albeit a non-structured, undesignated system. Next, a structured practicum mentorship was initiated in pre-service teacher education due to post-1998 reforms. Upon such progress, the Clinical Supervision Model piloting and e-mentorship implementations have been examined in pre-service teacher education studies which have been reviewed within a descriptive approach. Finally, the study concludes that the Clinical Supervision Model has been perceived significantly effective by the parties involved in pre-service teacher mentoring implementations. This finding may contribute to pre-service teacher education programs.