A Decade of Mentorship in Teaching Internship: A Scopus-Based Bibliometric Mapping of Supervisory Practices (2015–2025)

Abstract

Mentorship and supervision in practice teaching play a critical role in shaping pre-service teachers’ professional competence, identity formation, and classroom readiness. Despite the rapid expansion of scholarships on practicum mentoring, the literature remains conceptually fragmented and lacks a comprehensive synthesis of its intellectual structure. Addressing this gap, this study aims to map, identify, and analyze the evolution and thematic organization of research on mentorship and supervision in teaching practicum. A bibliometric and science-mapping analysis was conducted using Scopus-indexed publications from 2015–2025 retrieved through a systematic TITLE-ABS-KEY search strategy. Bibliometric indicators—including publication trends, document types, productive contributors, and keyword co-occurrence networks—were analyzed using Scopus Analyzer and VOSviewer. The results reveal a steady increase in research output across the decade, with journal articles and Social Sciences dominating the field. Network analysis identifies four major thematic clusters structuring the literature: (1) cooperating teachers and situated mentorship, (2) university supervision and institutional mediation, (3) feedback and professional identity development, and (4) power relations and emotional dimensions of mentoring. These patterns demonstrate a paradigm shift from procedural supervision models toward relational, dialogic, and ethically grounded approaches to practicum mentorship. This research provides the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis on the literature of mentorship and supervision in practice teaching. It identifies the intellectual landscape of the field and indicates emerging research trends that are important for teacher education policy and the promotion of learning through practicum experiences.