Peer mentoring for beginning teachers: Factors contributing to professional identity development

Abstract

Language education in Asian English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, including Vietnam, over the past decade has been dominated by concerns associated with the issue of quality. This concern often focuses on teacher education and professional development. The support provided to English language teachers in general, and beginning English language teachers in particular, is critical to the quality of their immediate professional experiences as well as to their long-term professional learning. Moreover, teacher professional development is considered the key mechanism for improving student outcomes (e.g. Cohen and Hill, 2000; Darling-Hammond, 2006).