‘She never actually let you walk into a trap’: exploring relational turning point events in the mentor–mentee relationship in the practicum

Abstract

The quality of the relationship between the mentor teacher and the student teacher is crucial for successful training. To date, however, little is known about how these relationships develop over time. The present study investigates this relationship formation based on the concept of relational turning point events. It presents findings of an interview study with 27 Swiss student teachers who had just completed a four-week practicum for teaching in kindergarten and primary education. They reflected on the relational turning point events that they had experienced with their mentor teacher. The results show that both positive and negative relational turning points were experienced. Appreciation and high-quality mentoring behaviour (e.g. high-quality feedback) contributed to a positive change in the relationship over time, while the reverse effect was found for a lack of appreciation and low-quality mentoring behaviour. Furthermore, the most positive relationships were experienced when ‘closeness’, an indicator of the interpersonal dimension of the relationship, was felt. These findings indicate that mentor teachers need strong professional and interpersonal skills in order to develop high-quality relationships with student teachers during the practicum.