Developing Master’s Level Education Students Identities as Researchers: Mentors’ and Mentees’ Experiences

Mentorship practices are increasingly utilised in higher education settings as both capacity development for staff, as well as for ‘emerging’ scholars at doctoral and postdoctoral levels (Strebel & Shefer, 2016). For students in higher education, mentorship fosters growth and development, and contributes to a more holistic development of students beyond the impartation and facilitation of disciplinary knowledge (Paterson & Hutchinson, 2019). Whilst many tertiary level institutions acknowledge the need for mentorship of doctoral candidates to develop research capacities and capabilities, perhaps less developed are those initiatives focused on graduate students who pursue research degrees through coursework, such as those in MEd or MA programmes of study. There may be more concerted focus on doctoral candidates given the presumption that these students will be entering into academic careers, which will entail a focus on research and publication. Yet, for candidates in research programmes primarily examined through coursework, research competencies are not only needed given the transferable skills they offer; but for a number of professions, these skills are needed in order for those working within their professional settings to undertake research and apply their findings to their contexts. Those working within educational settings, for instance, can carry out action research to address and improve issues within their institutions (Greenwood & Levin, 2007; McNiff, 2014). With this in mind, the purpose of this generic qualitative study is to explore the experiences and roles of academic mentors and mentees in relation to shaping research skills, competencies, and identities among graduate research students, specifically those in MEd and MA programmes, in a School of Education at a Caribbean university. The findings of the research will be useful with respect to fostering a culture of mentorship among academic staff within the School of Education and the wider University in order to increase researcher competencies for use in their professional contexts, as well as for those students who may ultimately decide to pursue doctoral studies