Exploring the contribution of mentoring in improving teaching and learning

Producing highly skilled, competent teachers in developing countries, such as Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, requires an on-going teacher education, training and support. A number of research studies indicate that mentoring provides a highly useful service for teachers in their continuing education. As such, mentoring has been widely accepted as a process to support beginning teachers\u27 professional development. However, little is known in developing countries about what mentoring is, and to what extent it brings improvement in teaching and learning. Therefore, in this particular case study was designed to explore the contribution of mentoring in facilitating the beginning teachers\u27 teaching practice and the improvement that this can bring in the students\u27 learning outcomes, in a developing country\u27s context. The study is largely based on interview data provided by a mentor and two mentee teachers who were the participants of this study. During the study, the mentee teachers disclosed the factors, that they perceived to be the most influential in affecting their progress as teachers. In line with many research studies, this particular research confirms that the attitude and skills of a mentor are a critical factor in raising the confidence and self-esteem of beginning teachers. The findings of the study indicate that mentoring creates a model for extending the learning process and, thus, it evolves to serve a pivotal function for nurturing the beginning teachers\u27 professional development, in their initial years of experience in the classroom. The study pays particular attention to the impact of the mentoring process on improving the students\u27 learning, and suggests a number of strategies for further improving the students\u27 learning outcomes. Based on the results of the research findings, the study confirms that improvement in beginning teachers\u27 teaching practice produces substantial improvement in students\u27 learning outcomes. In addition, some recommendations and implications have been drawn from the study, so as to contribute to the betterment of the mentoring process in Pakistani schools and also in schools in Kyrgyzstan