Dual roles – conflicting purposes: a comparative study on perceptions on assessment in mentoring relations during practicum

Abstract

Despite considerable attention given to mentoring in initial teacher education little is known about mutual perspectives in perceptions of students and mentors regarding assessment and how this affects the quality of the student's teaching. Perceptions of assessment during practicum might impede the learning dialogue during mentoring and affect the student's achievements. A comparative qualitative study was conducted in Norway, Israel and The Netherlands to examine how student teachers (74) and mentors (52) perceive good mentoring regarding assessment of practice teaching and the interplay between the two processes. A semi‐structured questionnaire was used to analyse the perceptions on assessment during the practicum appraisal. Findings indicate that mentors and students differ slightly on key aspects of assessment, but agree more in the way it is being applied. From an assessment point of view, the differences between mentor and students may lead to a different approach in advice or recommendation to improve teaching action across the three national borders.