Different Features of Mentorship between Novice and Experienced Mentors

Abstract

The present study aims to reveal the communication skills and reviewing strategies adopted by developing mentors who attended six consecutive meetings in an intensive three-day workshop. Data were collected from the discussions and reports of 11 mentors (3 novice, 4 experienced, and 4 supervisory) and analyzed through quantitative content analyses method using the Tiny Text Miner (TTM) tool. To elucidate the major characteristics of good mentorship, the statistical analysis revealed the following three points: (1) the experienced mentors explicitly reflected on and explained their difficulties and satisfaction in mentoring; (2) novice mentors often expressed their worries and difficulties about their mentoring styles and communication skills; (3) regardless of their mentoring experience, several mentors often referred to their mentees’ progress during teaching portfolio creation and consulted the mentoring process to determine the mentees’ educational philosophy.