Enhancing the Impact of Mentoring Programme Coordinators: Insights from Research

1. The Mentoring programme coordinator: How can we optimise the impact of a pivotal yet under-researched role? UCET Annual Conference 2023 The Queen's Hotel, Leeds Andrew J. Hobson 15 November 2023

2. Acknowledgements • Presentation based on collaborative research with Bronwen Maxwell (Emerita Professor, Sheffield Hallam University) and Dr Kinga Kaplar- Kodacsy (Eotvos Lorand University, Hungary). • Development of research funded by the Education & Training Foundation (ETF) (Hobson, Maxwell & Kaplar-Kodacsy 2021). • Dr Catherine Manning (ETF)

3. Outline 1.Definitions: what is a mentoring programme coordinator? 2.Rationale: is the mentoring programme coordinator role important? 3.Research design and methods 4.Research findings 5.Conclusions, implications and discussion

4. 1. Definitions: what is a mentoring programme coordinator?

5. Definitions • We use the term mentoring programme coordinator (MPC) to refer to: Those charged with formal responsibility for the leadership and management of organisational mentoring programmes or schemes (these terms are used interchangeably) • And mentoring as: A facilitative or helping relationship intended to achieve some type of change, learning and/or enhanced individual and/or organisational effectiveness (Maxwell, Hobson & Manning 2022; cf. Smith, Van Oosten & Boyatzis 2009).

6. Definitions “The role of the programme co-ordinator is to manage the entire [mentoring] scheme including the development of support mechanisms, to act as the main point of contact for all stakeholders within and associated with the scheme, to be the link between the programme and top management and to troubleshoot relationships.” (Koczka 2017, p.248).

7. Qualifying those definitions / understandings of the MPC role 1) People who lead and manage organisational mentoring schemes are not always called MPCs 2) The MPC brief is often part of a broader leadership role 3) Not all mentoring schemes have a single MPC 4) Most MPCs manage mentoring programmes within a specific organisational context, others lead and manage mentoring schemes across multiple organisations 5) The specific requirements of the MPC role vary across mentoring schemes.

8. 2. Rationale: is the mentoring programme coordinator role important?

9. Optimising the impact of mentoring Mentoring is more likely to realise positive impacts (e.g. on professional practice, wellbeing, retention) where various conditions for or ingredients of effective mentoring schemes are in place, including: • Institutional support for and resourcing of mentoring • Effective mentor selection and mentee-mentor matching • Effective mentor education and training • Various means of supporting the establishment of relational trust between mentees and mentors.

10. Optimising the impact of mentoring Some studies (e.g. Malderez & Bodoczky 1999, Kochan et al. 2015) have suggested that effective mentoring programme coordination is another key ingredient of successful mentoring schemes: • ‘Programme co-ordinators are often the unsung heroes of mentoring programmes’ (Koczka 2017, p.255) • MPCs ‘play a critical role in the development and implementation of the mentoring programme [and] can often make the difference between a failed mentoring relationship and a successful one.’ (Sanyal 2017, p.152).

11. Optimising the impact of mentoring • Despite such claims regarding the significance of the MPC role, we were not aware of studies comprising rigorous research evidence on the matter • Koczka (2017) stated that there was ‘very little, if any, empirical research, examining the role and responsibilities of the mentoring programme coordinator’ (p.246).

12. Optimising the impact of mentoring Relating to this apparent gap in the evidence base, in 2021 the ETF commissioned an evidence review of the MPC role, with the objectives of identifying: 1) Any research findings, relating to the MPC role, that might inform training for MPCs, which was proposed as part of the ETF’s national mentoring development programme, designed to enhance mentoring provision in the English FET sector; 2) Gaps in the evidence base, to potentially inform further empirical research into mentoring programme coordination.

13. 3. Research design and methods

14. Research design and methods The study includes: • A systematic review of international research literature on the MPC role • A secondary analysis of selected datasets generated for earlier research into mentoring and coaching* • A qualitative evidence synthesis of data from the initial two components • Co-production with an MPC practitioner We included mentoring and coaching scheme coordination, given similarities and overlaps between the aims, processes, practices and outcomes of mentoring and coaching (Hobson = van Nieuwerburgh 2022, Maxwell et al. 2022).

15. Research design and methods Systematic review overview: • Searches of various databases restricted to literature published in English between 01.01.2000 and 07.02.2021 • Initial searches yielded 735 literature sources • Reduced to longlist of 31 sources • Reduced to final list of 13 sources* to be subject to full critical review, leading to the production of critical summaries using a standardised template *Marked with an asterisk in Reference section

16. Research design and methods Secondary analysis overview: • The secondary data analysis related to empirical studies of mentoring undertaken by members of the research team between 2014 and 2020 • Eight empirical studies met broad inclusion criteria, so their datasets were subject to a preliminary analysis • Following preliminary analysis, three** of the eight studies were judged to include valuable data relevant to the RQs, and were thus selected for a full re-analysis **Outputs associated with the three studies are marked with a double asterisk in Reference section

17. 4. Research Findings

18. Overview of Findings Our analyses uncovered evidence, triangulated across numerous studies and professional and geographical contexts, which identified: 1) Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how these are effectively enacted; 2) Factors which enhance and impede effective mentoring programme coordination.

19. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted Relating to their overall management of mentoring programmes, our analyses indicate that the following 7 responsibilities are important elements of the MPC role: 1. Recruiting, selecting and maintaining a register of mentors; 2. Matching mentors and mentees; 3. Providing or facilitating training and development opportunities for mentors; 4. The production of resources for mentors and mentees; 5. Encouraging and supporting mentoring relationships and participants; 6. Modelling skills and behaviours relevant to the context in which the mentoring is taking place; 7. Monitoring mentoring relationships, contexts and outcomes.

20. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 1.Recruiting, selecting and maintaining a register of mentors: Criteria informing mentor selection include: • Relevant knowledge, expertise and experience For teacher mentors, ability to scaffold professional tasks • Role models • Inspirational • Successful • Credibility • Good listeners • Ability to provide tailored support informed by listening • Commitment and patience • Committed to their own personal development •

21. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 2. Matching mentors and mentees: Helpfully informed by securing information from both: • Mentors – regarding their knowledge, skills and experience; • Mentees – regarding their professional learning and development needs, career progression aspirations, etc Factors associated with effective matching include: • Credible mentors – seen by mentees to have relevant knowledge and experience E.g. Same subject specialism • Avoiding pairing mentees with their line managers – can impede development of open, honest, trusting relationships •

22. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 3. Providing or facilitating training and development opportunities for mentors: • Both initial training, including: Opportunities for mentors to practise mentoring or particular approaches to mentoring; and • • Subsequent development opportunities, including: Mentor networking – to enable sharing and mutual interrogation of, and critical reflection on, mentoring practice •

23. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 4. The production of resources for mentors and mentees: Valuable resources can include: • A mentoring handbook – or separate handbooks for mentors and mentees) • A mentoring agreement or contract • Mentoring (or ‘mentorial’) record forms – to summarise focus and outcomes of meetings, including agreed objectives ahead of next meeting

24. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 5. Encouraging and supporting mentoring relationships and participants: Effective MPCs • Are in regular and effective communication with mentors, mentees, organisational leadership teams and partner organisations • Make themselves readily available and accessible to mentors and mentees who require their assistance or support

25. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 6. Modelling skills and behaviours relevant to the mentoring context: • Effective MPCs have been found to model key professional skill of critically reflective practice to both mentors and mentees • In the context of teacher mentoring, this may include critical reflection on teaching, leadership and mentoring practice.

26. Findings I: Key responsibilities of MPCs, and how they are effectively enacted 7. Monitoring mentoring relationships, contexts and outcomes: • Is important for a number of reasons – e.g. mentees and mentors do not always inform MPCs when mentoring relationships are unproductive • Early detection of relationship difficulties can enable MPCs to minimise risks of harm, potentially repair or dissolve relationships • Monitoring may take the form of regular communication (e.g. emails or meetings) with mentors and mentees • MPCs can look for signs of problematic relationships in (e.g.) inconsistencies of mentors’ and mentees’ accounts

27. Findings I: Additional, potentially key responsibilities of MPCs (limited evidence) 8. The provision of training and development opportunities for mentees 9. Undertaking or facilitating periodic evaluations of the mentoring programme 10.The provision or facilitation of mentor supervision: o Opportunities for mentors to talk through any issues they are encountering in their mentoring relationships.

28. Findings II: Factors ENHANCING and impeding effective mentoring programme coordination MPC is part of or has a strong and transparent link to an organisational senior leadership team which: • Values and supports the role, the role-holder and the mentoring programme more widely • Provides dedicated time in which MPCs can undertake the role • Affords the MPC a degree of autonomy regarding the design and organisation of the mentoring programme

29. Findings II: Factors potentially ENHANCING effective mentoring programme coordination (limited evidence) • Criteria informing rigorous and effective selection or appointment of MPCs include: effective leadership and managerial skills good communication skills approachability and the ability to build positive relationships ability to engage with adult learners in appropriate ways commitment to the MPC role experience as a mentor familiarity with particular mentoring programme knowledge of organisation and its staff • • • • • • • •

30. Findings II: Factors potentially ENHANCING effective mentoring programme coordination (limited evidence) • Effective training and development of MPCs – might include a focus on: What the MPC role entails, including (for teacher mentoring schemes) managerial, pastoral and pedagogical responsibilities • How to carry out specific tasks associated with the role, e.g. mentee-mentor matching • Advanced communication skills and empathy •

31. Findings II: Factors enhancing and IMPEDING effective mentoring programme coordination Absence of forms of support for MPCs and mentoring programmes outlined above, often relating to: • Lack of senior leadership support for MPC role • Absence of organisational commitment to mentoring • MPCs having insufficient workload time to effectively fulfil various responsibilities associated with role • Lack of clarity from senior leadership regarding what is expected of them or what MPC role entails, or • MPC role was conceived as or has become overly bureaucratic or managerial • Lack of understanding, on part of organisational leadership teams, of mentoring in general or specific mentoring model, framework or approach in use

32. 5. Conclusions, implications and discussion

33. Implications for further research Need for more research on mentoring programme coordination, to address various gaps, including: • Robust research on the impact of mentoring programme coordination in general and of specific responsibilities associated with the role • The extent, nature and impact of MPC training • The added value of MPCs’ potential provision or facilitation of mentor supervision • The potential existence and impacts of MPC networks • The extent to which key features of and factors enhancing and impeding mentoring programme coordination apply to coaching programme coordination

34. Implications for practice • Educate organisational leadership teams on the potential importance of the MPC role, and: • Key responsibilities associated with the role • Research informed, rigorous selection of MPCs • Research informed training and development of MPCs • Factors which enhance and impede effective mentoring programme coordination, which impact • The success or otherwise of mentoring programmes; and thus • Professional learning, effectiveness, wellbeing and retention / attrition.

35. Discussion • To what extent do the tentative implications apply to mentoring programme coordination in teacher education? • Who undertakes mentoring programme coordination in relation to: Student / trainee teachers Early career teachers More experienced teachers? • Potential resonance of findings with your experience of mentoring programme coordination in these teacher education contexts? • Other potential ways of optimising the impact of the MPC role in these contexts? • Other?! • • •

36. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING / LISTENING / PARTICIPATING   Please feel free to contact me at: A.Hobson@brighton.ac.uk

37. References *Beltman, S., and Schaeben, M., 2012. Institution-wide peer mentoring: Benefits for mentors. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 3 (2), 33–44. *Beutel, D., Crosswell, L., Willis, J., Spooner-Lane, R., Curtis, E., and Churchward, P., 2017. Preparing teachers to mentor beginning teachers: an Australian case study. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 6 (3), 164–177. *Butcher, J., and Mutton, T., 2008. “Towards Professional Multilingualism?” Reconceptualising the School Coordinator Role in Initial Teacher Training. Curriculum Journal, 19 (3), 215–226. **Hobson, A.J., 2021. Bringing Mentoring ONSIDE: Averting Judgementoring and Enhancing the Professional Learning, Development and Well-being of Teachers. In: E.H. Reames and L.J. Searby (Eds.) The Art and Science of Mentoring: A Festschrift in Honor of Dr. Frances Kochan, 49-74. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. **Hobson, A.J., 2022. ONSIDE Co-Mentoring: “Breaking down the last vestiges of hierarchy” to promote professional learning, development and well-being. CollectivED, 14, 27-38. Available at: CollectivED Working Papers (leedsbeckett.ac.uk)

38. References {cont.} **Hobson, A.J., Castanheira, P., Doyle, K., Csigás, Z., and Clutterbuck, D., 2016. The Mentoring across Professions (MaP) project: What can teacher mentoring learn from international good practice in employee mentoring and coaching? London: Gatsby Charitable Foundation. http://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/mentoring-across-the- professions-final300816.pdf **Hobson, A.J., and Maxwell, B., 2020. Mentoring substructures and superstructures: an extension and reconceptualisation of the architecture for teacher mentoring. Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy, 46 (2), 184–206. Hobson, A.J., Maxwell, B. and Káplár-Kodácsy, K., 2021. The Role of the Mentoring Programme Coordinator: A rapid evidence review. London: Education & Training Foundation. Available at: https://www.et- foundation.co.uk/wp- content/uploads/2021/05/ETF_MCoord_Report_UoB_SHU_29_April_2021_Fin al.pdf **Hobson, A.J., Maxwell, B., Stevens, A., Doyle, K., and Malderez, A., 2015. Mentoring and coaching for teachers in the further education and skills sector in England: Full report. London: Gatsby Charitable Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/mentoring-full- report.pdf

39. References {cont.} Hobson, A.J = van Nieuwerburgh, C., 2022. Extending the research agenda on (ethical) coaching and mentoring in education: embracing mutuality and prioritising wellbeing. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 11 (1), 1-13. Koczka, T., 2017. The Role of the Mentoring Programme Co-ordinator, in D.A. Clutterbuck, F.K. Kochan, L.G. Lunsford, N. Dominguez and J. Haddock-Millar (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Mentoring. London: SAGE Publications. Chapter 17, 246–260. Kochan, F., Searby, L., George, M.P., and Edge, J.M., 2015. Cultural influences in mentoring endeavors: Applying the Cultural Framework Analysis Process. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 4 (2), 86–106. *Kramer-Simpson, E., 2018. Moving from Student to Professional: Industry Mentors and Academic Internship Coordinators Supporting Intern Learning in the Workplace. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 48 (1), 81– 103. *Le Cornu, R.J., 2010. Changing Roles, Relationships and Responsibilities in Changing Times. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 38 (3), 195–206. *Le Cornu, R.J., 2012. School Co-ordinators: Leaders of Learning in Professional Experience. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37 (3), 18– 33.

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41. References {cont.} *Mozdzanowski, S.K., 2016. Impact of mentoring on K-12 beginning teachers’ efficacy and commitment: A comparative phenomenological study. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 113–116. *Peters, J., 2011. Sustaining School Colleagues’ Commitment to a Long- Term Professional Experience Partnership. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36 (5), 1–15. *Rodriguez, J., McKinney, T., Powell, S., Walker, Z., and Vince Garland, K., 2020. Was This Feedback Useful? Examining the Observation and Feedback Process for Pre-Service Teachers. Teaching Education, 31 (2), 144–161. Sanyal, C., 2017. The effective mentor, mentee and mentoring relationship. In D. Clutterbuck, F. Kochan, L. G. Lunsford, N. Dominguez, and J. Haddock-Millar (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Mentoring (143–155). Sage: London. *Willis, J., Churchward, P., Beutel, D., Spooner-Lane, R., Crosswell, L., and Curtis, E., 2019. Mentors for beginning teachers as middle leaders: the messy work of recontextualising. School Leadership & Management, 39 (3– 4), 334–351.