Challenges facing teacher mentees of Offinso College of Education and support systems available to them

Abstract

This study sought to unveil possible problems that confront and intimidate mentees in their professional development. A case study design underpinned by the interpretive paradigm was adopted for this study. The main instruments used in gathering the data were a structured questionnaire and a semi – structured interview. The population used was the entire 2015 mentorship group with a population size of 152. The sample size used in this study was 76 teacher mentees selected through multi-stage sampling technique. The data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of frequencies and percentages. The interview data on the other hand was analyzed through the thematic approach. The study revealed that unpreparedness of some teachers to work collaboratively with mentees and absenteeism of mentors were the major challenges confronting mentees in their mentoring programme. It was revealed that the mentoring programme equipped mentees to be independent and objective in the ways of thinking about issues in the teaching and learning environment. The study therefore concluded that the necessary activities meant to impact practical skills to teacher trainees in the Offinso College of Education during their mentoring programme were in place in the attachment schools. The study recommended among others that the Offinso College of Education in collaboration with the schools within the district where teacher trainees are assigned should organize periodic training sessions for prospective mentors on their roles in the entire mentoring process.