Trust-based mentoring towards a new knowledge state as a change cycle: Exploring key interpersonal interactions

Abstract

Within the New Zealand Education sector, the Specialist Classroom Teacher Position is a mentoring position focusing on developing novice teachers. Mentoring occurs in pairs that are bounded by factors conducive to the development of trust relationships and focused on facilitating mentee knowledge generativity. Generativity, as increased mentee capacity, represents a change cycle. Trust, support and challenge were considered key phenomena underpinning change. Three mentoring dyads were studied from a subjectivist perspective. Findings suggested trust was the basis of the relationships. Mentee self-confidence, rather than support, emerged as the factor that is viewed as sustaining engagement in the change process.