Exploring the Beliefs of Primary Education Teachers Regarding the Contribution of Mentoring in Schools

This paper examines the impact of mentoring in primary education. The research undertaken with primary education teachers working in schools of the Achaia Region, (Greece), analyses their beliefs and attitudes towards the implementation of mentoring and the relation of these attitudes with demographic data. Theories regarding the meaning, process, techniques and benefits of mentoring are explored in the first part in order to explain the impact of a mentor in a school environment. The second part presents and interprets the data collected and detects the relation between teachers ́ attitudes and demographic data.

The modern (Note 1) use of the word mentor is "a trusted friend, counselor or teacher" (Cunningham & Eberle 1993. Kefalas, 2005:2. Equal, 2006: 22).Mentoring finds its original meaning in a reference to a relationship between two people, one older with greater experience (the mentor), the other, usually younger, with less experience (the mentee, or as most American authors prefer: the protégé) (Friday & Friday, 2002:154).The core of the relationship is that it is development-oriented, and also embedded in the setting of a "career" (Westlander, 2009:82).
Nowadays mentors provide expertise to less experienced individuals to help them advance their careers, enhance their education, and build their networks, thus in many different arenas people have benefited from being part of a mentoring relationship (Papastamatis, 2010:210).
In the organizational setting, mentoring can take many forms.One definition of the many that has been proposed, is "Mentoring is a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social capital, and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant to work, career, or professional development; mentoring entails informal communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time, between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who is perceived to have less (the protégé)" (Bozeman & Feeney 2007: 317).
Today, mentoring is a one-to-one interaction model that organizations can exploit in order to develop their people, and an important approach very much in harmony with the lifelong learning philosophy of adult and continuing education (Cohen & Galbraith, 1995: 5).It can be an informal practice or a formal program.Mentees, observe, question, and explore.Mentors demonstrate, explain and model.

MENTORING TECHNIQUES
Mentoring is a one-to-one interactive process of guided developmental learning based on the premise that the participants will have reasonably frequent contact and sufficient interactive time together.Mentors contribute their knowledge, proficiency, and experience to assist mentees who are workhng toward the achievement of therir own objectives.As the realtionship evolves, mentees usually interpret the collaborative learning experiecne with and from their mentors as increasingly importan to them (Cohen &Galbraith, 1995:5).
Since the focus of mentoring is to develop the whole person, the techniques are broad and require wisdom in order to be used appropriately.A study of mentoring techniques most commonly used in business reveals five major "wisdom tactics" mentors usually follow.These are: 1. Accompanying: This means making a commitment in a caring way.Accompanying involves taking part in the learning process by taking the path with the learner.

Sowing:
Mentors are often confronted with the difficulty of preparing the learner before he or she is ready to change.Sowing is necessary when you know that what you say may not be understood or even acceptable to learners at first but will make sense and have value to the mentee when the situation requires it.

Catalyzing:
When change reaches a critical level of pressure, learning can jump.Here the mentor chooses to plunge the learner right into change, provoking a different way of thinking, a change in identity or a re-ordering of values.

Showing:
this is making something understandable, or using your own example to demonstrate a skill or activity.You show what you are talking about, you show by your own behavior.

Harvesting:
Here the mentor focuses on "picking the ripe fruit": it is usually learned to create awareness of what was learned by experience and to draw conclusions.The key questions here are: "What have you learned?" "How useful is it?"Different techniques may be used by mentors according to the situation and the psychological mindset of the mentee.It is underlined that the techniques used in modern organizations can be found in ancient education systems, from the Socratic technique of harvesting to the accompaniment method of learning used in the apprenticeship of itinerant cathedral builders during the Middle Ages (Bob & Cohen, 1995:23 on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentoring,2010:1).

QUALITIES OF THE MENTOR
As a highly significant influence, the competent mentor demonstrates skills by effectively interacting with the mentee to support and advance learning, whether that learning is associated with educational or career goals (Cohen & Galbraith, 1995:6).In their exploration of the mentoring mindset Millwater and Yarrow (Cox, 2003:14), confirm that mentors´ approaches to mentoring can differ depending upon their own particular experiences of education and support, and that an exploration of the nature of knowledge held by mentors is important.
However, the basic qualities which seem to be essential for a mentor's role, and are used to asses his/her potential effectiveness, are the following (Conway, 1995:6. Finlay-Clifford & Green, 1996:80): x A desire to help: Individuals who are interested in and willing to help others.
x Have had positive experiences: Individuals who have had positive formal or informal experiences with a mentor tend to be good mentors themselves.
x Good reputation for developing others: Experienced people who have a good reputation for helping others develop their skills.
x Time and energy: People who have the time and mental energy to devote the relationship.
x Up-to-date knowledge: Individuals who have maintained current, up-to-date technological knowledge and / or skills.
x Learning attitude: Individuals who are still willing and able to learn and who see the potential benefits of a mentoring relationship.
x Demonstrated effective managerial (mentoring) skills: Individuals who have demonstrated effective coaching, counseling, facilitating and networking skills.

QUALITIES OF THE MENTEE
The essential characteristics Mentees should have in order to successfully develop through the mentoring process are: x Committed to expanding their capabilities x Open and receptive to new ways of learning and trying new ideas x Able to accept feedback and act upon it x Willingness to apply leanings back on the job x Focused on achieving desired business results x Able to communicate and work cooperatively with others x Know when to ask for help x Have a sense of personal responsibility and commitment x Willing to meet with the mentor on a regular basis www.sonic.net./~mfreeman/mentor/protchar.htm,2010:1)

MENTORING BENEFITS
Research in the mentoring literature demonstrates that all concerned parties gain from participating in mentoring relationships: mentors, mentees, and organizations.Mentoring offers adult learners opportunities for significant personal, academic and career development.It is a pragmatic approach that helps Mentees to successfully navigate the complex and rapid social and economic transitions that characterize our century (Cohen & Galbraith, M., 1995:5).

Benefits to Mentor:
x Creates opportunities for experienced professionals to strengthen their knowledge base and improve communication skills.
x Enhances the leadership, teaching, and coaching skills of mentors and encourages them to become more reflective practitioners. x Creates new support networks with other professionals in the field and promotes greater collegiality among professionals within and across institutions.
x Provides intrinsic satisfaction (makes you feel good) by helping an emerging professional develop to his/her potential.
x Demonstrates professionalism and a commitment to personal and professional development of self and colleagues.
x Promotes the professional recognition of mentors for their commitment to developing the talents of new professionals.

Benefits to Mentee:
x Promotes a professional relationship that fosters guidance and support during the mentee's development.
x May increase the self-confidence of a new professional as he/she becomes familiar with a new role, increased responsibilities, or a new organizational culture.
x Challenges mentees to go further, take risks, set new goals, and achieve at higher personal and/or professional standards.
x Provides a forum to dialogue on professional issues and to seek and receive advice on how to balance new responsibilities.
x Matches a new professional with an experienced professional in the field and promotes networking and visibility.
x Provides role modelling for professional leadership and facilitates the development of increased competencies and stronger interpersonal skills.
x Reflects the mentee's commitment to personal and professional growth.
Contributes to a positive organizational climate and promotes a more clear understanding of professional responsibilities and expectations.

2.
May increase employee satisfaction and retention by reducing a new employee's sense of isolation.

3.
May result in improved employee job performance, contribute to faster learning curves, and result in a better trained staff.

4.
Reflects an investment in employee development and may increase employee commitment and loyalty.

5.
Promotes a positive image of the organization and reflects employee-centred values.

6.
Contributes to the development of partnerships or allies that may be useful to the organization in the future 7.
Effective mentoring can be one of the best tools for building diversity. www.coe.uga.edu/chds/mentoring/benefits.htm,2010:1)

MENTORING AND THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Mentoring has considerable importance as a means of strengthening the general educational system.Given the difficult issues confronted by the often overburdened educators in the public school system, the mentor-mentee approach offers important assistance in the critical effort to increase student retention and promote educational achievement.
Students with personal motivation difficulties, academic skills deficiencies or age-inappropriate behavioral problems can benefit from a close connection with mature adults.In addition, students who are demonstrating commitment to their education can engage in mentoring as means to enrich and advance their current learning pursuits.
In postsecondary education, mentoring is used as a direct intervention to support the continuing development of adult learners.Especially for those students from disadvantaged of nontraditional backgrounds, the mentoring relationship offers a significant survival bridge into and through what is to them the often very different world of academia.Faculty and staff mentors with "school-smart" knowledge and strategies serve as valuable resources for adult learners with few or no peer reference points to help them maneuver through and succeed in the college environment (Cohen & Galbraith, 1995: 7-8).
Calabrese and Tucker-Ladd (1991) (Hausman,et al,2002:141) point out that mentoring was explored as a tool for strengthening the team leadership practice, and school principals have a strong responsibility to serve as mentors for the assistant principal.They consider the relationship between them as a social contract that benefits individuals on many levels.

Purpose
The exploration of primary teachers´ beliefs and attitudes in relation to the effectiveness of the mentoring process in the school environment is this study's main purpose.

Research questions
1. Are teachers´ beliefs -regarding benefits from participation in the mentoring process -relevant to demographic characteristics?
2. Are teachers´ beliefs -regarding the mentor's benefits from participation in the mentoring processrelevant to demographic characteristics?
3. Are teachers´ beliefs -regarding mentoring impact on improvement of communication amongst individuals in a school unit -relevant to demographic characteristics?
4. Are teachers´ beliefs -regarding mentoring impact on improvement of the education quality offered by the school unit -relevant to demographic characteristics?

The sample
The research sample consisted of 120 teachers (Note 2) of various expertise (teachers specialized in general primary school tuition, English language teachers, French language teachers, Physical education teachers, Ȃusic teachers, etc).Vol. 2, No. 2; December 2010 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 205

Data Collection
The questionnaire was chosen as the data collection tool, since it allows the gathering of multitude information in a short period of time.The large number of schools operating in the Achaia Region, combined with the researchers´ limited time and availability of transportation, made it difficult to apply any other collection methods (Kvale, 1996:104. Dimitropoulos, 2001: 210. Robson, 2002:271).

Data Analysis
The answers collected by the questionnaire were analyzed by SPSS V. 17, a widely used statistical analysis programme in the Social Sciences field.

Demographic characteristics
The research sample's distribution in relation to demographic characteristics is as follows: Gender: 76 members (61,3%) was male teachers and 48 members (38,7%) was female teachers. Age:

Years employed in current school:
12 (10,0%) teachers have been employed in the current school for the last 1-5 years, 60 (50,0%) teachers have been employed in the current school for the last 6-10 years, and 48 (40,0%) teachers have been employed in current school for the last 11-15 years.
Insert Table 3 Here

Post graduated credentials and other professional qualifications:
68 (56,7%) individuals quoted that they have attended an annual training programme implemented by the Schools of Primary Teachers Vocational Training.24 individuals (20,0%) quoted that they have a masters degree in education and 28 members (23,3%) quoted that they have attended various training programmes of over 300 hours in duration.

Subjects´ beliefs regarding teachers´ benefits from participation in the mentoring process
The single-variable analysis of the subjects´ beliefs to the question "Does your participation in mentoring processes contribute to the provision of learning opportunities in a non threatening environment" showed that: 85 individuals (70, 8 %) answered: Immensely 21 individuals (17, 5%) answered: Considerably 14 individuals (11,7%) answered: Sufficiently and Remotely The bivariable analysis of subject answers, using the chi-square criteria, showed statistically important differences (Į<0,05), in relation to variables such as gender (p=0,000), age (p=0,001) and years of experience (p=0,002).

Insert Table 4 Here
The single-variable analysis of the subjects' beliefs to the question "Does your participation in mentoring processes contribute to the development of self-confidence regarding implementation of your teaching practices" showed that: 21 individuals (17, 5 %) answered: Immensely 83 individuals (69, 2%) answered: Considerably 16 individuals (13,3%) answered: Sufficiently and Remotely The bivariable analysis of subject answers, using the chi-square criteria, showed statistically important differences (Į<0,05), in relation to variables such as gender (p=0,000), field of expertise (p=0,01) and training (p=0,002).
The single-variable analysis of the subjects' beliefs to the question "Does your participation in mentoring processes contribute to the acquisition of experiences and expertise" showed that: 45 individuals (37, 5 %) answered: Immensely 46 individuals (38, 3%) answered: Considerably 29 individuals (24,2%) answered: Sufficiently and Remotely The bivariable analysis of subject answers, using the chi-square criteria, showed statistically important differences (Į<0,05), in relation to variables such as field of expertise (p=0, 01), years of experience in education (p=0,001) and years of employment in current school (p=0,002).
The single-variable analysis of the subjects' beliefs to the question "Does your participation in mentoring processes contribute to effective problem solving within the school environment" showed that: 45 individuals (37, 5 %) answered: Immensely 46 individuals (38, 3%) answered: Considerably 29 individuals (24,2%) answered: Sufficiently and Remotely

Insert Table 5 Here
The single-variable analysis of the subjects' beliefs to the question "Does your participation in mentoring processes contribute to the development of professional networking and teamwork" showed that: 22 individuals (18, 3 %) answered: Immensely 71 individuals (59, 2%) answered: Considerably 27 individuals (22,5%) answered: Sufficiently and Remotely The bivariable analysis of subject answers, using the chi-square criteria, showed statistically important differences (Į<0,05), in relation to variables such as field of expertise (p=0, 01), years of experience in education (p=0,001), years of employment in current school (p=0,002) and post graduate studies (p=0,001).
Insert Table 11 Here teamwork skills as well as their supportive skills towards their colleagues.At the same time they receive job satisfaction, feel that they are highly contributing to their work and develop critical reflection skills.In these views one can detect the significant effect demographic characteristics have on teachers´ beliefs regarding the mentors´ benefits form their participation in the mentoring process.
This research also shows that the majority of subjects believe that mentoring in schools greatly contributes to the improvement of communication amongst their employees.More specifically they express the opinion that mentoring contributes to the achievement of the school's operational and educational aims, the development of equal relations and teamwork between teachers, as well as between them and the school's Head Masters.Furthermore, mentoring assists the cultivation of communication and teamwork between teachers and executive administrative employees and facilitates problem solving when issues arise in the school unit.In these views one can detect the significant effect demographic characteristics have on teachers´ beliefs regarding the contribution of mentoring in the improvement of communication and teamwork.
Another conclusion accruing from the research findings is that a high percentage of subjects believe that mentoring contributes significantly to the improvement of the school's quality in regards to its educational practices.Specifically, they believe that through mentoring the training results as well as the management of human resources are improved.They also express the view that mentoring aids the school growth, supports innovation and launches internal reform.In these views one can detect the significant effect demographic characteristics have on teachers´ beliefs regarding the contribution of mentoring in the improvement of the quality of the school's educational work

RECOMMENDATIONS
The

Table 4 .
systematic training of mentors on the mentoring process is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of mentoring in schools.Training should be carried out both with conventional training techniques (such as in-classroom training) and contemporary methods (such as distance learning courses).Such training should combine theory and practice.In order to successfully design, organize and deliver a training programme on mentoring, a detailed training needs analysis of the participants should be carried out.Friday, E. & Friday, S.(2002).Formal mentoring: Is there a strategic fit?ManagementDecision, 40, 152-157.Hausman, C., et al. (2002).The work life of the assistant principal.Journal of EducationalAdministration, 2,  136-157, Emerald Publishing.Ȁefalas, ǹ. (2005).The transition or succession procedure.[Online] Available: www.terry.uga.edu/~akefalas.(in Greek).In Greek Mythology, Mentor was a trusted friend of Odysseus (a.k.a Ulysses).When Odysseus set out on his long wanderings knows as "odyssey", he left Mentor in charge of his palace and entrusted him the care and tutoring of his son Telemachus.Note 2. Out of a total of 440 teachers employed in primary schools in the Achaia Region, Greece.Mentoring enhancing the provision of learning opportunities

Table 6 .
Mentoring and the development of a coaching system by An experienced employee

Table 10 .
Mentoring enhancing communication and cooperation skills development amongst teachers

Table 12 .
Mentoring contribution to the management of the school's Human resources