Editorial overview: contextualized mentoring models: from theory to practice

Abstract

This issue of Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning Journal includes reported research on formal and informal mentoring strategies from scholars representing New York and New Jersey in the United States, as well as Australia, Ghana, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, and Canada. The authors critically examine the extent to which mentoring practices, perhaps better described as mentoring perspectives, align with mentoring theories. To situate the narratives perhaps better, it is first prudent to understand the differences between formal and informal mentoring. Formal mentoring formal is predominantly associated with career support, while informal mentoring is typically associated with psychological support. While the synthesis of emergent literature on formal versus informal mentoring is less discerning and often differs by discipline, Irby, Abdelrahman, Lara-Alecio, and Allen (2020) posit that formal mentoring is structured, whereby more experienced individuals (mentors) are carefully selected to distribute skills and knowledge to lesser-experienced individuals or groups (mentees). Alternatively, informal mentoring is often more organic and interactive, such that the relationship between two people is centered on gaining insight, knowledge, and support from each other (Irby, 2008). Irrespective of the type or model of mentoring, transferring experiences and understandings is a developmental and fluid process; one that often requires immense determination and sacrifice. The collective research within this issue explores different mentoring perspectives; from faculty-mentored undergraduate research, to mentoring preservice teacher education interns, to the efficacy of mentoring programs in the tenure and promotion process, to student-led peer mentoring. While influenced by context and purpose, the theoretical undergirding of each manuscript creates a funneled lens by which the reader is drawn into a lucid experience that bridges the gap between theory and practice. The Editorial Board of Mentoring & Tutoring invites more contributions to the literature that further advances the building of capacity through mentoring in all facets of professional practice. In the lead article, Student Teachers and their Mentors: Differing Perspectives of the Mentoring Experience During Initial Teacher Training in Ghana, Kuyini, Abukari and Abubakari, guided by the framework of mentor as role model, explored MENTORING & TUTORING: PARTNERSHIP IN LEARNING 2022, VOL. 30, NO. 1, 1–5 https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2022.2044705