Mentoring in the University of Cape Coast: A reality or a fallacy?

Abstract

There is increasing concern in teacher orientation and general support for the proposal of assigning skilled teachers to work with newly recruited teachers. Yet, we know fairly little about what mentors in the University of Cape Coast (UCC) do and what their mentees learn from their interactions with them. This article presents the views of 60 Lecturers/Assistant Lecturers who were recruited between 2008 and 2014. The methodology used in this study was the descriptive survey design. The results showed that on the whole, respondents acknowledged that, mentors play important roles in the mentoring system such as encouraging mentees on opportunities and providing on-going support for mentees. Nearly two-thirds representing 65.9% of the mentees had some concerns about future mentoring. It was recommended that UCC and administrators in particular during the appointment of mentors should articulate the goals of mentoring programmes and highlight ways in which mentors can directly impact mentee’s achievements.

Keywords: Mentoring, Mentees, Assistant lecturers, Lecturers