Mentoring Matters: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Mentor Teachers’ Competencies in the Practicum

Journal of Qualitative Research in Education

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Mentoring Matters: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Mentor Teachers’ Competencies in the Practicum

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https://doi.org/10.54963/jqre.i45.1992
Yılmaz Yıldız, S. B., Girgin, D., Satmaz, İsmail, & Kiraz, E. (2025). Mentoring Matters: Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Mentor Teachers’ Competencies in the Practicum. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, (45), 106–125. https://doi.org/10.54963/jqre.i45.1992
Issue 45 (2026): In progress
Copyright (c) 2025 Seval Bircan Yılmaz Yıldız, Derya Girgin, İsmail Satmaz, Ercan Kiraz
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Authors

  • Seval Bircan Yılmaz Yıldız

    Strategic Education Coordination, Faculty of Education, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17000, Türkiye
  • Derya Girgin

    Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17000, Türkiye
  • İsmail Satmaz

    Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17000, Türkiye
  • Ercan Kiraz

    Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17000, Türkiye

Received: 24 September 2025; Revised: 8 October 2025; Accepted: 8 October 2025; Published: 5 December 2025

This study explores preservice teachers’ perceptions of what defines a qualified cooperating teacher in the teaching practicum. Adopting a phenomenological design, data were collected from 150 prospective teachers across multiple subject areas at a public university in Türkiye through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using content and discourse analysis supported by MAXQDA. Findings show that preservice teachers identify communication, guidance and feedback, professional knowledge and planning, role modelling, and motivation as key qualities of a qualified cooperating teacher. Discourse analysis revealed recurring patterns of guidance, collegiality, support, and neglect, illustrating how practicum contexts construct power relations and identity recognition. Constructive feedback, collegial mentoring, and role modelling were viewed as most influential for professional growth, whereas inadequate communication, weak feedback, and authoritarian attitudes hindered development. By centering preservice teachers’ voices, the study contributes to teacher education and proposes a multidimensional framework for redefining the role of cooperating teachers in teacher preparation.

Keywords:

Teacher Education Cooperating Teachers Preservice Teachers Mentoring Reϐlective Practice

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