Effect of Professional Development Programme on Mentorship in Enhancing Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectancy of In-Service Teachers

Abstract

Emphasizing the importance of Continuous Professional Development programmes for teachers to ensure quality performance, Educational Policies, frameworks, and professional standards for teachers across nations around the world advocate qualitative and quantitative mentorship training for them, given the dearth of such opportunities. Holistic professional development programs for in-service teachers enhancing their mentorship skills and supporting their overall well-being have become inevitable part of the academic calendars of progressive institutions given the renewed and well-justified emphasis by policies and for their known and established benefits. Though scanty in number, integrated programs supporting the development of mentorship skills among in-service teachers have been reported to be of qualitative benefit in raising their performance bar. The present study reports the formulation and validation of a Professional Development Programme on Mentorship for in-service teachers and its implementation through an intervention adopting the quasi-experimental, single-group pre-test and post-test design. The program module, designed as per the ADDIE model, consisted of five units focusing on self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and skills development in four areas: personal, professional, instructional, and assessment. A group of 48 (n = 48) in-service teachers participated in the study and responded to the Mentor Efficacy Scale, a self-assessment questionnaire, before and after the intervention. Analysis of the pre-test and post-test data shows a significant increase in self-efficacy and outcome expectancy variables of mentorship among in-service teachers. The study's findings offer valuable insights for advocating the professional development program on mentorship skills to build and sustain a professional learning culture, a robust support system for colleagues and a positive school culture. Given the positive and promising results of the program, there is scope for further research exploring the long-term effects of the intervention with a mixed-method design.