NURTURING SUCCESS: EXAMINING MENTORSHIP'S INFLUENCE ON NOVICE FEMALE TEACHERS IN KARACHI GOVERNMENT COLLEGES

Abstract

The research paper aims to investigate the role of mentoring in the professional development of novice teachers. The main focus of the research is on the female teachers serving in the Government colleges in Karachi. A qualitative research methodology has been selected to search for the answer to the research question. In this regard, three experienced and three novice teachers have been selected randomly from different government colleges in Karachi. Their interviews are conducted using structured questionnaires and the answers provided by these teachers are used to find out the role of mentoring in novice teachers’ professional development in the light of their experiences. It has been revealed from the study that both experienced and novice teachers firmly believe that mentoring enhances the process of professional development however, some flaws in the teachers' training programs are also identified and it is found that some novice teachers are not provided with effective mentoring in their early years of job. The paper insists that there must be a systematic approach towards mentoring in government colleges and policies must be formulated to assure that every novice teacher must get the guidance and support from a professional during the early years of her employment.