Israeli teachers' perceptions of mentoring effectiveness

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify Israeli teachers' perceptions about the relationships between mentoring styles and team culture and the effect of these relationships on mentoring effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consisted of 169 Israeli teachers from 22 science and technology teams in junior high schools. Four mentoring styles and four dimensions of team culture are examined. Data analysis is carried out on an individual level, whilst taking into consideration the influence of the entire team.FindingsMeaning attribution style influences the perception of mentoring effectiveness in every team culture. Contrary to the expected outcome, the “fit” between the other mentoring styles and team culture has no significant bearing on mentoring effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe self‐reported instrument is vulnerable to a same‐source bias. However, since the focus of this paper is teachers' perceptions of their specific mentors' effectiveness, rather than mentoring effectiveness in practice, it seems to be a suitable tool. In addition, the study sample is limited to science and technology teams, However, it appears that these findings can be generalised beyond these teams, since the study variables, which have a general psychological character, have been used previously in other fields.Practical implicationsThese findings will be able to assist supervisors in recruiting and assigning suitable mentors, thus contributing to school effectiveness.Originality/valueThe paper contributed to the design of a model that explains mentoring effectiveness. This model raises doubts regarding the perception that “fit” between mentoring styles and team culture is necessary for improving mentoring effectiveness.