Theoretical framework for faculty mentoring

This paragraph pinpoints the development of the theoretical framework for underpinning mentoring in academia. To do this, a theory was required to outline the focus of this thesis and identify the research questions.

In qualitative research there are numerous types and ranges of theoretical frameworks which emanate in a large number of diverse fields of study and disciplines in the social and natural sciences. This diversity and richness of theoretical frameworks allow researchers ‘to see in new and different ways what seems to be ordinary and familiar’

(Anfara & Mertz, 2014, p.24). The main goal of any theoretical framework, as highlighted in Mills and Bettis (2015), is ‘to make sense of the data, to provide some coherent explanation for why people are doing or saying what they are doing or saying’

(p.97).

The primary focus of mentoring in present research is investigating mentorship relationships as a support mechanism for professional socialization and career growth for new university teachers through personal interactions and relationship building. I consider two different frameworks for this study which will provide the researcher a more flexible lens in terms of understanding how junior academics experienced professional socialization and develop their professional growth (Figure 7): Blau’s Social Exchange Theory and constructivism. I believe that the integration of two theoretical frameworks will deepen our understanding of a phenomenon.

Figure 7. An integrated theoretical framework of the research

66 Interaction and dialogue

(a process of development, a process of knowledge

exchange)

MENTORING Mentoring as a system and process

Co-construction of knowledge and skills;

Learning through human interaction and conversation/ daily discourse

Source: Author

My interest in this integrated theoretical framework (Figure 7) led all aspects of this research, from identifying the focus of the study, to sample selection, to the analysis and interpretation of data collection. To begin with, it should be looked at these two theories and see how they help in understanding mentorship thoroughly.

3.1.1 Blau’s Social exchange theory

Blau (1964) strived to understand social structure through the analysis of social processes operating the relations between individuals and groups. The main idea is in understanding how social life is organized into increasingly complex structures of associations among people.

Blau (1964) focused on the process of exchange which, according to him, operates a considerable part of human behavior and it is the cornerstone of both interpersonal as well as intergroup relations. The scientist investigated four-stage sequence directed from interpersonal exchange to social structure and further to social change:

interpersonal exchange, differentiation of status and power, legitimation and organization, and, lastly, opposition and change.

Blau's (1964) Social Exchange

Theory

Constructivism

67 The concept of social exchange assumes accounting only those actions which are caused or depend on rewards provided by other subjects. People for many reasons tend to address to each other, and it induces them to form social associations. When the initial connection is established, reciprocal rewards help them to support this connection and expand it. The opposite can also happen - when there are insufficient rewards, the association weakens or collapses.

Blau (1964) differentiated 6 types of social rewards:

o personal attraction, o social acceptance, o social approval, o instrumental services, o respect/ prestige, o compliance/ power.

Further, he divided rewards into intrinsic (love, attachment, respect) and extrinsic (money or physical work). People not always provide rewards to each other equally.

Such inequality leads to differentiation of the power in association.

Social engagement is accomplished within a social group. “It is in the social relations men establish that their interests find expression and their desires become realized,”

(Blau, 1964, p.13) and people want to be engaged in those groups where they feel they will be rewarded there. Thus, if to align this theory with our case, in the phenomenon of mentoring, a newcomer, entering a new social group, wants to be accepted in a new environment with smooth transition and establish good relations with his or her new colleagues. Rewards in the process of social engagement for new entrants can be social approval, respect, status as a faculty member, practical help and support, and face-to-face daily discourse where teachers learn informally.

According to the Theory of social exchange, the linking mechanism in complex social structures acts norms and values existing in the society. For newcomers in the realm of academia, commonly accepted norms and values serve as mediators in social life and connecting bonds of social interactions. The new member complies with the norms of the group, that is, the norms of the department where he or she works. Collective values of various types can be understood as means of social regulation allowing to expand the range of interaction and structure of the relations within social space and time.

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3.1.2 Constructivism

In general, constructivism is a learning or meaning-making theory (Richardson, 2005) according to which teachers as learners create their own new understandings by constructing and reconstructing meaning of their experience, and they learn and develop, personally and professionally.

In the constructivist view “all knowledge, and therefore all meaningful reality as such, is contingent upon human practices, being constructed in and out of interaction between human beings and their world, and developed and transmitted within an essentiality social context” (Crotty, 1998, p.53). Throughout one’s lifetime every man constructs his own understanding of the world. Thereby, each person is unique with his own worldview and convictions.

Constructivism in education involves a process of self-knowledge of the problems. This is particularly important in the process of teaching since teaching is linked with solving different types of pedagogical puzzles. For a young academic it’s necessary to see these puzzles, examine them, compare with prior cases and find solutions. Constructive thinking and professional constructive skills constitute a managing regulator of relations between a teacher and students.

Mentoring relationships represent a process of knowledge exchange which is achieved through the development of relational trust. Since “all forms of knowledge are inevitably reinterpreted according to the postulates, ends, and sociocognitive experiences of the person who takes an interest in them”, (Larochelle, Bednarz, &

Garrison, 1998, p.4) mentorship fosters critical thinking and motivates teachers to enrich their experiences linked to prior knowledge.

From the constructivist perspective, learning is an active process (Bruner, 1999) and this happens in the social interaction (Matthews, 1998; Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of social constructivism promotes learning contexts in which collaboration is put in the center of the learning environment. Thus, building mentoring relationships, be it formal or informal, will shape a reciprocal learning environment for the involved parties where they benefit from these relationships and construct critical-reflective meaning-making exchange (Greyling & Du Toit, 2008).

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3.2 Knowledge framework of the research: An interpretivist approach