| Teacher’ professional identity plays an irreplaceable role in the sustainable development of teachers.And the teaching practicum is one of the primary ways that pre-service EFL teachers build teacher professional identity.A teacher’s professional identity is a way for a teacher to position themselves,a combination of self-identity and professional identity.It is dynamic and shaped by many factors.In the field of education research,most of the domestic scholars have studied the professional identity of in-service teachers,especially the professional identity of English teachers,while relatively few have studied the professional identity of pre-service English teachers,and even fewer have studied the professional identity of pre-service EFL teachers from the perspective of mentoring relationship during teaching practice.Therefore,it is innovative and valuable to investigate the impact of mentorship on the professional identity of pre-service English teachers during teaching practicum.This study is based on the framework of successful mentorship’s influence proposed by Noe.Noe believes that mentorship includes two dimensions,namely,the career-related functions scale and the psycho-social functions scale.The career-related functions scale refers to sponsorship,exposure & visibility,coaching,protection,and challenging assignments,while the psycho-social functions scale refers to counseling,role models,friendship,acceptance & confirmation.These two dimensions are key influences on the success of the mentoring relationship.Therefore,this study will draw on Noe’s theory of two dimensions of the relationship between school-based mentors and pre-service EFL teachers and combine with the theory of teachers’ professional identity proposed by Wei Shuhua to analyze the impact of school-based mentors on pre-service English teachers’ professional identity during the period of teaching practicum.In order to reach an ideal study conclusion,this study changed the questionnaire developed by Noe(1988)to evaluate the degree of career-related and psycho-social instruction provided by mentor for protégé,and the questionnaire adapted by Liu Ang(2019)of Central China Normal University based on Wei Shuhua’s primary and secondary school teachers’ professional identity questionnaire.This study also combined with interviews,aimed at exploring the influence of the mentoring relationship between school-based mentor and pre-service EFL teachers on pre-service EFL teachers’ professional identity during the teaching practicum.The mentoring relationship includes two parts,which is CRFS and PFS.This study aims to address the following two issues:(1)How about the overall situation of each dimension of the relationship between the school-based mentor and pre-service EFL teachers during teaching practicum?(2)What is the influence of mentorship on pre-service EFL teachers’ professional identity?The study included 30 three-year full-time masters in English education from two schools in Hubei Province as study participants.The study combined qualitative and quantitative research.The study data were collected by questionnaires and interviews.Quantitative data were analyzed by SPSS 26.0.Through the analysis and investigation of the study data,it was found that:(1)On the whole,pre-service EFL teacher and school-based mentor had a harmonious relationship in teaching practicum.The school-based mentor’s guidance in career-related function scale is in a good condition.Comparatively speaking,coaching,sponsorship and challenging assignments are better than protection and exposure & visibility.The SBM’s guidance in psycho-social function scale is in a good condition.Comparatively speaking,role model is better than counseling,acceptance & confirmation and friendship.(2)During the teaching practicum,school-based mentor’s professional and psycho-social instruction and have a greater impact on pre-service EFL teachers’ professional identity.Specifically,the percentage of professional values and professional belonging is relatively high,but the percentage of role values and professional behavioral inclinations is relatively low,in terms of the four dimensions of cognition,emotion,and behavior.Specific reasons can be found in the interview.Due to the positive impact of school-based mentor’s instruction to the construction of pre-service EFL teachers’ professional identity in teaching practicum,this study finally provides some suggestions for pre-service EFL teachers on how to actively construct professional identity during the teaching practicum period by using the positive emotion.“The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions” theory in positive psychology.Before the pre-service EFL teachers take part in teaching practicum,they can consciously use positive emotions to read relevant literature in advance,and consult their senior schoolmates to understand what dimensions the guidance of school-based mentor will include,which reduces the anxiety of pre-service EFL teachers before the teaching practicum.When pre-service EFL teachers participate in teaching practicum,they can use their positive emotions to confront their pressures and change their shortcomings in teaching.They also can use positive emotions actively to communicate with school-based mentors to improve their professional abilities.After the pre-service EFL teachers have participated in the teaching practicum,they can use positive emotions to reflect on their shortcomings in teaching,teaching and research activities,and classroom management,which they can continue to learn and make progress in their future work. |
