Head Teachers’ Perceptions about Mentoring Practices in Primary Schools - Study on CPD Framework

Oct 15, 2026

The study examines primary school head teachers’ perceptions of mentors’ practices and the reflections of teacher professional support teachers (TPSs) on mentoring under the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework. Conducted in Faisalabad, it used a mixed-methods design: 565 head teachers selected via layered random sampling for quantitative survey data, and interviews with 32 TPSs for qualitative insights. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were applied. Results indicate most mentoring practices were inadequate, with issues including mentors’ authoritative behavior, weak content knowledge, and training without needs assessment. Recommendations call for in-depth program review and immediate corrective actions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Role of District Teacher Educators (DTEs)

Mentoring as a Professional Growth Strategy

Formal and Informal Mentoring

Needs Assessment and Program Effectiveness

Head Teachers’ Perceptions about Mentoring Practices in Primary Schools Farrukh Munir *and Muhammad Amin** Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Head Teachers (HTs) of primary schools about the mentors’ practices and reflections of TPSs (TPSs) regarding mentoring practices of mentors under the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework. The study was conducted in the district of Faisalabad, the most populated city and industrial hub of the country. Researchers used the mixed-methods approach to meet the purpose of the study. A sample of 565 HTs (281 male and 284 female) was drawn out of the total 2128 HTs using the random sampling technique in layers. A structured questionnaire was administered personally to get quantitative data. To explore the reflections of the TPSs about mentoring practices, qualitative data were generated through semi-structured interviews with 32 TPSs (16 male and 16 female) selected purposively. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The findings of the study revealed that most of the mentoring practices of the mentors were not up to the mark and needs improvement. The mentors’authoritative behavior, weak content knowledge, and training without need assessment were explored as the key negative aspects of mentoring. Furthermore, improvement in teachers’regularity, students’ enrollment, and use of AV aids were the positive aspects of mentoring. It is recommended that the teachers’ mentoring program should be reviewed in-depth and immediate corrective measures should be taken to address the issues explored in the study. Keywords: Mentors’ practices, continuous professional cevelopment, teachers of primary schools * PhD Scholar, University of Education, Lahore. Email: [farrukhier@yahoo.com](farrukhier@yahoo.com) ** Assistant Professor, University of Education, Lahore Introduction Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in education is a well-planned, incessant, and long-lasting program of improving the professional and personal skills of teachers (Munir & Amin, 2018; Saeed & Akhtar, 2017) . Participation in the CPD program enables teachers to increase their professional competence, teaching skills, technicalknowledge, and classroom practices (Sasmal&Pande, 2018) . It also helps teachers to improve the teaching and learning environment in the schools (Padwad & Dixit, 2011; Shehzad, 2014) . These days’ teachers’CPD is getting much attention from educational authorities, policymakers, and researchers across the world (DSD, 2015; Saeed & Akhtar, 2017) . In Pakistan, unfortunately, teachers professional development had been remained a neglected subject for years due to which quality of education suffered badly. Later in 2006, a comprehensive CPD framework has been developed and launched by the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD), Lahore in Punjab to enhance the professional competence of school teachers (DSD, 2015; Munir & Amin, 2018; Saeed & Akhtar, 2017; Shehzad, 2014) . District teacher educators (DTEs) are the key characters of the CPD framework who are assigned major duties of assessing the professional needs of teachers at the school level and providing on-spot technical support and guidance to individual teachers mainly through mentoring (Shehzad, 2014) . They act as coordinator, mentor, and guide to TPSs to enhance their professional capabilities by modernizing their pedagogical skills and teaching techniques (Akhlaq, Iqbal & Jumani, 2015; DSD, 2015; 2010; 2007a; Shehzad, 2014) . The DTEs (Mentors) are selected from the in-service teachers based on their academic qualifications and teaching skills. After their selection, the mentors are called for training at DSD, Lahore, and then deputed to work at the assigned cluster training and support center (CTSCs) (DSD, 2010; Shehzad, 2014) . Mentoring is the main strategy adopted for teachers’ development unde

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose?

To examine head teachers’ perceptions of mentors’ practices and TPS reflections regarding mentoring practices under the CPD framework.

How was the study designed and what data were collected?

It used a mixed-methods approach, collecting quantitative data from 565 head teachers via a structured questionnaire and qualitative data from 32 TPSs through semi-structured interviews.

What negative aspects of mentoring were identified?

The study highlights mentors’ authoritative behavior, weak content knowledge, and training conducted without needs assessment as key negative aspects.

Oct 15, 2026

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