Abstract

Induction and mentoring of novice teachers has gained considerable worldwide attention. In the Saudi context, however, there is limited literature. The present study investigated EFL female mentees' perceptions towards the mentoring program and the challenges they experienced. Mentoring as an area of educational research has been recognized by researchers (such as Wendell, 2003; Delaney, 2012; Nguyen, 2013) who propose that mentoring can provide sufficient support for new teachers and generally improve the overall effectiveness of the teaching/learning process. Thus, the purpose of the study is to identify mentees' points of view about the mentoring program, the challenges they face and the recommendations they propose. More specifically, this investigation was carried out in an attempt to promote both professional and teacher development at the English Language Institute in order to meet international standards of quality teaching. A case study was adopted; 8 mentees were specifically selected. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire based on two parts and semi-structured interviews. The first part of the questionnaire consists of 5-point likert scale items and the second part includes open–ended questions. Data analysis was presented in terms of frequency and percentages, and 8 semi-structured interviews were analysed manually. The research presents preliminary suggestions for making the program more effective for future groups of novice teachers as well as raised awareness of important issues to consider for future studies.