A Descriptive Study of Mentor-Protégé Relationships, Mentors' Emotional Empathic Tendency, and Protégés' Teacher Self-efficacy Belief

This study investigated sample associations between mentors' emotional empathic tendency, protégés' perception of the mentoring relationship, and protégés' teacher self-efficacy belief. Questionnaires were administered to 26 mentor-protégé pairs who had been together for three semesters in a preservice teacher program. Scores were paired, Pearson Product Moment correlations were calculated, and responses on the open-ended questionnaire were analyzed to provide descriptive data on factors that influenced protégés' self-efficacy belief. Findings indicated some sample evidence that linear relationships existed between mentors' level of emotional empathy, the protégés' perception of the mentor-protégé relationship, and the protégés' teacher self-efficacy belief. The mentors had a relatively high level of emotional empathic tendency, the protégés rated their mentor-protégé relationships highly, and the protégés had a high level of teacher self-efficacy belief. Both felt that long-term placement had provided the opportunity for development of the relationship, which they believed contributed to the protégés' teaching confidence and competence.