An investigation into the impact of reverse mentoring on teachers' perceptions in an EFL context

This study focuses on RM, a relatively new form of mentoring, which is supposed to contribute to the professional development of teachers. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the perceptions of more experienced mentees and less experienced mentors about RM in an EFL content. The study also deals with the concerns of the teachers during the RM process. The study was carried out with two pairs. The mentors had eight years' experience, and the mentees had 25 years' experience in both pairs. Unlike traditional mentoring, the less experienced teacher becomes the mentor, and the more experienced teacher becomes the mentee. The study is a case study conducted in English preparatory classes at Gaziantep University School of Foreign Languages, Turkey, and the data were collected through pre-study interviews, observation forms, mentoring conferences, written reflective accounts of teaching, and post-study interviews. The data have been collected through various tools and analyzed by the use of NVivo 12 Qualitative Analysis Software and content analysis techniques. Findings from the study revealed that the participant teachers had positive perceptions about the RM process before and after the study. Additionally, the more experienced mentees and the less experienced mentors provided different concerns as regards the teaching of English during the RM process. For the more experienced mentees, the RM process was seen to be a kind of renewal and learning process through which they also had the chance to compare both their teaching styles and perceptions with their less experienced mentors'. For the less experienced mentors, the study provided a chance to learn some techniques from their more experienced colleagues and to become role models for their more experienced colleagues. The study yielded valuable implications for both the participant teachers, policymakers, and the researcher. The findings also suggest that RM could be employed in schools as an in-service training tool to facilitate professional development among more experienced and less experienced teachers. Keywords: English as a Foreign Language (EFL), reverse mentoring, teachers' perceptions, in-service teacher training, professional development