The Context and the Need to Develop Competencies of Mentor Teachers Enhancing Mathematics Learning in the 21st Century

Abstract

           This research aimed to (1) study the context of mathematics learning and the supervision of mentor teachers, and (2) the need to develop competencies regarding learning and supervision that enhance mathematics learning in the 21st century of mentor teachers, which consist of three aspects including knowledge, skills, and attitude. The sample group used in the study consisted of 214 mentor teachers who mentored training teachers from the Rajabhat universities of upper northern Thailand.  The tools used in the research study consisted of (1) a rating scale questionnaire with 56 items and 5 rating levels in which the content validity index of the questionnaire was from 0.80 to 1.00, and its reliability index was 0.89, and (2) a structured interview form with 9 items and its content validity index was from 0.67 to 1.00. Statistics used in the data analysis were means and standard deviation. The research results revealed that (1) the context of learning management, knowledge, and attitude of the mentor teachers are at a high level, the aspect of skill is at a moderate level, and the context of the supervision of the three competencies is at a high level. Considering each item, the aspects that have high scores were, the understanding of different cultures and paradigms, the knowledge of using cooperation for professional community, and the ability to act as learning facilitators, respectively, and (2) the need to develop the competencies of learning management and the supervision of knowledge, skills, and attitude are at a high level. Considering each item, the aspects that have high scores were, the need to create and produce modern instructional media, the application of technologies for mathematics learning, the development of creative thinking skill, and mathematical problem solving skill, respectively.