Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/56819

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/J.HighEdu.20.15

In 2006, Japanese universities introduced a tenure-track system in which assistant professors were expected to focus on research in a more independent research environment. In the tenure track in Japan, pre-tenured professors are assigned a “mentor” who is supposed to assist them in the process of becoming a tenured professor. To construct an effective mentoring program for future faculty members, it is necessary to understand the current mentoring practices and perceptions of senior as well as junior professors about mentoring university professors in Japan. As yet, we know little about these practices and faculty perceptions. This study reports the results of two faculty surveys that examined mentoring practices at Okayama University and perceptions of tenure-track professors and their mentors about mentoring. The results indicated that mentoring in tenure tracks generally focused on enhancing assistant professors’ research accomplishments, although the nature and the extent of the mentor’s involvement in the research project varied and both parties were unsure whether the mentoring relationship achieved its purpose. Lack of understanding of the concept of mentoring and the mentee’s developmental stage as a researcher seemed to contribute to the differences.