Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SPORT EDUCATION AND SOCIETY, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
The development of professional identity is a critical and complex process for preservice physical education (PE) teachers, particularly within structured mentoring frameworks. In Turkey, where formal mentorship practices have recently been institutionalized, understanding how mentor teachers influence this development is essential for enhancing teacher education. This qualitative case study aims to explore the role of mentor teachers in the professional identity development of pre-service physical education teachers during a 12-week teaching practicum. The study was conducted with 22 preservice teachers, and semistructured interviews, observations and reflective journals were used to collect in-depth data. As a result of the content analysis, the theme of 'the role of mentor teachers' was identified. Mentor teachers made significant contributions to preservice teachers' identity development by providing emotional support, role modeling and constructive feedback; this process increased preservice teachers' self-confidence and classroom competence. The findings revealed that mentoring relationships are critical to professional identity development and that a supportive mentoring environment is essential for developing resilient and confident teachers. This study contributes to the literature on improving mentoring practices in physical education teacher training programs by providing insights specific to the Turkish context.