Mentoring and professional collaboration are widely recognised as essential components of teacher induction, particularly for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) who lack classroom experience or are new to a school system (Ganser et al., 1998; Sundli, 2007). The first year of teaching is often described as the most demanding stage of a teacher’s career, as NQTs commonly encounter challenges in lesson planning, classroom management, differentiation, and assessment (Kadyrova, 2017). When such challenges are not addressed through structured professional support, early-career teachers may experience stress, psychological strain, and emotional exhaustion, which can contribute to reduced self-efficacy and even teacher attrition (Sanders, 2005).

In Kazakhstan, mentoring programmes are formally implemented across public schools, and newly appointed or newly hired teachers are typically assigned an experienced mentor through administrative procedures (Koroleva, 2017). Mentors are expected to support NQTs’ adaptation, methodological development, and professional growth. However, mentoring is not always implemented systematically or consistently across school contexts. In some cases, mentoring remains largely a formal requirement rather than a sustained learning partnership, which may limit its effectiveness as a mechanism for professional development (Levterova, 2017). This gap highlights the need to conceptualise mentoring not only as practical guidance but as a structured developmental process that empowers NQTs to learn through inquiry and reflection.

A structured school-based mentoring model can support NQTs by providing purposeful professional dialogue, regular observation and feedback, and collaborative planning opportunities. Research suggests that mentoring contributes most effectively to induction outcomes when it is embedded within a supportive school culture and implemented through clear structures that promote collaboration and mutual learning (Shanks, 2005). Importantly, mentoring is not only a national priority in Kazakhstan but also part of broader international educational trends aimed at strengthening teacher retention, professional learning, and instructional quality. European approaches increasingly promote “educative mentoring,” where mentoring is grounded in reflective practice, professional dialogue, and early-career teachers’ personal and professional development (Da Rocha, 2014).

Against this background, the present study addresses two research questions: 1)How can a school-based mentoring system improve NQTs’ practitioner research skills? 2)How can creating a mentoring environment enhance the professional development of newly qualified secondary school teachers? The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a school-based mentoring system and developing a supportive mentoring environment in enhancing the teaching practice of newly qualified secondary school teachers. More specifically, the study investigates whether these mentoring approaches can significantly strengthen NQTs’ practitioner research skills and thereby contribute to their sustained professional development.

Within this framework, mentoring can serve as a foundation for developing NQTs’ practitioner research competence, including identifying classroom problems, collecting evidence from practice, engaging in systematic reflection, and applying findings to improve teaching. The theoretical framing of this study draws on scaffolding, which conceptualises mentoring as structured support enabling novice teachers to accomplish professional tasks beyond their independent capacity, and andragogy, which emphasises that adult learning is self-directed, experience-based, and problem-oriented.

Overall, mentoring is positioned as a key mechanism for strengthening NQTs’ inquiry-oriented professionalism, resilience, and long-term commitment to the teaching profession.

This study was conducted as a mixed-methods Action Research (AR) project aimed at supporting Newly Qualified Teachers’ (NQTs) professional development through the implementation of a school-based mentoring system and the creation of a supportive mentoring environment. The participants were 11 newly qualified secondary school teachers (4 females and 7 males) working in a school in Southern Kazakhstan. At the initial diagnostic stage, NQTs completed a short questionnaire to identify general challenges and mentoring needs. As the survey data provided only limited depth, the qualitative strand became central to the research process. A focus group interview (4–6 NQTs) was conducted to identify shared concerns; however, some teachers were hesitant to discuss individual difficulties in a group setting. Therefore, the main data collection tool involved individual semi-structured interviews, which allowed participants to describe their experiences in greater detail and reflect on challenges such as lesson planning, assessment practices, classroom management, time constraints, and professional confidence. Interview findings directly informed the intervention stage. Each NQT received targeted support through individual mentoring provided by experienced teachers. Mentoring sessions included professional dialogue, collaborative planning, and reflective discussion of classroom practice. To document changes in teaching practice and link mentoring to the development of practitioner research skills, lesson observations were conducted using structured lesson observation forms. Additional evidence sources included lesson plans, mentoring records, and teachers’ reflective notes. Data analysis followed the AR cycle (“identify–act–reflect”). Qualitative data (interviews, lesson observations, and documents) were analysed thematically, while quantitative questionnaire results were used to identify patterns and support triangulation. The integration of these data sources strengthened the trustworthiness of the findings and enabled an evidence-based evaluation of mentoring effectiveness.

In conclusion, this study successfully examined the effectiveness of a school-based mentoring system in developing Newly Qualified Teachers’ (NQTs) practitioner research skills and in establishing a supportive mentoring environment that enhances their professional development. Drawing on European practitioner research experience, the study highlighted the importance of strengthening research competencies and fostering a mentoring culture as key elements in the professional growth of NQTs. The organisation of targeted training sessions—based on interviews with NQTs, lesson observations, and the analysis of survey findings—proved effective in providing timely, needs-based support. As a result, NQTs refined their teaching practices, engaged more actively in practitioner research, and advanced their professional competencies. Findings from lesson observations conducted before and after mentoring, supported by qualitative data, demonstrated notable improvement in NQTs’ ability to design structured lesson plans, apply active teaching methods, and systematically investigate their own classroom practices. Furthermore, the establishment of a mentoring environment positively influenced NQTs’ rapid adaptation to the school context and supported their ongoing professional development. The mentoring process—centred on problem identification, structured support, practitioner research, and reflection—contributed to the development of a coherent and standardised mentoring model. Overall, the study aligns with the growing global trend, particularly within European educational institutions, of strengthening mentoring systems for NQTs. Therefore, the findings offer valuable development strategies for educators and school leaders seeking innovative approaches to improve mentoring practices and enhance NQTs’ practitioner research skills through effective school-based mentoring.

Da Rocha, K. (2014). Europe’s got talent: Setting the stage for new teachers by educative mentoring. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 4(4), 99–121. Ganser, T., Bainer, D. L., Bendixen-Noe, M., Brock, B. L., Stinson, A. D., Giebelhaus, C., & Runyon, C. K. (1998, October 15). Critical issues in mentoring and mentoring programs for beginning teachers (ERIC Document No. ED425146). ERIC. Kadyrova, S. (2017). The role of the mentor in the first year of teaching. NUGSE Research in Education, 2(1), 27–35. Retrieved from https://nugserie.nu.edu.kz Koroleva, Y. (2017). The role of mentoring in teacher professional development (Master’s thesis). Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education. Levterova, D. (2017). Mentoring as a factor to maintain young teachers in the educational system. Knowledge International Journal, 20(2), 1093–1098. Sanders, M. (2005). Effective mentoring of student teachers: A further contribution. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v2i2.453 Shanks, R. (2005). A comparative study of mentoring for new teachers. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 2(2), 129–135. Sundli, L. (2007). Mentoring—A new mantra for education? Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(2), 201–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.04.016