Peer mentoring for high school principals in Hoa Binh, Vietnam

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education to the Faculty of Education, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

This study examines the introduction and conduct of an innovative peer group mentoring program in 2011 for high school principals in Hoa Binh province, North Vietnam. It was introduced in the context of dissatisfaction with current top down, centralised professional development programs unsuited to local needs. It was possible because of an opportunity to co-operate with the Hoa Binh Department of Education and Training (DoET) to innovate in the area of professional development for school leaders. The participants were a group of high school principals and some staff working in Hoa Binh DoET. Their perceptions were collected and analysed using multiple data collection instruments including observation, questionnaires, interviews, records of activities, report sheets and group evaluations. These perceptions were largely positive. The participants enumerated the advantages of group peer mentoring over other available approaches to professional development. My analysis of perceptions and behaviours during the program suggests several factors important for success in this program. These included: choosing the right mentors and mentees, having the right match between mentors and mentees, choosing the right materials, training the participants in preparation for the program, adapting teaching styles to adult learning principles and establishing strategies for monitoring and responding to participants’ changing needs and behaviours. The implications from this innovation suggest that peer mentoring might be a viable addition to current centralized training in Vietnam for school leaders and possibly teachers. It is not a substitute for centralised training as currently conceived, because its focus on local relevance, learner centeredness and andragogy restrict control of content and outcomes. Its strength lies in its use of available sources of local people and materials and its relevance to school-based problem solving. It can help local DoET and school leaders learn leadership theory more effectively through work-based practice, and build networks of school and community leaders for educational improvement.