The Influence of Mentor, Trainee-Teacher Relationships on the Efficacy of the Trainee-Teacher in Rural Schools: A Case of Bubi District

The atmosphere that a trainee-teacher experiences in the school has a great impact on the professional development of a teacher. Several studies have focused on various aspects of school atmosphere that affect the teacher. This study focuses on one area that has received relatively low research attention especially in rural areas, the relationship between mentors and trainee- teachers and their influence on the efficacy on the later in their teaching profession. A case study of Bubi district in Matabeleland North province was used in this study. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with both trainee-teachers and mentors. The study sample was purposively selected to capture both young and old mentors and trainee-teachers from four different secondary schools in the district. The general results show that there are good relationships between mentors and trainee-teachers, which result in increased performance by the trainee-teachers in rural areas. The synthesis of the findings stresses the importance of a systematic, long-term and research-informed mentoring education that equips the mentors for their tasks.