The process of using mentoring in the professional development of school principals

The aim of this study was to identify the process of using mentoring in the professional development of school principals in Mashhad. The research method was phenomenological and the research data were collected by studying the lived experience of school principals by using semi-structured interview with 22 principals. Key informants in this study included those managers who were familiar with the subject of mentoring and could provide valuable information to researchers. Sampling in this study was purposeful and the criterion for selecting the number of interviews was theoretical saturation.  To analyze the data, coding method was used in two stages: open and axial coding. The results show that the importance of using mentoring in the process of professional development of school principals is divided into two categories: organizational needs and individual needs. Methods of using mentoring in the professional development of principals were identified, including: traditional mentoring, electronic mentoring, group mentoring, peer mentoring, and reverse mentoring. Consequences and results of using mentoring in the professional development of school principals are: Improving knowledge (including self knowledge, reducing trial and error, and recognizing and regulating), Improving attitudes (including community resilience, increase self-confidence, increase flexibility, increase motivation and reduce stress), and skills development (including how to give feedback, creativity, how to communicate with stakeholders, improve decision-making skills, and financial management).