The goal of mentoring teachers is to meet four areas of need: a) emotional, b) physical, c) instructional, and d) institutional (Lipton & Wellman, 2005). The purpose of this study was to analyze the formalized mentoring process from the perspectives of the physical education protg. This study addressed four research questions: a) did the mentoring process support the protg, b) did the mentor reflect practices taught in the protgs teacher education program, c) what were the protgs perspectives on the mentoring relationship, and d) what were the protgs perspectives on the psychosocial and career support provided by the mentor? Participants were physical educators who completed a formalized mentoring program. A four-part process identified participants: a) national organizations were contacted, b) state associations were contacted, c) direct contact with school districts and/or schools, and d) flyers were handed out at state physical education conferences. The total number of respondents was 586; however, only 394 respondents, from 12 states, met the criteria for participation. Participants answered an on-line Mentoring Function Survey (MFS), which examined two mentoring sub-functions, career and psychosocial support. An Analysis of Variance was used to analyze the MFS, and was significant for seven of the eight MFS factors. Furthermore, results indicated that protgs perceived their mentors as helpful in both career and psychosocial support r=.839 p<.01, with a Cronbachs Alpha of .93% and .89% respectively. Physical education protgs insights on their mentoring experience indicated mentors successfully met their career and psychosocial needs. Furthermore, protgs reported that over 70% of their mentors provided supportive communication skills, such as listening skills, interpersonal dialog, and pedagogical support. Protgs indicated that mentors did reflect what they learned in their teacher education program, even though the majority of mentors were not physical educators.
