Sustainable Teacher Development Through Mentoring in A Teaching English to Young Learners Course: A Qualitative Study of Cognition, Identity, and Communities of Practice

Mentoring is widely recognized as a key component of initial teacher education; however, its role in fostering sustainable professional development remains underexplored in Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) contexts. Grounded in teacher cognition, communities of practice, and teacher identity frameworks, this qualitative case study examines how mentoring contributes to sustainable teacher development in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. The study was conducted within a semester-long TEYL course at a foundation university in Türkiye and involved 48 third-year pre-service English teachers. Data were collected over 12 weeks through classroom observations, reflective journals, and semi-structured focus group interviews, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings reveal three interrelated dimensions of development: (1) cognitive transformation toward learner-centered pedagogical beliefs, (2) increased participation within a community of practice, and (3) the development of professional identity characterized by enhanced agency and self-efficacy. The study conceptualizes mentoring as a multidimensional process that integrates cognitive, social, and identity-related development. It contributes to the literature by offering an integrated framework for sustainable teacher education and provides implications for designing mentoring models that support long-term professional growth in ELT.