Genealogy, Paradoxes, and Potential of Trainee Tutors in Initial Secondary School Teacher Training

Abstract

The paper proposes a theoretical-comparative conceptualization of the role of the welcoming tutor in the initial training of secondary school teachers, assuming it as a critical and strategic issue in the Italian enabling pathways introduced by the Prime Ministerial Decree of 4 August 2023. Through a systematic analysis of the French (INSPE), Finnish (Training Schools), and Ontarian (AQ Mentoring) models, the study highlights the institutional tools that have resolved recurring tensions between training support and evaluation, between experiential and academic knowledge, and between professional responsibility and contractual recognition. An epistemological reading of the mediator tutor in the third training space is therefore developed, with the aim of rethinking the Italian model, through the integration of contributions from international teacher education. The comparison highlights that the professionalization of mentoring requires certified training, separation of functions, reduction of teaching load, and stable governance between universities and schools so that teaching training can be oriented towards quality and equity.