Using the art of trompe l'oeil to research induction and mentoring

This paper reveals how the art device of trompe l oeil provided a way of thinking about the induction and mentoring experiences of seven beginning teachers in secondary school settings in the state of Victoria, Australia. The research study - a phenomenological, narrative inquiry - drew on Bourdieu s theorising of `misrecognition and `symbolic violence to analyse data collected from interviews and the participants diary entries (written narratives). Both the trompe l oeil art device and the theoretical lens illuminated the reframing of the participants initial understandings of mentor relationships to gain a different perspective on their early professional lives.