The occurrence and influence of multi-intergenerational learning among teachers: A qualitative study of two mentor-mentee pairs

Against the backdrop of China's sociohistorical and cultural transformation, this qualitative study explored the dynamics of multi-intergenerational learning among teachers across three generations. Drawing on interview and textual data from two mentor-mentee pairs, the study employed thematic analysis to identify three learning pathways: teaching-oriented, ethics-oriented, and auxiliary-oriented. Such intergenerational exchanges shaped teachers' development in three key paths: (a) fostering instructional leadership capabilities, (b) shaping and refining professional identity, and (c) strengthening capacities to navigate external relational environments. Rooted in pragmatic rationalism, the study demonstrated that multi-intergenerational learning functions as a historically transmitted yet dynamically evolving mechanism.​ These insights contributed to enriching the theoretical knowledge system of intergenerational learning, while offering comparative value for societies with both analogous and divergent historical-cultural traditions to China.