Introduction
Mentoring plays an important role in shaping the professional growth and identity development of pre-service teachers within the Indian teacher education system. With the increasing emphasis on reflective practice, school internship, and competency-based preparation under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, mentoring during practicum has gained renewed significance. Learning to teach in diverse Indian classrooms characterized by linguistic plurality, socio-cultural diversity, and varied institutional resources is cognitively demanding, socially dynamic, and emotionally intensive. This study explores mentoring practices enacted by pre-service teachers within this context, conceptualizing them as multidimensional processes involving cognitive, social, and emotional engagement.

Method
The study adopted a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with pre-service teachers enrolled in teacher education programs in India. Participants reflected on their mentoring experiences during school internships, particularly peer support, lesson-planning discussions, classroom management challenges, and theory–practice integration. Data were analyzed using a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic approach organized around cognitive, social, and emotional dimensions of mentoring practice.

Results
Findings reveal that pre-service teachers engaged in mentoring practices such as collaborative lesson planning, question-driven reflective dialogue, contextual adaptation of pedagogical theories, and joint problem-solving related to classroom diversity and resource constraints. Socially, mentoring fostered peer collaboration and professional solidarity during the internship. Emotionally, empathetic conversations, reassurance, and confidence-building were crucial in managing anxiety associated with classroom performance and evaluation.

Conclusions
The study highlights mentoring practices of pre-service teachers in India as collaborative and context-sensitive processes that support reflective thinking, pedagogical competence, and professional identity formation. Institutionalizing structured peer mentoring within B.Ed. and integrated teacher education programs can strengthen practicum experiences and enhance teacher preparedness in diverse Indian school settings.