Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Influence Of Adult Mentors On Fostering Prosocial Behaviors Among Teens, John H. Weaver Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addressed a critical public health concern stemming from the prevalence of antisocial behavior among U.S. teenagers. The study specifically tackled the lack of information regarding the components of an effective risk-reduction mentoring program for teens. The primary aim was to explore how young adult alums of a central Florida mentoring program articulated the influence of mentoring relationships that have shaped their attitudes and perceptions concerning prosocial behavior during adolescence. As a bounded qualitative case study, this research employed semistructured interviews with 11 young adult mentees from a mentoring program. Additionally, a focus group of five adult mentors who …

Connecting Youth To Public Lands Through The Social Change Model Of Leadership Development: The Yosemite Leadership Program, Amanda J. Dworak Rowland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the success and outcome of the Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) through its foundation in the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. There are research studies of collegiate programming and the Social Change Model (SCM); however, a literature review uncovered the limited amounts of research around leadership programming connecting collegiate students to their gateway public lands sites. The goal of this research was to identify how the SCM could be used to implement methods and practices of leadership development with college students in partnership with a public lands agency. The specific leadership development themes that were explored …

Novice Teachers Perceptions Of Prior Mentoring Experiences, Gloria Freels Mcelroy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More than 50% of novice educators leave the profession in the first 5 years of service. Novice educators were defined as educators with 5 or fewer years of teaching experience. The State of Tennessee has estimated the cost for that decision to around $28,000.00 per teacher for each local educational authority. Many researchers believe mentoring increases novice satisfaction in the classroom. Even though many enter the field of education, Freedman and Appleman (2009) found that teachers leave the profession in rates higher than other professions. Ingersoll and Merrill (2010) showed the annual turnover rate for teachers was higher than for …

A Study To Explore The Strategy Of Field-Based Teacher Preparation: Professional Development Schools., Connie Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to determine if there are any differences in performance measures of student teachers with varying levels of participation in professional development schools. The population in my study was the 2002 through the spring of 2006 kindergarten through 6th-grade student teachers from a small, private postsecondary institution. A requirement of the teacher education program was to complete sequential, field-based experiences in kindergarten through 6th-grade schools culminating in student teaching. My study included kindergarten through 6thgrade student teachers who had experienced a number of semesters in a Professional Development School (PDS) classified into 4 levels: (a) …

An Evaluation Of Novice Teachers' Perceptions Of The Mentoring Experience In Knox County Schools., Lakisha L. Waters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention is a growing problem in the 21^st century. Many veterans teachers are reaching retirement age and there are increasing numbers of new teachers entering school systems.

School administrators across the state of Tennessee realize that there is a significant number of beginning teachers who are leaving the teaching profession within the first 3 to 5 years of their teaching careers. Beginning teachers are being surveyed to determine why many leave the profession. After gathering input from beginning teachers across Tennessee, school officials began to develop teacher mentoring programs designed to retain beginning teachers.

The purpose of this …

A Study Of Current And Former Women In Faculty And Administrative Leadership Positions At East Tennessee State University., George Naholi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study was designed to determine the perceptions about female leadership among female faculty and administrators at East Tennessee State University. Participants were asked about the motivating and prohibiting factors (barriers) that affected their leadership capabilities at the institution. They cited motivating factors that led them to optimal performance. These included family support, mentoring practices, affirmative action, collegial working atmosphere, support from the top leadership, and encouragement from their colleagues. The dissertation was also to investigate how female leaders perceived their leadership roles and the factors that enhanced female leadership and the barriers that hindered female leadership at …

Mentoring At-Risk Youth: A Case Study Of An Intervention For Academic Achievement With Middle School Aged Students., Kellie Carter Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students without caring, positive role models often make poor decisions. School personnel are aware of the need to help these students be productive members of society; therefore, they examine strategies and reforms to reach them. A mentoring program is one such intervention that is gaining in popularity.

This research study examined a mentoring program entitled the LISTEN (Linking Individual Students To Educational Needs) Mentoring Program that I developed in 2003. For the purposes of this research, the mentoring program was developed and implemented in one middle school in Northeast Tennessee. The goal of the LISTEN mentoring program was to identify …

An Evaluation Of Perceptions Of A Mentoring Program Of Beginning Teachers In A Rural East Tennessee Secondary School., Mike Frazier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers, especially beginning teachers, continue a trend of leaving the profession at alarming rates within the first 5 years resulting in excessive costs to school systems and diminished instructional quality. Some programs, however, have shown impressive results. The purpose of this qualitative study, using an emerging interview process, was to examine the perceptions of beginning teachers in their 1st or 2nd year and those of veteran 3- to 5-year teachers regarding the effectiveness of mentoring and other guidance they received as beginning teachers in a secondary school and to understand their vision of how mentoring should be structured for beginning …

The Influence Om Mentoring On Goal Attainment And Role Satisfaction For Registered Nurses In Acute Care., Christine Benz Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been suggested as a means to assist with role transition, career planning, and retention in the profession by providing opportunities for personal and professional growth lead to satisfaction. Satisfaction is especially crucial for the retention of Registered Nurses in a time when the profession has been experiencing a critical shortage. This quantitative study examined the influence of mentoring for RNs who have been employed in acute care facilities for the first time for less than 2 years. Using Bouquillon's mentoring instrument and based in the frameworks of King and Kram, the study suggests mentoring is occurring among new …