Education Commons^™

Teacher Retention: A Closer Look At Finding A Solution, Katie A. Adams

Education Theses and Dissertations

This is an improvement science dissertation in practice that spans over a two-year period that is designed to discover the impacts of teacher mentorship programs on teacher retention. The study occurred at an open enrollment public charter school that focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) by implementing project-based learning (PBL), problem-based learning (PrBL), and personalized learning. The evaluation study occurred within the first year of the study. Teachers that agreed to participate in the study were given qualitative and quantitative surveys to complete about the mentorship program in the current design. These surveys were used to understand the …

The Influence Of Mentorship On K-5 General Education Teachers: A Study Of Southeastern Schools In Virginia, Katherine Ryan Goldburg

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The current teacher shortage and the demand for high quality teachers presents a nationwide educational problem. Additionally, more than one-third of teachers leave the profession within the first five years of their careers (Callahan, 2015). The most vital and systemic change that is needed in our educational landscape is the attraction, retention, and professional development of quality teachers (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003). If school district administrators expect new teachers to succeed, they need to provide them with unprecedented levels of support. This qualitative research study examined new elementary education teachers' perceptions of the influence of their mentorship program and the …

Supporting New Teacher Development Through A Quality Beginning Teacher Mentor Program, David Kostopoulos

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to evaluate the perceptions of beginning teachers and mentors to improve the components and supports provided to mentees through Birch Lake School District (BLSD) induction and mentoring practices. Qualitative data was collected through transcripts of 5 separate focus group sessions that included 9 mentees and 7 mentors. Quantitative data was collected through a survey that included 10 mentees and 13 mentors. Study results indicated that impactful components revolved around seven key themes: program set-up, materials, collaborative session dates/locations, assignments, activities observational coaching, mentor/mentee meetings/interactions, content of the sessions. Study results indicated that …

A Case Study In The Use Of Mentorships In Academic Instructional Coach Development., Matt Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic instructional coaches have long been used to support teacher development and student learning. As a recent position in the education field, there is little information regarding the development of staff in this role. This study sought to better understand how academic instructional coaches are mentored and developed within challenging school contexts. The theoretical framework for this research is guided by the social constructivism epistemology. In alignment with this framework, a collective case study was utilized to better understand the relationship between the principal and the academic instructional coach. Exploring this relationship emphasized how principals support academic instructional coach growth. …

A Case Study Regarding Induction Supports And Activities And Their Impact On Successful Teacher Retention, Alicia Ponds

Doctorate in Education

At the end of every school year, new teachers either stay or leave public classrooms. Multiple challenges drive these new teacher choices. State, district, and local administrators struggle to fill teacher vacancies. New teacher departures challenge schools with the maintenance of an attractive work environment and provision of quality student education. This case study shares how five successful Minnesota educators apply extrinsic activities and intrinsic supports to not only meet these challenges, but effectively respond to the 2019-2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through research interviews, this qualitative study analyzes intrinsic supports and extrinsic activities in relation to positive teaching …

A Place To Grow: Examining Teachers’ Interactions In An Online Thirdspace, Morgan Belcher

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated teachers’ participation in an online learning space. Nine participants including seven practicing teachers and two student teachers engaged in an online learning group via a secret group on Facebook. During the four months of participation, teachers collaborated through questions posed to the group, articles, infographics, videos shared from outside educational sources, book recommendations, and examples of classroom scenarios. The purpose of this study was to understand how an online collaborative thirdspace could provide novice and experienced teachers space to explore their beliefs and practices outside of their immediate educational contexts. This study is grounded in a …

The Perceived ‘Classroom Readiness’ And Support Of Western Australian Primary Graduate Teachers, Samantha Jade Edwards

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Graduate teachers are expected to be ‘classroom ready’ upon graduation, yet research suggests they are not. The difficulties faced by graduate teachers in their first years of teaching often result in low self-efficacy and attrition, which in turn can affect the achievement of their students.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) have implemented a competency framework for both teachers and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, aimed at improving not only all teacher quality in Australia, but the quality of ITE, graduating teachers and the support structures provided to them. This research project …

A Study Of New Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Induction Programs, Anne Mcgeehan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Teaching is one of the few professions in which the novice is expected to perform the same responsibilities as their veteran counterparts from Day 1. Induction, the process of introducing a new teacher into the profession, can be categorized as a formal or informal process that encompasses all organizational aspects of the school district, both academic and socially. It is a time when new teachers are learning to teach and having to teach. This process can be a time of growth or a time of unease for new teachers, sometimes affecting their decisions to remain in the profession. The content …

Exploring Perceptions Of The Transition From Health Science Practitioner To Academic, Maryanne J. Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transitioning from a clinical practitioner to an educator in the health sciences is a difficult task for many professionals. Although, clinically, these individuals have achieved a level of expertise, they are not necessarily trained to teach in a classroom setting and may find it difficult to transition into their role as novice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine faculty members' preparedness during their transition to academia and their perceptions of the need for more support during the first 5 years of teaching. Vygotsky's and Dewey's theories of social constructivism and Knowles's assumptions of adult learning provided …

Mentee And Mentor Teacher Perspectives On The Effectiveness Of School-Based Mentorship In High-Poverty, Low-Performing Schools., Amanda Leigh Santos-Colon, Carlisha Smith Kent

College of Education & Human Development Capstone Projects

This capstone intends to seek a teacher’s perspective on the effectiveness of school-based mentorship in a high-poverty, low-performing school setting. The first study investigates the perspectives of new teachers, while the second study focuses on the perspectives of the mentor teachers. When new teachers complete the undergraduate program, they become certified teachers but have never actually had the opportunity to be alone in a classroom with up to thirty students. New teachers are often prepared to teach the curriculum but unprepared for the student behavior and classroom management. Furthermore, teachers may be assigned a mentor, but the mentor may lack …

Design, Implementation And Perceptions Of A Preservice Mentor Development Program, Jill R. Heiney-Smith

Education Dissertations

Teacher education programs support their mentor teachers through a variety of resources and professional development, but generally lack a dedicated curriculum for pre-service mentoring. This study was designed to learn what kinds of resources, tools, trainings, and experiences would better support mentor teachers in a teacher education (or pre-service) program. The study was grounded in social learning theories and empirical research on mentoring, as well as research on teacher induction and professional development. Mixed-methods data were collected in three sequential phases with a total sample of n = 199 mentor teachers. Results indicate that mentors have sophisticated expectations for their …

Evolving Identity: A Case Study Of Mentor Science Teachers, Melissa N. Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is a case study of how mentor science teachers understood and presented their experiences, challenges they faced, and learning of being and becoming a mentor teacher while they participated in a year-long district mentoring program. The purpose of this study is to examine what science teachers learn in their experiences as mentors and the role this learning played on their identities as professional educators. According to Bullough (1997), teacher identity is of vital concern to teacher education as it is the “basis of meaning making and decision making” (p. 21). Existing research on science teacher identity indicate that …

Cooperating Teachers' Experiences Mentoring Preservice Teachers, David H. Lewis

Special Education ETDs

Abstract

Recent literature was reviewed to locate articles with perspectives and attitudes of cooperating teachers who work with preservice teachers at school sites in coordination with institutions that have teacher preparation programs in general and/or special education. The results showed an emphasis in reporting the external aspects of being a cooperating teacher such as the daily activities, and little was reported about the internal aspects of being a cooperating teacher such as personal experience and rationale for working a preservice teacher into a classroom. This led to the research question “What do cooperating teachers report as their experiences while mentoring …

An Inventory Of Selected Mentor And Protégé Motivational And Effectiveness Characteristics At The United States Air Force Academy (Usafa), David Huston

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the mentoring culture at USAFA in terms of selected mentor and protégé motivational and effectiveness characteristics of faculty and administrative personnel (referred to as permanent party members) (mentors) and cadets (protégés). Results offer evidence which support the presence of a somewhat healthy culture in that those who indicated they were currently mentoring cadets were more generative, altruistic, and wanted to mentor cadets more compared to those who indicated they were not mentoring cadets. However, those who were currently mentoring cadets did not necessarily possess better emotional intelligence compared to non-mentors. Also, cadets …

Preparing Teachers In English Language Arts: Mentor Teachers Speak, Lindsay J. Jeffers

Dissertations

This narrative inquiry case study brings the voices of mentor teachers into the discourse of English language arts teacher preparation. In a series of interviews, mentor teachers discuss the challenges faced by student teachers, the pedagogical content knowledge needed to teach secondary ELA, and the relationship between secondary schools and universities.

The first theme explores the challenges that are faced by student teachers. Mentor teachers spoke about the difficulty of making the transition from student to secondary teacher and learning how to put theory into practice in their classrooms. They also considered the challenge of student teachers engaging diverse groups …

A Multiple Case Study Analysis Of Mentor-Mentee Perception Of The Effectiveness Of Self-Disclosure In The Field Experience, Khaled Ismail Alnajjar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the field experience, the mentors and preservice teachers share personal and professional experiences on a daily basis. This process of information sharing is seen critical to the mentoring relationship development and preservice teachers’ learning to teach. This qualitative study investigates the mentor-mentee perception of the effectiveness of self-disclosure in the field experience. Data was collected from two mentor teachers and three preservice teachers through three different phases and via triangulated sources: semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and focus group interview. Moreover, the findings were reported based on the three themes that are related to research questions: topics and purposes of …

A Comparison Of Professional Development Needs Of Beginning Teachers In West Virginia Schools, Carla A. Warren

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to share findings about the perceptions of beginning teachers and mentor teachers throughout West Virginia regarding the professional development topics and skills that are most critical to the success of new teachers. In addition, this study provides data regarding perceptions of goals that are most important in the design of professional development and the most beneficial professional development delivery models for beginning teachers. Responses are used to examine the perceptions of mentors and beginning teachers regarding the professional development needs of beginning teachers. The West Virginia Center for Professional Development provides staff development targeted …

Mentor Perspectives On Effective Mentoring For Beginning Elementary School Teachers, Betsy Holley Gross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The attrition of beginning teachers is an ongoing problem for public schools as it impacts campus moral, results in economic losses, and maintains the number of newly-hired teachers. Although induction programs for beginning teachers have been found effective in reducing novice teacher attrition, funding for many induction programs have been eliminated due to budget constraints, leaving local school systems with limited support of the mentors and no consistency as to expectations or outcomes. Compounding this problem is that little research has examined what is most successful and supportive for mentors to be able to function most effectively. Guided by Knowles' …

The Impact Of A New Teacher Support System On Teacher Efficacy, Tonja Denise Simpson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Retaining novice teachers is a major concern for school districts across the United States. At an urban high school in a Southeastern state, over 30% of novice teachers hired over a 3-year period did not return after their first year of teaching. The purpose of the study was to examine novice teachers' perceptions of support received during their first year to determine how school-based support could increase novice teacher retention. The theoretical framework was Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and the concept of teacher efficacy espoused by Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk-Hoy, and Hoy. The research questions focused on the perceptions of novice teachers …

Motivations For Volunteering In A Faith-Based Mentoring Program, Trudy Weatherspoon Willis-Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Adolescent males are being suspended or expelled at high rates. Faith-based organizations have developed programs to address these problems by using adult male volunteers to mentor high-risk youth; however, recruiting sufficient mentors is a problem because organizers lack an understanding of the factors that motivate men to volunteer. If this problem can be alleviated, then faith-based organizations will be better able to recruit volunteers to serve students. Guided by the functionalist theory, the purpose of this study was to determine what demographic characteristics and motivating factors discriminated between volunteers and non-volunteers. A causal comparative design was employed and the …

Perceptions Of Workplace Mentoring Behaviors For Lifelong Career Development, Lynne A. Key

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to investigate the importance of mentoring functions and behaviors for lifelong career development as perceived by protégés. The population included individuals in middle to late adulthood (age 40 years and older) who reported they had been a protégé in at least one mentoring association perceived as beneficial to their lifelong career development; and were either employed or had been employed as a middle manager, senior manager, C-level executive, business owner, or member of a profession. The sample was obtained using a chain-sample method; 67 Ambassadors completed an online survey and each invited 10 contacts to complete …

Internship Experiences For Aspiring Principals: Student Perceptions And Effectiveness., Ginger R. Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate East Tennessee State University graduate student perceptions on the effectiveness of internship experiences as students explored the implementation of ISLLC Standards and the role of mentor support as they prepared for the principalship. The participating university for this study is located in Johnson City, Tennessee. Participants obtained their administrative license from 2005-2010 and worked in one of 19 northeast Tennessee, North Carolina, and southwest Virginia school districts. Specifically, this research assessed the perceived value of the 540 hour internship experience, implementation of ISLLC Standards, and the perceived value of the site …

The Relationship Clinical Faculty Training Has To Student Teacher Self-Efficacy, Jennifer Leigh Maginnis

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A southeastern American university school of education has implemented a clinical faculty program to which interested K-12 teachers apply, and if accepted are trained how to mentor student teachers. At the time of this study there were not enough clinical faculty for every student teacher; therefore, some student teachers were placed with (untrained) cooperating teachers for their clinical experience. This study compared the experience student teachers had with cooperating teachers versus with clinical faculty to begin to determine if the implementation of the clinical faculty training has an effect on student teacher self-efficacy.

Peer-To-Peer Mentoring Programs In The School Setting For Grades 7-12, Jennifer Crawford

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This Capstone project will provide a complete literature review on peer-to-peer mentoring programs; summarize findings; review evidence-based research regarding existing mentoring programs; compare and contrast the review findings; address potential limitations, and make recommendations to the school administration of United South Central School District #2134, regarding design and implementation of a research-based peer-to-peer mentoring program.

Evaluating The Impact Of The Beginning Teacher Induction Program On The Retention Rate Of Beginning Teachers, Monica Lynn Shepherd

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to examine the Teacher Induction Program of a rural school system in North Carolina. The effects of mentor assignment, ongoing staff development, master teacher observation opportunities, structured reflection and self-assessment, and other support offered at the system level to beginning teachers on the retention rate of beginning teachers in the school system were analyzed.

The researcher determined 10 themes based on the objectives of the school system's Beginning Teacher Support Program: improving beginning teachers' skills and performance; supporting teacher morale; communications; collegiality; building a sense of professionalism and positive attitude; facilitating a smooth transition into the …

The Effectiveness Of Principal Training And Formal Principal Mentoring Programs., Robert B. Dodson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine principals' perceptions of how effective mentoring programs and university-based principal preparation programs are in developing the skills necessary to carry out the 13 critical success factors identified by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). A review of the literature addressed what it means to be an effective principal and what an effective mentoring program should look like.

The quantitative study was conducted using a survey developed from the SREB's 13 critical success factors that have been developed to determine what makes a successful, effective principal. Each factor was developed into a question …

Ideal And Actual Mentor Teacher Characteristics As Perceived By Second-Year And Non-Returning First-Year Public School North Carolina Teachers, Barbara D. Tipton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher examined non-returning first-year teachers and second year teachers who taught during the 1994-95 school year. The research design included five research questions with six null hypotheses testing for differences among second year teachers' perceptions and non-returning teachers' perceptions of their mentor teachers. After calculating ratings on desired and demonstrated scales by 464 subjects, criteria were ranked on mentor characteristics on 12 tasks. The extent to which each task was demonstrated during their first year's teaching experience was also calculated. Participants indicated that the ideal mentor would advocate for the novice and would demonstrate a sensitive approach in assisting. …