Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Mentoring Practices On New Faculty And Staff, Paige Lloyd

Education Theses and Dissertations

Annually, schools nationwide welcome new educators to their facilities that bring with them a vast array of experiences. Onboarding tools such as mentoring or induction programs are often a customary practice, utilized to provide new educators with skills to assist them in the classroom as well as acclimate them to their new organization. Mentoring is often synonymous with induction programs and associated with the pairing of an experienced educator with a novice to the field or location that can offer support from instructional and classroom strategies to campus policies. With recent shifts in education and an ever-present national teacher crisis …

Mentor Teacher Positioning During Pedagogical Documentation With Early Childhood Preservice Teachers, Melissa Renee Westfall

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher education research shows that partnerships among mentor teachers and preservice teachers facilitate meaningful professional development when both are afforded the opportunity to assume dynamic positions of teacher and learner. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive case study was to explore mentor positioning and pedagogical documentation at a university-based early childhood center with five mentor teachers (MTs) and five undergraduate preservice teachers (PTs). It explored the efficacy of pedagogical documentation review as a tool to facilitate moments of reciprocal mentoring. Through the framework of cultural-historical activity theory and subject positioning theory, I investigated how mentors positioned themselves during pedagogical documentation …

New Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Experience In A New Teacher Induction Program In A School District In Tennessee, Ashley Miller

Ed.D. Dissertations

New teachers felt unprepared as they entered their first year of teaching and were leaving the teaching field at a high rate every school year. Tennessee, like many other states, had a critical shortage of secondary mathematics teachers. Secondary mathematics has been considered a high-needs subject area. New teacher induction programs were developed to help support new teachers and aid in their retention; however, the state of Tennessee did not have a requirement for mentoring or induction support for new teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore new secondary mathematics teachers’ perceptions of their experiences in …

Evaluation Of Personalized Learning, Jorly Thomas

Education Theses and Dissertations

The persistent challenges surrounding student achievement continue to raise questions about the effectiveness of personalized learning methods, and educators seek a reliable means to determine if the implementation of personalized learning can lead to improved academic outcomes. Improvement science presents a promising approach, providing iterative inquiry cycles and data-driven decision-making strategies that can empower teachers to make informed decisions (Regional Educational Laboratory Program, 2017). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of personalized learning on reading achievement in sixth-grade students on a Texas middle-school campus. While prior research has demonstrated promising outcomes with this learning method (Pane …

Investigating The Most Valued Components Of The South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program By Graduates Who Have Remained In The Education Profession, Amanda Jane Darden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vision of every elementary, middle, and high school in the United States is to deliver an excellent educational setting to each and every student who enters their school building. Educational research overwhelmingly demonstrates that a primary factor contributing to an “excellent educational setting” is having highly qualified and effective teachers (Rice, 2003). However, the teacher supply and demand issues currently facing our nation is significantly compromising the ideal of providing excellent educational settings in our schools. Teacher attrition is a problem that faces schools throughout the United States. The number of teachers leaving their positions to pursue other careers …

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 …

Does Race Still Matter? An Exploration Of Race And Mentoring Relationships From The Perspective Of Early Career Teachers Of Color And Mentors, Franchesca R. Ho Sang

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been attributed to lowering attrition rates of teachers. At present, the majority of teachers in the United States are White and female. The national teacher workforce does not represent the student body. Although there have been recent initiatives to improve the diversity within the teacher workforce, by explicitly recruiting teachers of color (TOC), the attrition rates of these teachers are negating the effects of recruitment efforts. Previous research has pointed to the need to consider race in novice TOC mentee and mentor matches, as cultural capital theory suggests common knowledge and experience may lead to stronger mentor relationships …

Retention Of Novice Teachers, Renna Varano

Culminating Experience Projects

The field of education is a constantly unsettled field with new pedagogical trends, new policies and immense attrition rates at every turn. Upon attempting to study the causes and effects of teacher attrition, it can be deduced that there is no one cause yet one major effect: student achievement. Schools that have lower rates of student achievement typically have difficulty maintaining a highly effective teaching staff. This issue affects any and all types of schools, some more than others. In order to guarantee students a right to an equitable education, school leaders must create supportive mentoring and induction programs for …

Using Cognitive Coaching To Facilitate Instructional Reflection, Brooke Walczak

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive Coaching is a model (Costa & Garmston, 1985) designed to help teachers to become more self-directed in both their workplace and their lives. This single case study sought to analyze the effects of the Cognitive Coaching Model on instructional reflection. It also examined the coach's reflection on their strategies and how these strategies affected instructional reflection. One Reading Education graduate student conducted four coaching rounds with one veteran teacher who was teaching preschool for the first time. Data included video recordings, observational notes, Cognitive Coaching Self-Assessments, and researcher journals. This data was analyzed using a comparison/grounded theory that used …

Examining How Black Administrator Employment Decisions Are Impacted By The Behaviors Of Supervisors, Annie Wilson Whitaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how Black, public school administrator employment decisions are impacted by the behaviors of supervisors in Virginia. Commonalities among the lived experiences of Black, public school administrators were examined in order to identify specific behaviors which impact employment decisions.

Transcendental phenomenological qualitative research design was utilized. Participants were identified through gatekeeper introductions and then narrowed through snow-ball sampling. Data was collected through open-ended face-to-face interviews with 12 Black, public school administrators in Virginia via a secure online platform. The data was analyzed in order to identify emergent themes which represent the lived …

Exploring Co-Planning Conversations As A Professional Development Activity For Mentors And Mentees At The Beginning Of A Yearlong Teacher Residency, Channing Parfait

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In order to prepare pre-service teachers for their roles in the classroom, it is important to examine the rigor and purpose of the mentoring experience. This study explored the aspects of co-planning conversations that helped experienced and novice teachers expand their expertise and develop a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship at the beginning of a yearlong teacher residency model. While research on co-planning during the student teaching/residency experience exists, this research illuminated the importance of mentoring conversations early on in the teacher residency experience. Using a single case study design, observations, one-on-one interviews, and artifacts from four mentor-mentee dyads, data were …

Formal Mentoring Programs: An Exploration Of Barriers To Implementation In Nursing Schools, Megan Christine Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Although there are over three million registered nurses in the United States, the national nursing shortage has reached epic proportions, with a vacancy rate of 9.9%. One of the contributing factors to the nursing shortage is the lack of qualified nursing faculty. While formal mentoring programs have been identified as best practice in supporting the expert nurse clinician in their transition into the novice nurse faculty role, these programs are not consistently implemented in schools of nursing. In this phenomenological study, the perceptions of nursing leaders regarding barriers to the implementation of formal mentoring programs were analyzed. Using a …

A Descriptive Study Of Doctoral Graduates’ Perceptions Of Mentoring By Their Dissertation Chairs, Amanda Blount

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental study was to examine doctoral graduates’ satisfaction with the mentoring provided by their dissertation chairs. The relationships between doctoral students and their dissertation chairs can positively or negatively influence a doctoral student’s dissertation journey. The researcher developed and validated a survey to determine doctoral graduates’ perceptions of mentoring by their dissertation chairs based on best practices in the literature. The online survey was announced nationwide using email and social media: 133 graduates from multiple disciplines and institutions responded with complete data. The responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the analyses …

Perceptions Of Classroom Management Coaching At District A Independent School District, Ashley L. Brittain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed teacher retention and research-to-practice gaps in the literature related to classroom management coaching and what types of teacher support are the best and why. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers, campus administrators, and campus intervention coaches regarding District A Independent School District’s campus intervention coach model. This study attempted to understand better the perceptions of how the campus intervention coach model influences teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession; how teachers, campus administrators, and campus intervention coaches perceive the campus intervention coach model’s effectiveness in reducing the percentage of …

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. …

The Influence Of Mentoring, Self-Efficacy And Perceived Organizational Support On Commitment Among Novice Adventist Teachers, Kathleen E. Forbis

Dissertations

Problem

Previous research indicated that mentoring impacts teacher commitment positively. However, there was a gap in the knowledge regarding the influence of mentoring on novice Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) teacher commitment in North America. The Adventist education system differs in significant ways from the public school system, and novice teachers need support.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influences of mentoring, self-efficacy, and organizational support on SDA novice teacher commitment (0 - 5 years’ experience). The secondary purpose included identifying the characteristics of effective mentors and mentoring programs, while exploring novice teachers’ current experiences of mentoring, …

Text Messaging Between School Counselors And Students: An Exploratory Study, Nicholas R. Gilly

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory case study examines the impact of text messaging on mentoring relationships when used as an outreach between school counselors and high school students, where established relationships are lacking. An SMS gateway was used to mediate communication between school counselors (N=2) and students (N=5) over a three-month timeframe. The SMS gateway converted email, sent from counselors, to text messages, which were received on mobile devices of students and allowed students to respond back to counselors. Findings indicate that the use of text messaging may ease scheduling of face-to-face meetings between counselors and students, but evidence does not support any …

Critical Black Feminist Mentorship: A Review Of A Middle School And University-Sponsored Program For Adolescent Black Girls, Dyann C. Logwood

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study aims to illuminate the creation of safe spaces for marginalized youth through mentorship initiatives. Likewise, the study examines the roles of mentorship programs in transforming the lives of Black adolescent girls by providing them with tools to change the narratives depicted by society. A qualitative design was employed that used phenomenological interviewing techniques and ethnographic observations to explore the experiences of the Black adolescent girls in one university-sponsored mentorship program. The findings illustrate what is coined through this research—a critical Black feminist mentorship model that emphasizes an intersectional identity development, the actualization of voice, the creation and …

Perspectives Of Mentor Teachers For Early Childhood Teacher Preparation, Shannon J. Rivera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood (EC) teacher education programs and public-school partnerships have broadened preparation of preservice teachers by providing more learning opportunities during preservice field experiences. These experiences require mentoring from highly qualified supervising teachers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore mentors’ perspectives of their qualifications to mentor EC preservice teachers in a 4-year university laboratory school. Ambrosetti’s theory of mentor preparation guided this study. The research question addressed mentor teachers’ perspectives of their mentoring qualifications for EC preservice teachers. A snowball sample of 8 mentor teachers, with at least 4 years’ experience mentoring EC preservice teachers, volunteered …

Practice-Based Coaching And Early Childhood Professional Standards In A Diverse Field, Julie Betthauser

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

The field of early childhood education has long relied on professional development strategies to support teachers with varying degrees of education who enter the field from a variety of disciplines. Research indicated educators needed intensive and individualized professional development efforts that were integrated into daily practice (Rodgers, Kennedy, VanUitert, & Myers, 2019). Practice-based coaching has been used as a professional development strategy in early childhood classrooms to develop educators’ knowledge and skills in best practices for young children. Thirty-two empirical studies conducted since 2011 on the process, effectiveness, and assessment of practice-based coaching were reviewed to identify coaching components, …

Outcomes For Professionals And Companies Through Student-Professional Reverse Mentoring Sessions, Nicholas Burr Gubler

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explores the outcomes that professionals, and their companies, experience when they participate in a student-professional reverse mentorship. Professional development is used across all trades and professions as a way to increase employee skills and improve product/service quality. Reverse mentoring, where a novice teaches the more experienced individual, is a relatively new approach in professional development. When the reverse mentoring scenario is between students and professionals, instead of professionals and their colleagues, we know that students benefit from the reverse mentoring process but little is known about what outcomes the professionals experience. This research reports that professionals experience …

A Study On The Influence Of Instructional Mentors On Novice Teachers In High-Needs Schools, Dodi Palkovic Davenport

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the first five years of new teachers’ employment, between 30 and 50 percent leave the profession (Smith &Ingersoll, 2004). High levels of teacher attrition are associated with negative effects on student achievement (Strong, 2005). In an effort to retain teachers and improve the quality of the teaching workforce, many states and local school districts require new teachers to enroll in induction and mentoring programs. This study is part of a larger program evaluation of one public school district’s new teacher induction program. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how a novice teacher perceives the influence of a …

An Evaluation Of The New Teacher Mentoring And Induction Program At A Title One Elementary School, Tamara Baker-Drayton

Dissertations

Low performing Title I schools often experience a lower teacher retention rate when compared to schools with higher academic achievement. Vacancies are typically filled with new or inexperienced teachers who leave the school within a few years. To counter this problem, West Creek Elementary (pseudonym) introduced a comprehensive New Teacher Mentoring and Induction initiative. The program evaluation was a voluntary anonymous written survey with an optional in person interview conducted with the participants and administrators. Results indicated that the New Teacher Mentoring and Induction program was effective in enhancing teacher pedagogy, not effective in enhancing teacher retention, and that greater …

From The Beginning: A Start To End Analysis Of A Beginning Teacher Program, Andrea Michelle Anderson

Education Dissertations and Projects

This mixed-methods study evaluated the effectiveness of a Beginning Teacher Support Program in the southern region of a school district. The effects of teacher turnover, national teacher shortages, induction programs, mentoring, administrative support, professional development, and other support offered to beginning teachers were analyzed. The researcher created a survey that was administered to high school beginning teachers, mentor teachers, and principals. A focus group and an interview with a regional beginning teacher coordinator were also conducted to further evaluate the effectiveness of the district’s beginning teacher program. The results of the study concluded that beginning teachers benefitted from participating in …

Mentor Teacher Development During A Co-Teaching Model Of Student Teaching, Jeanne M. Delcolle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a co-teaching model of student teaching, mentor teachers are presented with opportunities for professional growth because extensive collaboration occurs with the teacher candidate throughout the process. Despite the proliferation of co-teaching programs, mentor teachers often lack formal training for their role. Further, insufficient evidence fails to show how collaboration between mentor and candidate contributes to professional growth for the mentor. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine such growth in 9 mentor teachers who hosted teacher candidates during 1 semester of student teaching to determine how a co-teaching model affected mentor teachers' own teaching and mentoring skills. …

Well-Trained Mentors: The Missing Component Of The Comprehensive New Teacher Induction Program In The Silver Oak Area School, Daniel Bosnic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“If well-trained, competent, caring teachers were present in every classroom, we would witness a staggering increase in student achievement, motivation, and character improvement along with a marked decrease in discipline problems” (Breaux & Wong, 2003, p.22). If school districts do not take the initiative to design and implement effective induction programs with embedded mentoring, they are essentially setting their teachers and students up for failure. Regardless of educator training programs, new teachers are unprepared to face the diverse and challenging needs of education today (Bartell, 2005). All individuals entering education need assistance in applying their prior knowledge and experience to …

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 …

Out Of The Shadows The Matriarch Rises: A Case Study Of Women Academic Deans At A Southern, Research One Institution, Jacob Lee Vaughn

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

This study examined the experiences of women in higher education as a career as well as the challenges women face in pursuing an appointment as Dean of a college. Selected participants were interviewed to gather data from their own narratives about the experiences and challenges as current women Deans in higher education. Each participant attributed their success to family support and proper mentoring, while highlighting institutional policies acting as a form of gendered oppression. Recommendations were suggested to higher educational representatives and legislators concerning the correction of the gendered environment favoring the advancement of men into a more equitable …

Investigating Transformation: An Exploratory Study Of Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of Graduate Teaching Assistants, Christina M. Partin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are becoming increasingly responsible for undergraduate instruction in the landscape of higher education. These experiences may serve as a pipeline for career readiness and success in faculty positions. Yet, the experiences of graduate teaching assistants are largely unexplored. This study describes the perceptons and experiences of a selected sample of GTAs, including their perceptions of available support, and the role of that support in navigating potential disorienting dilemmas.

Existing literature suggests that disorienting dilemmas lead to transformative experiences through an internal process of critical self-reflection, but neglects the possibility of differential outcomes to disorienting dilemmas. Further, …

Developing An Internal Leadership Pipeline In Urban Districts: A Pathway To Capacity Building, Marnie G. Mckoy

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how an urban school district designs and implements leadership development programs for internal candidates. The challenge of continuously developing a cadre of committed and qualified leaders is not new (Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, Meyerson, Orr, & Cohen, 2007). To maintain the high standards of instructional leadership and to continue sound practices in teaching and learning, school districts must think and move strategically to protect their investments in professional development and coaching, and to secure the future growth of its students and staff. The literature is clear and consistent on the elements of effective …