Abstract
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Rationale of the Study
Research Question
Definition of Key Terms
Organization of the Research Study
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Induction and Support for Beginning Teachers
Mentoring
Characteristics of Beginning Teachers
Psychological Stages of a First-Year Teacher
Goals of Mentoring Programs
The Need for Mentors
Summary
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
Research Questions
Research Design
Questions Posed to the Participants
The Participants and the School Setting
Data Collection Techniques
Data Analysis
Summary
CHAPTER
Introduction
Many teachers leave the profession of teaching during or after the first year of teaching. The teacher turnover rate for new teachers is higher than the average rate for all teachers. In Georgia, the annual average percentage of teachers leaving the profession is 30% (GADOE).
Having a mentoring program is very important in the success and retention of teachers so they may cope with the difficult and uneven situation with the support of their veterans come over the unfavorable situation with efficiency and profound guidance provided by their mentors. Previous researches show that mentoring has the potential to improve teacher retention (Schlager, Fusco, Koch, Crawford, & Phillips, 2003).
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According to Rust (1994) new professionals undergo an intense and structured (mentoring) program in the areas of law and medicine before they enter into their trade for practicing. The purpose of these programs is to support new professionals in their specific areas of practice.
Although, the literature on mentoring effectiveness for teachers is abundant, there is a paucity of research on effectiveness of such mentoring programs for teachers working in Youth Development Schools. This research aims to fill this gap by investigating the effectiveness of mentoring by conducting face to face interviews and surveys in order to assess the perception of first year teachers of their mentors.
New teachers need assistance and support in a variety of fields. The implication of mentoring of new teachers can significantly impact their performance as it provides the new teachers skills not taught in their development schools. New teachers lack the prerequisite ability to handle and cope with socialization issues, are unable to identify the issues of diversity, and fail to maintain student discipline. Mentoring of these teachers can assist in improving their retention (Pierre, Baker, and Whitener (1997).
Mentoring programs have the potential to fill the gaps left by the professional development schools (Gasner, 2002).
The literature on mentoring reveals it to be a one-size-fits-all program and there is little evidence of its specific to improve the retention of school teacher. This research aims to investigate and discover if there is a direct implication through Youth Development Campus school teachers� perceptions of mentoring as a viable tool to assist in improving teacher retention.
Background of the Study
Bill Ireland is a long-term Juvenile Detention Center for incarcerated youth ages 12-17 that have committed criminal offenses in Society. This population of the youth is a very difficult population to manage and teach. Most of the youth are 3 to 4 grade levels behind, are in special education, and have not been a traditional school setting for many years. Most of them have little to no interest in school because of their academic inabilities and disruptive behavior. These issues make it very difficult for the teachers to teach in the Youth development setting. Many teachers cannot adjust to these issues and therefore leave their jobs within the first year and some as early as within the same day. The study addressed satisfaction with 1st year experiences specifically designed to support the personal and professional well-being of beginning teachers. The study was conducted at Bill E. Ireland Youth Development Campus in Milledgeville, Georgia. The Education Program is an essential component in the treatment of youth assigned to Bill Ireland Youth Development Campus. It provides the Youth with the best possible opportunities to meet academic successes through mastery learning of the quality core curriculum.
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ASEM Trust Fund for the Asian Financial Crisis Implementation Completion Memorandum Philippine Out-of-School Children and Youth Development (POSCYD) Project ASEM Trust Fund No. 023514 Background and Objectives: In the Philippines, the trend for the past ten years show that for every 10 pupils who enroll in grade school, only 7 graduate. The same ratio is experienced among the high school students. ...
The department meets all standards required by the Georgia Department of Education. Teachers are required to maintain the same qualifications and certificates as all Georgia teachers are required. Teachers leave their jobs for a variety of reasons. Due to the grave nature of the retention issue of the teacher, a substantial research has been the focus of educational researchers. According to Buckley, Schneider & Shang (2004) the main concern of staffing is caused by poor teacher retention and subsequent failure to attract new teachers. Recent research show that approximately one quarter of all beginning teachers leaves the profession within the first 4 years of teaching. Ingersoll (2001b) remarks that school staffing problems are the result of poor training and lack of support at the local schools.
The literature review offers different variable as the cause for poor teacher retention. According to Bolich ( 2001), In the urban middle school, the biggest mistake new school teacher make is in treating students alike in good-faith. �It is a mistake to treat everyone the same,� said Richard L. Curwin, coauthor of the book Discipline with Dignity (Curwin & Mendler, 2005, p. 18).
So, the new teachers have to learn what works for each student. The concept that one-style-fits-all often leads to classroom problems and student misbehavior that manifest in seen and unseen behaviors.
Experts pointed out that certain ethnicities will often have cultural behaviors that are not compatible with those of the teacher. These cultural differences can be as subtle as saying �good morning� or �what�s up,� to the way and manner of dress or even the food they eat. Many middle-class teachers do not have a great deal of experience working with urban ethnic children; this in itself can create an atmosphere that adds to poor retention (Curwin & Mendler, 2005).
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In a study completed in 2001, Ingersoll suggested improvement in the work environment, teacher induction programs, and mentoring as possible tools to improve ethnic teacher retention.
In the body of knowledge, several studies supported the value of mentoring programs in improving teacher retention of new and in-service teachers. One such study completed by Ingersoll and Smith (2003) suggested that having a mentor in the same field reduced the risk of teachers leaving at the end of the first year by 30%. On the other hand, having a mentor out of the field of study did not show significant reductions. Other studies conducted by Cheng and Brown (1992) and Spuhler and Zetler (1995) provided positive results on teacher retention after mentoring programs. This study sought to add to the body of knowledge and understanding of the value of mentoring on retention of urban middle school teachers.
The purpose of this qualitative study, using an interview process, was to examine the perceptions beginning teachers in their 1st or 2nd year and mentor teachers regarding the effectiveness of mentoring and other guidance they received as beginning teachers in a youth development school.
Rationale of the Study
The first years of teaching are typically the most challenging for beginning teachers. Often novice teachers struggle to survive day-to-day (Bartell, 2005).
Some of these challenges are minor in nature, whereas others have the potential to cause a new teacher to consider leaving the profession. Increasing awareness of how crucial these initial years are in retaining beginning teachers has led to more attention being paid to the mentoring and induction process of novice teachers. A review of literature offers a basis in identifying the areas in which beginning teachers need support. In addition open-ended questions were created that focused on aspects that the beginning teacher may consider when assessing how much support they perceive that as new teachers they need.
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With the development of global economy, the competition in education is becoming an important part of the international competitions. Students all over the world are competing with not only the students in their country but the students in the world. To some degrees, the future competitiveness of a country relies on how great their students are. As for students, their high school time is the ...
Given the amount of teachers that leave the profession within the first five years, this research has the potential to reveal the influencing factors, which may lead to their decision to leave the classroom or remain in the teaching profession. Thus, in identifying these factors and creating and implementing effective induction programs and support systems, there may be a way to avoid or at the very least decrease the high turnover rate of beginning teachers.
Research Question
The following research questions were the primary research questions for the study:
1. What kind of adequate support do begging teachers say that they need in the induction and mentoring process? How do new teachers perceive the support that they actually receive?
2. How do beginning teachers develop as teachers as a result of support and experience?
3. How do new teachers respond to critical incidents and what support is necessary for them to respond successfully?
4. How does the support begging teachers receive and the extent to which they develop influence their decision to stay in the teaching profession?
Definition of Key Terms
The terms used in this case study have been given various definitions in the related literature. However, for the purpose of this research, it is important to clarify these key terms for the reader.
Administrator / School Administration: Central office administration / the principal located at the school.
Beginning Teachers / Novice Teachers / New Teachers: These terms are used interchangeably in this case study to describe people new to the teaching profession. Beginning Teacher is used to clarify that the teacher is in his / her initial year of teaching.
Mentor: A person that offers support and advice in the areas of curriculum and instruction, classroom management, lesson planning and other areas to beginning teachers. It is hoped that this person will help induct a novice teacher into the profession and assist in the development of the new teacher.
Organization of the Research Study
This qualitative case study is organized and presented in five chapters. Chapter 1 offers an introduction to the study. Chapter II provides a review of literature as it relates to the mentoring and induction process of beginning teachers. Chapter III describes the research design of the case study and the school setting. Chapter IV serves as an introduction to the participants and the results of the interviews and surveys. Chapter V offers conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of the surveys and interviews coupled supported with the review of the literature. It also offers suggestions for further research.
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Outcome 1 1.1 There are many types of school. Using the school prospectuses, discussion and research complete the following table. Use one example for each category. Type of school Name of school Infant Penygraig Infants Junior Penygraig Juniours Secondary Tonypandy Comprehensive School Independent Howells School Llandaff Welsh language Bodringallt Primary School Faith School St. Raphaels Catholic ...
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Chapter 1 offered an introduction to this qualitative case study. Chapter II provides a review of the literature as it relates to the mentoring and induction process of beginning teachers. The purpose of this literature review is to describe what it already known about the mentoring, induction, and support of new teachers.
There has been a growing concern about the decreasing number of teachers in public education. In addition to this shortage, there is a predicted increase of 4% in the number of school age students by 2009 (Olson, 2000).
There are specific circumstances that add to the teacher shortage such as lack of administrative support, classroom management issues, poor working conditions, low pay, the aging teacher population and early retirement.
The teacher culture is frequently linked to the isolation that is often present in schools. Brock and Grady (2001) assert that when new teachers teach in a school culture where the faculty share common goals and work collaboratively, they are more inclined to have a positive teaching experience. On the other hand, novice teachers who start their teaching careers in an unstructured environment are more likely to experience a less positive climate and even isolation.
The lack of social support that stems from isolation or a non-supportive school atmosphere is sure to affect the experience of a beginning teacher. This in turn may lead to the teacher displaying pessimistic attitude towards the students and thus have a negative effect on the teacher�s instructional program. According to Gordon & Maxey, (2000) there are teachers who acquire �a survival mentality, a set of restricted teaching methods, and a resistance to curricular and instructional change that may last throughout their teaching careers� (p. 8).
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Moir et al (1999) suggests that the quality of the classroom teacher is the most important indicator of student learning. They believe that an induction program that focuses on beginning teacher support and classroom practice while advocating the very ideals that encouraged the teacher into the profession offers hope for today�s schools. For Fullan (1993), novice teacher enter the profession with commitment, passion and an idealistic view of teaching, determined to make a difference in the lives of their students. Yet, often they face challenging teaching assignments, inadequate working conditions, lack of resources, and isolation. Shocked by the realities of teaching, they encounter a system that fails to value its beginning teachers as one of their most precious resources.
Leadership within the school as well as the perceived level of trust within the school environment are indicative of the beginning teachers� ability and eagerness to welcome feedback and embrace constructive criticism. Indeed in some cases where outside researchers and other district level administrators become part of informal observations, there is an increased level of support for beginning teachers. As Hargreaves and Fullan (1999), p. 18) point out,
After decades of assuming that teachers taught alone, learned to sink or swim by themselves and got better over time only through their own individual trial and error, there is increasing commitment to the idea and the evidence that all teachers are more effective when they can learn from and are supported by a strong community of colleagues.
Hargreaves and Fullan (1999, p. 21), are keen observers of the human condition and their work bears careful reading.
Teaching not only involves instructing students, but also caring for them, forming bonds and relationships with them. With the children of many of today�s postmodern families � fractured, poor, single-parented-this burden of caring is becoming even greater. Teaching is not just about mastering a set of skills. It is a job where teachers repeatedly put their selves on the line. Times of rapid change, whether chosen or imposed, can create even greater anxiety and insecurity among many teachers as the challenge of mastering new strategies calls their competence and confidence into question�[I]t is easy to lose sight of teaching�s emotional dimension, of the enthusiasm, passion, care, wisdom, inspiration, and dedication that make many teachers great.
Induction and Support for Beginning Teachers
In an attempt to recognize the novice teacher as a beginner, there must be authentic and meaningful support in place that promotes the teachers� growth and development. Scherer (1999) suggests that �beginning-teacher induction has broad-based support” (p. 3).
She is of the opinion that teacher shortages and the high attrition rates during the initial years of teaching prove attractive for induction programs that sustain teacher retention. According to Berry (2004), the federal government suggests strategies such as teacher induction and professional development as an approach towards guaranteeing that highly-qualified teachers meet the expectations of the No Child Left Behind Legislation (2001) in ensuring that students make adequate yearly progress.
For Bartell (2005) induction is �a part of the career-long teacher-development continuum� that helps novice teachers become effective and assists in the retention of teachers (p. 43).
Wong (2002) advocates the idea that if new teacher induction programs focus on skill development, support, and retention, lifelong learning may be sustained. Villani (2002) suggests that induction is a planned well-organized program that provides adequate resources, time, and support. Feiman-Nemser et al. (1992) concede that retention rates are indicative of the support that beginning teachers receive; however, they argue that the paramount objective of new teacher induction is the effective development of professionals who are able to help students learn.
Mentoring
The term �mentor� comes from the literary text Odyssey in which a character Mentor was selected to educate and help Telemachus while his father was fighting in the Trojan War. The word has now evolved and according to Villani (2002) is defined as �a wise and trusted friend� (p. 7).
Similarly the role of the mentor has evolved to comprise sponsor, protector, teacher, guide, and supporter. Bey (1995) believes that mentoring is a collaborative partnership where teachers share and develop interdependent interests. He contends that mentors act as role models that encourage, counsel and support new teachers. In the early 1980s, teacher mentoring programs developed in an attempt to reduce the rate of teacher attrition among beginning teachers. The intention was to offer new teachers an effective transition into the world of teaching, instruct mentors in the most effective methods of support of novice teachers, and develop the teaching profession (Wang & Odell, 2002).
Coppola et al. (2004) insist that simply assigning mentors to work with novice teachers does not provide beginning teachers with the knowledge, skills and support they will need to be successful in the classroom. They emphasize that a multi-year induction program that offers a collegial-mentoring component and an effective professional development program that targets specific needs is necessary.
For Boreen & Niday (2003), mentoring is more than an experienced teacher supporting a novice teacher. They contend that mentoring offers a �vast array of life and professional learning experiences that enhance their ability to interact with their colleagues in a collegial manner� (p. 15).
Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon (1995) suggest that mentoring offers a way for experienced teachers to provide individualized, ongoing professional support. Feiman-Nemser, Schwill, Carver, & Yusko (1999) note that although mentoring is the most common form of support for beginning teachers, for it to be effective requires thoughtful selection, training and support of the mentor. Bartell (2005) argues that �the support and mentoring that occur in a well-designed induction program are not a substitute for strong academic preparation� (p. 15).
Mentoring has been identified as a method that may be used for retaining beginning teachers and an indicator of their effectiveness in the classroom (Claycomb, 2000).
Wang & Odell (2002) identified three major areas that are crucial in the beginning teacher mentoring process: (a) humanistic (assisting teachers on a personal level immerse themselves into the teaching profession); (b) apprentice (assisting beginning teachers transition into the culture of the school and help with the progress of teachers in specific contexts); and (c) critical constructivist (reconstructing teaching, asking questions and questioning current teaching practices).
Characteristics of Beginning Teachers
This section will examine the current research on the characteristics of beginning teachers, including the various stages of development. In terms of the challenges that new teachers face, it will highlight some of the issues that researchers suggest contribute to the stress levels of beginning teachers, their disillusionment with the profession and why some novice teachers decide to leave the teaching profession. Researchers have suggested that people enter the teaching profession because they take pleasure from interacting with young people. A further reason certain people choose to become teachers is that they care about the welfare and education of students and have a strong desire to help them achieve academically (Gold & Roth 1993).
Bartell�s (2005) work bears careful reading as she points out new teacher motivations and career choices:
Novice teachers today enter the profession with differing levels of preparation, experience, and expertise. Like the students they will serve, they come with a variety of expectations, hopes, dreams, and understandings. Some will go through a traditional teacher preparation program and will enter the job market immediately after graduation. Others will find their initial career choice unsatisfying and look for more satisfaction in teaching. (p. 9).
According to Wadsworth (2001), beginning teachers feel that they are talented individuals who have responded to some type of calling. Further, they perceive themselves as hardworking and devoted to the teaching profession. It is their belief that teaching is a profession known for requiring high levels of energy, effort and dedication. Clement, Enz, and Pawlas (2000) state that novice teachers are passionate about their work, idealistic, creative, energetic, and have a desire to develop professionally.
Hargreaves and Fullan (1999) suggest that it is the younger members of the profession who usually bring more energy into the classroom. They believe that these young teachers generally have less family responsibilities, are typically more idealistic and are inclined to be more dedicated to the profession. Yet Veenman (1984) believes that beginning teachers experience �reality shock� as a state of mind when the realization of the demands of teaching becomes real to them. According to Villani (2002), teacher education students predicted that they expected to encounter less difficulty than the �average first-year teacher� on numerous tasks. Based on these findings, Weinstein (1988) suggests that beginning teachers enter the teaching profession with the belief that teaching is not particularly difficult. Thus, Villani (2002) argues that it is necessary for mentors to help with the inevitable �reality shock� (p. 4).
Psychological Stages of a First-Year Teacher
Villani (2002) believes that the survival needs of novice teachers are highest at both the beginning and end of the school year and suggests that the new teachers� curriculum and instructional needs are less crucial during these times. In contrast, she highlights the fact that mid-year (a time when the survival needs of new teachers are at their lowest), the instructional and curriculum needs are at their highest. Villani (2002) compares this with Maslow�s hierarchy of needs and suggests that one cannot take care of high order needs until one�s survival needs are met. She agrees that novice teachers are unable to contemplate issues surrounding instruction and curriculum until they have acquired knowledge of the protocol of the school and have established a rapport with their students, which satisfies and contributes to their academic learning.
Moir (1999) identified several developmental stages that novice teachers� experience. Her research indicates how initially beginning teachers go through an anticipation phase with an idealistic view of teaching. However, they rapidly become overwhelmed and experience a survival phase with a sense of struggling to keep up. Moir (1999) points out that during this second phase new teachers are inclined to focus on the day-to-day aspects of teaching. It is frequently this phase that leads to the next phase that of disillusionment. This is where novice teachers start to doubt their levels of commitment and also their ability to teach. Moir (1999) suggests that this phase may vary in terms of both duration and intensity. Typically following the winter break, teachers are well rested and somewhat more relaxed and often enter a phase of rejuvenation. It is at this time that the beginning teacher gains confidence and learns to develop new coping strategies. Moir (1999) believes that it is towards the end of the school year that new teachers begin to reflect on the earlier part of the school year and thus they enter a period of reflection. It is during this phase that the new teacher starts to contemplate what they will do differently during their second year of teaching. Moir (1999) emphasizes that �recognizing the stages that new teachers go through gives us a framework within which we can begin to design support programs to make the first year of teaching a more productive experience for our new colleagues� (p. 23).
Goals of Mentoring Programs
The practice of mentoring teachers as a way to improve the instructional process and retention of teachers was formally implemented in the early 1980s as a professional development strategy for achieving a variety of goals. One goal focuses solely on teachers just entering the profession, while others extend the benefits of mentoring to other educators in the school and school system (Darling-Hammond, 1999).
Mentorship promises potential benefits in at least the following areas (Darling-Hammond): (a) new teacher induction�to help transition beginning teachers into the classroom, and immerse the beginning teachers in a new culture, then to the specific school and system setting in which they will work; (b) career growth to provide an avenue for leadership, recognition, and rewards for skilled veteran teachers who serve their schools and school systems as mentors, professional developers, and contributors to curriculum and instructional improvement; and (c) professional development and program innovation�to build capacity for schools and system program innovations and to guide local education reform.
As local and state-initiated mentoring programs have been implemented and refined, the first two of their goals have proven to be interrelated. Most veteran teachers who serve as mentors to new teachers are recognized and, in some cases, receive tangible rewards from their school districts. The level of career enhancement for most mentors, however, seems to be limited (Feiman-Nemser et al., 1999).
Those who do receive career advancement find it in administrative positions � not teaching. In sum, Little (1990) suggested that mentoring in K�12 education �neither promises nor is premised upon an advancement incentive, but rather on other dimensions of work that contribute to career satisfaction� (p. 27).
A positive effect of mentoring of K�12 educators on the third goal�building for capacity for professional development and curriculum innovation�is even less apparent in practice (Feiman-Nemser et al., 1999).
Theoretically, the development of new and effective classroom practice by teachers involved in a mentoring relationship is spread widely throughout their school. That is, as a part of the mentoring relationship and activities, both the mentor and mentee gain understanding and concrete skills that will benefit their students and can be shared with colleagues. Skillful practices gained as a result of mentoring relationships can add value to areas of curriculum and instruction that will enable both the mentee and mentor to improve the academic skills of the students they teach. To date, however, research shows that few mentoring programs display the mission or devote resources necessary to connect the program to these broader purposes.
Numerous interpretations of the mentoring process are contained in the literature. It is commonly agreed that the process includes the various development phases of the mentoring relationship, the dynamics of the mentoring relationship itself, and the application of cognitive developmental theory to the mentoring process (Janas, 1992).
Mentoring is a complex and multiphase process of teaching, guiding, influencing, and supporting a beginning teacher. It is generally accepted that a mentor teacher leads, guides, and advises another teacher with less experience in a work situation characterized by mutual trust and belief (Janas, 1992).
Typically, mentoring programs pair beginning teachers with more experienced teachers who can adequately explain school policies, culture, regulations, and teaching philosophies; share methods and materials, and explain how to get other supportive assistance; help solve problems in teaching and learning; and provide both professional and personal support (Feiman- Nemser & Parker, 1992).
In Georgia, experiences in teacher shortage and high attrition rates in the early teaching years have heightened the concerns of local, state, and national education agencies (GADOE, 2002; NCES, 2003�2004).
The present shortage of school teachers is due to multiple factors that play out differently in every state. Over the years, fewer and fewer college students have been entering the field of K�12 education. The proportion of college students majoring in education declined from 21% to 9% in the last half of the 20th century, with little change in the first years of the 21st century (NCES, IES, 1999�2000).
Perhaps the most overwhelming trend, however, is the high numbers of prepared teachers who are exiting the field. Research on teacher attrition in the late 1980s and 1990s reported 25% of prepared teachers either never taught or left the profession within a few years (Croasmun, Hampton, & Herman, 1999).
The researches show that only 60% of teacher education majors enter the profession. Among them, 22% leave in their first 3 years in the classroom, and nearly 30% have left the profession by the end of their fifth year (Darling-Hammond, 2000).
A study completed by the Texas Center for Educational Research (1999) indicated that 19% of Texas�s new teachers left the profession at the end of the first year, primarily due to the lack of professional support.
Data such as that developed in Georgia and Texas create an urgency to attend to the needs of new teachers beyond the informal attention individual teachers and school systems have paid beginning teachers. It has become clear that successful hiring practices are only a part of the answer to teacher shortages. School systems and school leaders need sound strategies for ensuring beginning teachers� successful transition to the classroom and school, and then retention beyond the first few years (Croasmun et al., 1999).
There is agreement with the idea that beginning teachers need support during their transition into professional practice (Odell & Hulling, 2000).
There is little argument that even well-prepared beginning teachers need individualized assistance during the first few years. In the late 20th century, only one state implemented a mandated induction program; at the beginning of the 21st century, 46 state legislatures mandated that mentoring programs or other kinds of induction programs for new teachers be in place (Odell & Hulling).
The Need for Mentors
Teachers who are new to the classroom often experience stress in their initial teaching assignments. In addition to the traditional cumbersome task of learning school and district rules, and procedures and expectations of administration, today�s schools present many challenges: tight schedules, stringent standardized testing, and new content that can be different from that taught in the professional development programs, among others.
Mentors who are effectively trained and have experience in the school and subject of the beginning teacher can help with this transition. The real life classroom presents questions that only real-life experiences can answer. Mentors help provide those answers. Finding a mentor for a beginning teacher can be difficult; however, most often, new teachers are hired to replace the only person who would have been a likely mentor. Many schools have a limited choice of mentors who may be appropriate to mentor the beginning teacher. Identifying these individuals to mentor new teachers, and training them to be effective mentors for their critical support roles, are the missing elements of many mentoring programs (Moir).
Key to the success of any mentoring program is the competence of the mentor, who must possess the expertise, commitment, and time to assist the beginning teacher. Teachers within the school that employs beginning teachers represent an obvious starting place in identifying mentor teachers. There is no fixed rule about which traits or circumstances are most critical in a given mentoring situation (Spuhler & Zetler, 1995).
However, Gold (1996) reported that the most frequently mentioned characteristic of mentors is a willingness to nurture another person. Therefore, individuals recruited as mentors should be people-oriented, open-minded, flexible, empathetic, and collaborative. Mentors should be enrolled in an ongoing mentoring training program. Training in communication and active listening techniques, relationship skills, effective teaching, models of supervision and coaching, conflict resolution, and problem solving are often included in training opportunities for mentors (Head, Reiman, & Thies-Sprinthall, 1992).
Mentors often find that they do not communicate effectively with the beginning teacher because vocabulary within teacher preparation programs changes drastically over time. Beginning teachers and teacher candidates often speak a different language, even though they are verbalizing the same concept (Littleton & Littleton, 2003).
Mentor training programs can help the experienced teacher translate from newer jargon into familiar terminology to allow for a more beneficial and productive mentoring process (Littleton & Littleton).
As experienced educators, mentors will already be aware that instructional strategies must match the content to be most effective. However, mentors are not always acquainted with the new instructional delivery methods that have developed due to new technology and research in classroom effectiveness. Therefore, if mentors are to be effective long term, they must undergo routine training in the best teaching practices and changes in pedagogy (Baker & Smith, 1997).
Simply supplying a mentor alone does little to remedy the situation of new teacher attrition (Wong, 2004b).
Serpell and Bozeman (1999) indicated the mentoring program component is essential to many induction programs, but it is not helpful in and of itself. Schlager et al. (2003) stated new teachers� needs are so varied and immediate; the appropriate combination of expertise, experience, and cultural background is unlikely to reside in one mentor. Gold (1996) wrote all school districts should offer a multilayered and multiyear mentoring program that provides systematic help and support. This cannot be done by a teacher with a full-time teaching load who drops by when time permits or when the new teacher has a problem.
Summary
The existing research provides useful insights into contemporary methods of beginning teacher support, mentoring and induction programs. Yet what is not evident is how effective the mentoring program is for lateral entry teachers. This does not suggest that the initial experiences of beginning teachers are entirely different from those of their colleagues that teach in an established school with experienced administrators. Although lateral entry teachers may lack pre-service training in the field of education, once employed within the school district they experience many of the same conditions as their counterparts. Future research must address the areas of leadership, district level support and school-based support as it appears that there are variations in terms of levels of support received by beginning teachers from state to state, and across and within school districts.
The conceptual framework for this case study argues that the first years of teaching are typically the most challenging for beginning teachers. Often novice teachers struggle to survive day-to-day (Bartell, 2005).
Some of these challenges are minor in nature, whereas others have the potential to cause a new teacher to consider leaving the profession. Increasing awareness of how crucial these initial years are in retaining beginning teachers has led to more attention being paid to the mentoring process of novice teachers. Based on what is already known about the mentoring and induction process of beginning teachers there is a need to expand upon this knowledge and examine the mentoring and induction process at the Bill E. Ireland Youth Development Campus. By doing so new findings may emerge that will contribute to the existing research.
This chapter reviewed the current literature on the mentoring process of beginning teachers. It offered an overview in relation to the central purpose of the case study. Chapter III will describe the research design of the case study.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
In the previous chapter, an overview of the research literature used to design this study was presented to include the ideas that offer impetus to the study. Written documentation obtained from the school district central office, such as resource materials appropriate to beginning teachers support and induction programs, were summarized to reveal the underlying fundamental principles behind the school district support systems. Information presented in Chapter II offers insight into how mentoring and induction programs affect new teachers� practice and dispositions and subsequently the extent of the needs of teachers new to the profession. Chapter III focuses on the purpose of this study and offers an overview of the design of the study. Research questions, research design, instrumentation, participant sampling procedures, data collection techniques, and data analysis techniques will also be presented in Chapter III.
Research Questions
The following research questions were the primary research questions for the study:
1. What kinds of adequate support do beginning teachers say that they need in the mentoring process? How do new teachers perceive the support that they actually receive?
2. How do beginning teachers develop as teachers as a result of support and experience?
3. How do new teachers respond to critical incidents and what support is necessary for them to respond successfully?
4. How does the support beginning teachers receive and the extent to which they develop influence their decision to stay in the teaching profession?
Research Design
Using the four research questions as a foundation, this study used a qualitative, case study research approach to reflect the beginning teacher perceptions of the mentoring program within their school setting. Creswell�s (1998) definition of a case study is �an exploration of a �bounded system� or a case (or multiple cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information rich in context� (p. 61).
This case is a �bounded system by time (data collection) and place (a single campus)� (p. 37).
A single program (within-site study) was selected for the purpose of this study.
The case study offers insight into the phenomenon being studied in this case mentoring as it exposes real life situations. Stake (2000) indicates that the goal of the case study is to offer a deeper awareness about the subject, which may in turn influence practice. Merriam (2001) argues that �case study has proven particularly useful for studying educational innovations for evaluating programs and for informing practice� (p. 41).
This insight is helpful for researchers, school districts and beginning teachers when analyzing current mentoring programs in that it has the potential to inspire and inform prospective program development in order to improve the mentoring and induction process for beginning teachers.
As qualitative research is able to offer an awareness from the participants� perspective, the use of qualitative research for this investigation conveyed a specific understanding of beginning teachers� perceptions of the effectiveness of the mentoring and induction process.
Semi-structured interviews and survey method through distributed questionnaire were utilized as data collection tools to guarantee that a reliable qualitative study was accomplished. Through these methods I was able to observe, examine and analyze the specific situations and experiences of the teachers in the school setting. There is an abundance of existing research on the mentoring and induction programs that schools provide for beginning teachers that has fundamentally utilized surveys and questionnaires. However, there is little research based on the evidence provided by beginning teachers, which relates to their perceptions of how mentoring and induction programs affect their practice and dispositions.
A voice recorder was used during the interviews, but the line of questioning had to be flexible as I felt that it was not possible to follow rigid questions. Audio-taping the interview, according to Sagor (2000, p. 107) �frees you from the need to take notes and allows you to make the interviewee more comfortable with eye contact and interaction. It also gives you a verbatim account for later use in analysis.�
Questions Posed to the Participants
This case study examined the perceptions of beginning teachers of the mentoring process at the high school level and in order to reveal a rich and holistic cultural portrait of the teachers, the first section of the instrument asked participants to provide demographic information. Questions in this section asked participants to identify their age, socio-economic status, high school locations and college degrees achieved, current status in terms of licensure, traditional versus lateral entry beginning teachers, and experience in their career of choice.
The second section of the instrument initially asked a broad question. Additional supplementary open-ended questions were designed to give the participants the opportunity to fill in gaps and identify and reflect on areas in which they considered their practices and dispositions were affected by the school they either did or did not receive as a new teacher. These questions were included to allow participants the opportunity to express their concerns that had not been identified in the first section of the instrument.
As the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mentoring programs for the new teachers, generalizability is limited. Merriam (1998) points out that, �In qualitative research, a single case or small nonrandom sample is selected precisely because the researcher wishes to understand the particular in depth, not to find out what is generally true of the many� (p. 208).
Thus, no generalizations have been based on this information and it is recognized that sample studies only provide an incomplete indication of the scale of the question under study. It is recognized that the sample here is not large enough to be statistically valid.
The Participants and the School Setting
This study was conducted at Bill E. Ireland Youth Development Campus in Milledgeville, Georgia. Bill Ireland is a long-term Juvenile Detention Center for incarcerated youth ages 12-17 that have committed criminal offenses in Society. The Education Program is an essential component in the treatment of youth assigned to Bill Ireland Youth Development Campus. It provides the Youth with the best possible opportunities to meet academic successes through mastery learning of the quality core curriculum. The department meets all standards required by the Georgia Department of Education. Teachers are required to maintain the same qualifications and certificates as all Georgia teachers are required. This population of the youth is a very difficult population to manage and teach. Most of the youth are 3 to 4 grade levels behind, are in special education, and have not been a traditional school setting for many years. Most of them have little to no interest in school because of their academic inabilities and disruptive behavior. These issues make it very difficult for the teachers to teach in the Youth development setting. Many teachers cannot adjust to these issues and therefore leave their jobs within the first year and some as early as within the same day. Having a mentoring program is very important in the success and retention of teachers in a Youth Development Campus. This study included 16 teachers, 8 beginning teachers and 8 teacher mentors. Beginning teachers were paired with a veteran teacher to mentor them. Only one of the eight beginning teachers had a degree in education. The other seven teachers had degrees in other areas and decided to attain certification in the teaching .
Data Collection Techniques
In order to gain an extensive awareness of beginning teachers� perceptions of mentoring a semi-structured interview was developed for use with the participants. Besides the interviews, survey method of distributed questionnaire (appendix �A�) was also adopted to gain an in depth knowledge of the research problem. Qualitative research uses appropriate procedures for collecting empirical data. These methods vary between observations and fieldwork to interviews and questionnaires. Interviews enable individuals to release facts about themselves in terms of their lives and perspectives they have about specific issues and situations and morals and values they hold.
I transcribed all of the interviews and I personally delivered copies of the transcripts to each participant so that they could be checked for accuracy and clarity. Participants were given a period of time to make any changes or additions to the transcripts. When the transcripts were collected only minor changes were requested.
The open ended questionnaires were distributed among (�..) participants with the request to fill in return to the researcher which were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS and the results were combined with the interviews results.
Data Analysis
Once the data were collected it was possible to identify what the data yielded, how the data techniques connected, and ultimately what patterns and themes emerged. I transcribed all of the interviews, and analyzed the questionnaire results through SPSS to identify whether any concerns were expressed more by some teachers than others.
Summary
Chapter III presented the research questions, research design, instrumentation, data collection techniques, a description of the school setting, and data analysis procedures. The data were to examine the perceptions of the beginning teachers in their 1st or 2nd year and mentor teachers regarding the effectiveness of mentoring and other guidance they received as beginning teachers in a youth development school. Techniques for developing and reviewing the trustworthiness of the interview instruments were also explained. There were 16 teachers, 8 beginning teachers and 8 teacher mentors. Beginning teachers were paired with a veteran teacher to mentor them Chapter IV will describe the demographic details of the participants.
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