This study examines the perceptions of new teachers regarding the benefits of full-time mentorship based on one particular new teacher induction program. Six new teachers and three mentors were interviewed in this study. Data indicated that full-time mentors could effectively introduce new teachers into the teaching profession if certain conditions were present. New teachers perceived the following benefits from effective full-time mentorship: increased confidence in their abilities, opportunities for non-evaluative observation and feedback, practice teaching of lessons prior to administrative evaluations, support with resources and materials specific to their situation, and the opportunity to ask critical questions in complete confidence. However, these benefits were not perceived when an unmanageable mentor-to-teacher ratio was present. One finding not prevalent in the literature was the characteristic of disassociation whereby teachers new to the profession had difficulties disassociating their professional work lives from their personal lives. The suggestion is made that further study is warranted to determine if the characteristic of disassociation could be used as a predictor of new-teachers at risk of leaving the profession. This study concludes by making eight recommendations for improving full-time mentor support and new teacher induction.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Bronwyn S. Fees / Character development is core in building a moral society and in the development of an individual (Lickona, 1996; Park, 2009). Building character is a continual developmental process across the lifespan and is subject to a myriad of influences. Character is often defined as the respect an individual has for the rules of the community and cultural surroundings (Lerner, 2007; Lerner et al., 2006; Phelps et al., 2009; Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2003; Snyder & Flay, 2012). Lickona’s theory of character (1999) distinguishes character development as a continual work in progress, and the morality of an individual contributes “to the cognitive element of character” (2001, p. 246). Additionally, Bronfenbrenner’s (1986; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998) bioecological model more specifically identifies the potential relationships within the microsystem as well as between the elements of the microsystem and youth that affect character. The purpose of this study was first, to examine the predictive nature of specific elements of the microsystem including peer relationships, parental involvement, and adult mentors on the development of character during adolescence and, secondly, to examine the change in variance explained by these specific elements on the development of character over time during the high school years. Data to address these questions were drawn from Lerner and colleagues’ (2005) 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses reveal parental involvement to be significant in predicting youth’s self-assessed character during their senior year, and each year between the freshman and senior years. The effects of peer relationships are significant only during the freshmen, sophomore, and senior years. Adult mentors reach positive significance only during the freshman year. When control variables are added, adult mentors are negatively significant during the junior and senior years. Results suggest parent’ involvement in predicting character is more enduring than peer relationships, which is consistent with previous research (Lickona, 2001; Park, 2004). With adult mentors reaching significance for only one year and with the other two years being negatively significant, the results of this study contradict what other research suggests as adult mentors’ integral role in youth development, particularly with frequent engagement in extracurricular activities wherein youth interact with adult advisors. Additional research is needed to understand specifically the role of adult mentors in character development, as well as other developmental areas of high school adolescents.

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There is increasing recognition of an impending shortage of educational leaders to fill vacant administrative positions. Consequently, interest in finding ways to support, guide, and retain novice principals has emerged. Mentoring is a popular and effective means of transferring knowledge from an experienced principal to a newly appointed one. Little attention, however, has been given to the process of formal administrative mentorships and how they can be shaped to meet the varied needs of new school principals. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal experiences of novice and veteran principals and the underpinnings of the formal administrative mentoring program in one local school district in Virginia. Seventeen principals were interviewed as participants in this case study. The study was implemented through the use of qualitative research methods of inquiry, including interviews with an administrator of the mentoring program, in-depth interviews with principals, and examination of available documents. This research presents the perspectives of both novice and veteran principals regarding the extent to which their formal mentoring experiences helped them. The data that emerged from this study demonstrated that the formal administrative mentoring experience provided the participants with a greater clarity of role, developed their understanding of the organization, thus facilitating their socialization into it, and helped with diminishing their feelings of isolation. The participants reported that mentoring helped increase their understanding of three major roles of the contemporary principal: (a) instructional leader; (b) school visionary; and (c) team builder. According to the novices, mentors helped them learn how to integrate into the school system through interaction with their communities and how to negotiate their needs within the school division. Novice principals' responses reflected ambivalence about this particular area of their mentoring experience and the help it afforded, however; their responses appeared to be related to their years of experience and the positions they had previously held in the division. Mentees and mentors alike reported that mentoring helped reduce their feelings of isolation through the development of camaraderie with one another as well as a network of colleagues. Most of the participants in the study reflected overall positive perceptions related to their formal administrative mentoring experiences. / Ed. D.

No / The crucial role of mentors.

To date, a little is understood about the experiences of mentors of at-risk youths.The present study sought to enrich this understanding by connecting with mentorsfrom Flamman, a youths-prevention organization in Malmö, Sweden, inquiringabout benefits and negative consequences they experienced as mentors, and whataspects contributed to the development of those outcomes. The study adoptedmixed methods design but only one part of data collection was successful,resulting in four in-depth interviews with mentors from Flamman. The resultsshowed numerous benefits deriving from a role of a mentor in terms of positivechanges in personality and attitudes, development of skills, and practical gains.Some negative consequences were revealed as well, specifically negative changesin personality and attitudes, and practical risks, although those were perceived asless important than the reported benefits. The nature of the experienced outcomesresulted from the interaction of the three actors of mentoring: the mentors, thementee, and the organization. The positive experience was generally characterizedby the ability to make a difference, experience success, and nurture positiverelationships with mentees and colleagues, while negative experience tended toresult from lack of success, difficult relationships, and barriers placed by outerinfluences. Overall, the mentors perceived the experience of mentoring inFlamman as positive and beneficial.

This research study examines the status of mentoring programs for beginning teachers in Manitoba’s public school divisions. Based on reviewed literature, a distinction is made between formal and informal mentoring programs for beginning teachers. The study is a naturalistic inquiry using a semi-structured interview protocol. Twenty four of 38 school divisions in Manitoba participated in the study. Interviewees were asked if the school division had a formal mentoring program in place, the histories, goals and rationales of their formal mentoring programs, and the strengths and challenges of the mentoring programs. If the division did not have a formal mentoring program, they were asked to comment on the way they support beginning teachers and on rationales for not having a formal mentoring program. Based on the school divisions interviewed, the study found that the province was almost evenly split between divisions with formal mentoring programs and those not having formal programs. However, formal programs were more prevalent in urban areas than in rural and northern areas. Mentoring was recognized as a strong support for beginning teachers providing benefits to the beginning teacher, the mentor and the school division. Programs varied greatly from division to division with little or no communication or collaboration between divisions to develop a common program as is done in some other Canadian provinces. The challenges for school divisions to offer formal mentoring programs included time, money, and geography. The study offers five recommendations to support beginning teachers. / May 2017

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to determine the mentoring process Black mentors used when mentoring White beginning teachers. Five mentors and their six mentees were surveyed and interviewed to find how cross-race mentoring processes in an urban school district in the Commonwealth of Virginia work. Seven themes emerged from the study: (a) perceptions of the mentoring process; (b) perceptions of classroom management; (c) perceptions of school quality; (d) perceptions of urban teaching; (e) perceptions of White advantage; and (f) presence of White privilege.