Doctor of Education / The Perceptions of Elementary Teachers on their Induction Program and Retention Bernette D. Brock General Audience Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine teacher perceptions of induction programs and their decision to remain in teaching. The participants in this study included elementary teachers in one rural Virginia school division. Quantitative research methods with a survey methodology were used to gather data about the participants induction experiences, induction program length, and induction activities. Three open-ended questions were also included to allow participants to share additional information about their induction experiences that was not captured in the survey questions. School divisions can benefit from this quantitative study to attract, train and retain teachers as they look for strategies to recruit and retain teachers. Findings indicate that a well-organized structured induction program that include the assignment of a mentor, facilitator, or coach, along with participation in professional development were perceived to be the most valuable induction activities by elementary teachers in this study for both development and retention.

Teacher induction programs are a means to support and guide new teachers in bridging the gap between pre-service preparation and assuming the role as a professional educator. This qualitative case study reviews the perceptions of second-year teachers regarding the induction program, Beginning Educators Support and Training (BEST) they experienced. The in-depth study explores the relationship between an induction program in a small urban Texas school district and the second-year teachers participating in that program. The participants in the study were three, second-year elementary teachers. The methods of data collection were one-on-one interviews, a questionnaire, and journal responses from all participants. My research question was: What are the second-year teachers' perceptions of the BEST program? In addressing this question, this study obtained responses to four sub-questions: 1) Do the second-year teachers? perceptions of the BEST program correlate with their perceived effectiveness as teachers? 2) What are the problems new teachers face? 3) How do second-year teachers perceive the impact administrators have on induction programs and new teachers? and, 4) What components of the induction program are recognized by these second-year teachers? Research supports the assertion that new teacher induction programs have been proven to provide support to new teachers in the critical first few years, and this study supported the induction process in relation to the new teacher socialization process and transitioning from pre-service preparation to classroom teacher of record. The induction process was not the salient factor the teacher participants attributed to their job satisfaction and to their remaining in the school district. However, the support, nurturing, and guidance provided through the mentoring culture fostered by the BEST program were significant to the subjects' teaching success during their critical first years of teaching.

Are new school administrators prepared for the surprises, obstacles, and opportunities they are likely to encounter during the first-year in their new role? Sadly enough, too many new leaders do not feel prepared to meet the challenges of their new role as an administrator. In 2006, the National Center for Education Statistics (2006) reported that there were 95,726 administrators in the U. S. Within this pool of administrators, approximately 127 were new hires in the state of Louisiana (LDE, 2006). In an effort to find ways to support, guide, and retain new principals, the Louisiana Educational Leaders Network, under the direction of the Louisiana Department of Education, developed the Louisiana Educational Leaders Induction (LELI) program in 1994. The LELI Program was designed to build administrative, instructional, and professional knowledge and skills of first-year principals and assistant principals with the assistance of a team mentor. Perspectives from elementary and secondary principals regarding their mentoring experiences within the LELI Program during their first year as principals were investigated. Two research participants from each of the eight Louisiana educational regions were selected through stratified random sampling techniques and interviewed. The research question guiding the one-to-one interviews was, ―What are the perspectives of first-year principals regarding their experiences with mentors and the mentoring process within the LELI Program?‖Data from the interviews provided insight about the mentoring elements most crucial to the preparation, support, and leadership of first-year principals. This research study substantiated the belief that mentors and the mentoring experiences of new principals are vital to their survival during their first year. The need exists for continued research that examines the relationship between the mentor and the mentee in creating and sustaining successful schools. Overall, the qualitative results of this exploratory study promoted understanding of the importance of mentors and the mentoring experiences within the LELI Program for first-year principals. Mentoring is a vital component for preparing, supporting, and building leadership in first-year principals, and this study yielded findings organized around eight themes that focus on necessary elements within the mentoring component of the LELI Program.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the first two years of beginning teachers' professional development and learning. The study sought to document and understand the conditions and discursive practices of seven purposely selected schools that were implementing robust beginning teacher induction programmes. The focus was on induction, located in a comprehensive national system, to reveal the practices and tensions experienced by beginning teachers as they advanced their learning and development. It is anticipated that the seven case studies, along with the working theory of sound induction will add to the body of knowledge in the field of teacher learning and professional development and contribute to the debate about teachers' work and quality teaching. Few studies have investigated beginning teacher (BT) induction in comprehensively resourced systems. Much of the research investigates fragmented parts of BT experiences. The literature shows that when a holistic examination of induction is carried out it tends to be predominantly in the secondary school context. In-depth research into year one and year two teacher learning and professional development in sound primary school induction programmes was not found. The study provides a working theory of beginning teacher learning and, as Renwick (2001, p. 33) suggested, exemplars to maximise the effectiveness of schools to employ and support beginning teachers . Sound induction has the potential to positively influence teacher practice as research evidence indicates early career experiences affect future practice. The research is a multi-site collective case study that takes an interpretative, qualitative stance drawing on constructionism to inform the interplay between sociological and psychological theoretical disciplines, which make the information visible in different ways. The case studies scrutinise in depth, individual school contexts and are instrumental in providing better understanding and theorising about the collective case of beginning teacher induction. The primary sources of data were individual and focus group interview transcriptions. In addition, there were the accompanying notes and related school documentation. i Data analysis was an iterative process of inductive and deductive reasoning to make meaning that moved beyond description to identify categories and themes that emerged both within schools and across schools. Evidence of sound BT induction was found although variation in induction practices between schools was noted. Beginning teacher induction went beyond advice and guidance to incorporate educative mentoring in collaborative, collegial schools where high expectations prevailed. The findings suggest that teacher learning should be informed but not constrained by lock-step models of learning and development. Aspects of development as a professional were advanced and, in other respects, marginalised by the education policy focus on children's achievement. Feedback and children's learning and achievement underpin beginning teachers' judgements about their development as teachers. The socio-economic school contexts were less important than the quality of leadership, school cultures, expectations and the confidence of individual novice teachers. The study raises questions about the nature of teachers' work and teacher, government and societal expectations. It is anticipated that these findings will increase understanding of, and provoke debate about beginning teacher learning and their development as professionals.

This qualitative dissertation research explored the case studies of four novice special education teachers who were the primary instructors for English language arts for students in grades three through eight with an I.E.P. This study addressed the teachers' perspectives, beliefs, practices, and related induction needs concerning their construction of exemplary practice in the teaching of wtiting. Exemplary writing instruction is defined by the inclusion of (a) the professional standards found in the state of Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, Illinois English Language Arts Standards for All Teachers and (b) the Exceptional Needs Specialist Standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Data were obtained over the course of three months from audio-taped, semi-structured interviews, three full class period non-participant observations, and an open-ended written questionnaire addressing the following primary research questions: (1) How do the descriptions by special education teachers of exemplary practice in the instruction of writing align with the professional standards? (2) What do special education novice teachers percieve as the role of teacher educators, mentors, other teachers, administrators, as well as classroom and school contexts, in learning and applying the professional standards in their writing practices? (3) How do novice special education teachers' beliefs about the learning and instruction of writing influence their acquisition of pedagogical knowledge pertaining to the professional standards in their writing practices? All data were transcribed and analyzed from a theoretical perspective of socially situated constructivist learning first by open coding and then coded by research question through cross-case analyses. Data were then analyzed by open-coding, followed by the coding of each research question utilizing a case-by-csae analyses. Data were further analyzed by comparative analyses of data collected by interviews, observations, and open-ended questionnaires to determine emerging patterns, categories, themes, and discrepencies. Findings indicated five emergent themes or issues and associated sub-themes of teacher as learner as common across cases and within- case findings were distributed throughout. These five major themes were (1) k-12 experience in learning to write, (2) learning to teach writing in teacher education programs, (3) learning to teach writing as practicing teachers, (4) preferred ways to learn to teach writing, and (5) novice special education teachers' beliefs about the learning and instruction of writing. The novice special education teachers' need for professional development induction support networks pertaining to the acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge for writing was another emergent category that was addressed in the findings for research question two. The findings were presented and discussed to illuminate the novice teachers' perspectives, beliefs, practices, and needs concerning teacher education, induction, and professional development in constructing exemplary writing instruction. Implications for teacher education, induction, professional development and further research were also discussed.

Doctor of Education / Department of Special Education / Robert H. Zabel / This study investigated the effects of new teacher induction programs on feelings of burnout of 69 newly hired special education teachers from two Midwestern, metropolitan school districts. The central research question was whether there was a significant difference in feelings of burnout between new teachers in a district that uses a special education instructional resource teacher as a key feature of their induction program and teachers in a district that uses a more traditional induction model. Participants’ scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey provided the dependent measures. There were, on average, no statistically significant differences (p < .05) in feelings of burnout of newly hired special education teachers in the two school districts. There were, on average, no statistically significant differences between the two groups. These findings suggest that, at least in these districts, special education teachers are staying in the field longer than originally expected, newly hired special education teachers are coming to the job better prepared, and deliberate and responsive induction programs did not influence feelings of burnout. The influence of participant demographic characteristics, particularly the amount of experience and licensure status, is discussed. Implications of these findings for special education teacher induction programs are suggested. Among these are the examination of supports from various sources, the availability of resources, and the structure of the induction program itself to meet the needs of more experienced teachers.

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The goal of this study was to identify some of the key stressors novice and veteran teachers face and to determine if there are any particular steps that administrators of the school systems can take to ensure the success of all teachers. The qualitative research method was used in this study. An interview guide was developed and used during the interview process. Eighteen teachers, nine new teachers and nine veteran teachers all with general education classroom experience participated in the research. The interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim, and then analyzed to develop themes. Themes emerged regarding issues that teachers felt were the biggest stress factors that they face. They were also found in relation to the traits that participants felt to be crucial to the success of new teachers including the teacher preparation program, and types of mentoring and induction programs in place, as well as the leadership style of the principal and professional development opportunities that were offered, and their impact on stress. Themes from the study show that teaching is a very stressful occupation, and that all teachers, regardless of the number of years they have been teaching, face similar stress factors. However, steps can be taken to help relieve stress that both new and veteran teachers are facing. Some changes may need to be made in teacher preparation programs, as well as the implementation of formal mentoring and induction programs. Principals and Supervisors can also play an important role in the stress levels that teachers face through their leadership style and professional development plans.

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