The purpose of this study was to determine how the involvement of the principal and assistant principal in the beginning teacher (BT) induction process influences both self-efficacy and retention from the perspective of beginning teachers in a rural district in northwestern North Carolina. While research exists that highlights the importance of an induction process for beginning teachers in their first year of teaching and the need for fostering self-efficacy among beginning teachers, little analysis has been conducted specifically on the role of the principal or assistant principal in building beginning teachers’ self-efficacy during that process. The underlying framework of this research study focused on principal leadership as it supports a beginning teacher induction program fostering self-efficacy, effectiveness, and retention.
Data collection strategies included individual, semi-structured interviews, and document review. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) categorization of data using emergent codes through horizontalization; (b) identification of topic clusters using thematic analysis; and (c) re-examination of the data. The analysis of the interview data was based on the theoretical proposition that principals play an integral role in fostering self-efficacy and retention among beginning teachers. The credibility of the analysis was protected by triangulation of the data through multiple sources, including multiple sources of evidence, member checking, and peer review.
The results revealed that beginning teacher self-efficacy and retention were inherently related to principal or assistant principal engagement through supportive services. The results show that while beginning teachers require and benefit from district-level induction support, they are aware of the need for and seek out school-level involvement from their principal and assistant principal. Three overarching themes emerged from the analysis of the data: (1) human resource support, (2) environmental support, and (3) structural support.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-5548 |
| Date | 01 May 2022 |
| Creators | Shepherd, Rachel |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright by the authors. |
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