It is estimated the national teacher shortage will be approximately two million by the year 2010. Thirty to 50% of new teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years. In an effort to improve teacher quality and retain teachers, many states and local school districts have instituted induction and mentoring programs. The state of Utah's Early Years Enhancement (EYE) induction and mentoring program went into effect January 1, 2003. This purpose of this study was to examine how secondary novice teachers experience the mentorship requirement of the EYE program. A phenomenological approach was used to illustrate the lived experience of 19 Utah teachers who completed the mentorship and all other requirements of the EYE program in order to earn their Level 2 License and continue on in the profession.
Some of the themes that emerged from the participant interviews are congruent with the literature in terms of the benefits of a mentorship. A majority of participants reported their mentorship was beneficial because their mentor was a source of advice and information; their mentor was a confidant who also inspired confidence; and they got along with their mentor. Included in the study are unanticipated perceptions regarding the portfolio and the Praxis II requirements of the EYE program, giving a more holistic picture of what participants experienced during the mentor and induction process.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTAHS/oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:etd-1293 |
| Date | 01 May 2009 |
| Creators | Armstrong, Philip D. |
| Publisher | DigitalCommons@USU |
| Source Sets | Utah State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | All Graduate Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact Andrew Wesolek (andrew.wesolek@usu.edu). |
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