Date of Award

Spring 5-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Program/Concentration

Curriculum and Instruction

Committee Director

Jori Beck

Committee Member

Steve Myran

Committee Member

Thomas Bean

Abstract

The current teacher shortage and the demand for high quality teachers presents a nationwide educational problem. Additionally, more than one-third of teachers leave the profession within the first five years of their careers (Callahan, 2015). The most vital and systemic change that is needed in our educational landscape is the attraction, retention, and professional development of quality teachers (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003). If school district administrators expect new teachers to succeed, they need to provide them with unprecedented levels of support. This qualitative research study examined new elementary education teachers' perceptions of the influence of their mentorship program and the factors that influenced their relationships. Fifteen elementary teachers participated in the survey from one school district in Southeastern Virginia. The participant responses were analyzed using emergent coding. Results revealed four themes: (1) positive mentor relationship; (2) support system; (3) influence of teacher preparation and teacher induction program; (4) intricacies of the educational profession. Findings from this study can be used to inform mentorship practices in school districts to better support new teachers.

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DOI

10.25777/tz6v-qj77

ISBN

9798379734831

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