Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 71

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 69 NEWTEACHER AND MENTOR PERCEPTIONS OF MENTORING AND TEACHER RETENTION IN AN AFFLUENT DISTRICT Jaime Callahan, Ed.D. Introduction Every year, new teachers enter the profession of teaching and start their careers as educators. Unfortunately, before teaching for five years, almost half of those teachers will transfer to new schools or completely leave the profession (Ingersoll, 2015). One of the reasons teachers quit is that they feel they have no part in decisions that affect their teaching (Ingersoll, 2015). These new teachers become disengaged, feeling a lack of support and guidance. One of the main reasons teachers leave the profession is dissatisfaction with teaching. New teachers have specific needs and encounter unique challenges; therefore, researching retention methods for keeping newly hired teachers becomes significant. The amount of support new teachers receive can impact the decision to stay at their current school, district, or even the teaching profession. Mentoring programs have proven to reduce new teacher attrition. In addition, student achievement on state assessments in reading and math is higher for new teachers who have a mentor (Feiman-Nemser, 2003; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Kent, Green & Feldman, 2012; Ingersoll, 2015). Newly hired teachers change jobs or leave the profession of teaching before they have taught long enough to become highly qualified and contribute effectively to a rise in student achievement (Long, 2010; Shaw & Newton, 2014). A strong mentoring program can reduce new teacher attrition (Anhorn, 2008; Feiman-Nemser, 2003; Ingersoll & Strong, 2012; Kent et al., 2012; Long, 2010; Ingersoll, 2015). Gathering new teacher and mentor perceptions about the level of support they received adds to the body of research regarding ways to decrease teacher attrition. Summary of the Study The problem addressed in the study was new teacher attrition due to lack of support and dissatisfaction with teaching. The purpose of this study was to gain insights into the perceptions of new teachers with 0-3 years of experience who were mentored by district-assigned, untrained mentors regarding the teachers’ perceived level of support. In addition, the study sought to determine the perceived level of district support received by mentors in their ability to meet the needs of new teachers. A qualitative data collection approach was chosen for the study to allow the researcher the opportunity to collect pertinent information as it relates to teachers’ perceptions of support they received from their district-assigned mentor, as well as the perceptions of mentors regarding mentor perceived support received by the District in meeting the needs of new teachers. The data collection for the study was completed using an interview protocol by which semi-structured interview questions developed by the researcher elicited data to be analyzed for themes. Member checking, key informant interviews, expert panel insights, and document review were used as methods of triangulation for validating findings (Creswell, 2015; Patton, 1987). Dedoose qualitative data software was used to code and analyze the data. Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2019, VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd