Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 72

70 Findings and Interpretation of Results The study was designed to examine new teachers’ and mentors’ experiences with mentoring and their perception of receiving support, as well as the effect of mentoring on new teacher retention. Three research questions guided the study: 1. What are new teachers’ perceptions regarding the support provided by their mentors? 2. In what ways does mentoring impact the decision of new teachers to remain in the District for the following school year? 3. What are mentors’ perceptions regarding the support provided by the District to help them meet the needs of new teachers? New teachers shared their perceptions about the support they received from their mentors with the following findings: • The new teachers’ ability to make connections depends upon having access to their mentors, spending time with their mentors, understanding district and school expectations, feeling connected to the profession of teaching, resource availability, and learning lesson planning strategies. • Time to connect with their mentors is linked to access. If mentors are easily accessible, then more time can be dedicated to mentoring. • Understanding district and school expectations and roles and responsibilities within the profession of teaching is a necessary part of the mentoring partnership. • The support that makes the biggest impact on their ability to do their jobs is district- and campus-specific information. Also vital to their success is position-specific information, support in acclimating to the District’s culture and climate in an affluent area, guidance with classroom management, time management, organization, emotional support, and companionship. • The relationship with their mentors contributes to new teacher success within the first year of teaching. New teachers shared their perceptions about the support they received as it related to their decision to stay in their position for the following school year: • The decision to stay in their position for the following school year is attributed to their mentors. • Other factors, like colleagues, parent involvement, administrative support, and students, also played a part in their decisions to stay. Mentors shared their perceptions about the support they received as it related to their ability to contribute to the success of the new teachers they mentored: • Making connections with the new teachers being mentored is important. Having dedicated time and accessibility to the new teachers enabled them to make connections. • Lack of access due to location within the school, personality conflicts, splitting time between mentoring multiple new teachers, or lack of opportunity to seek guidance from other mentors disables mentor attempts to connect with new teachers. • Mentors need more support in understanding what districts expect from them as mentors. • Mentors perceive that their role in the mentoring experience is to influence new teacher growth. • Mentors approach the mentor-new teacher relationship from two different mindsets: team-oriented mindset in which they created a positive, productive working relationship with the new teachers and felt responsible for the new teachers’ success; or leader-follower mindset, with the perception that the new teachers should be respectful of their expertise as experienced teachers and were not responsible for the success or failure of the new teachers. Implications Overall, new teachers reported feeling supported by their mentors and believed their mentors contributed positively to their development as teachers and helped them be successful during their first year. Research supports this finding, suggesting that mentoring programs advance the professional growth of new teachers making them more effective in a shorter amount of time, improve student learning, and reduce the attrition rate of new teachers (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). Research indicates that of all types of support designed to meet the needs of new teachers, access to mentors was the most valuable for developing effectiveness (Behrstock-Sherratt, Bassett, Olson, & Jacques, 2014). New Teacher Support Themes The new teacher support themes that emerged from the data include making connections, receiving guidance, and building relationships. In order to make connections, receive guidance, and build relationships, new teachers specifically felt that accessibility to their mentors and dedicated time spent meeting their needs were the most important components to the mentoring Jamie Callahan, Ed.D.