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Beginning teachers' perceptions of effective practices used by their mentor

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Beginning teachers' perceptions of effective practices used by their mentor

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BEGINNING TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF EFFECTIVE PRACTICES
USED BY THEIR MENTOR

by

Kathryn Slabodnik-Rivas

_________________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2010

Copyright 2010 Kathryn Slabodnik-Rivas
ii
DEDICATION
For my son, J.J.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my chairperson, Dr. Margo Pensavalle; my dissertation committee
members, Dr. Gigi Ragusa, Dr. Etta Hollins, and Dr. Kim Hirabayashi; to the
Downey Unified School District, especially Dr. Wendy L. Doty, Mimi Yusem, and
Denise Takano; to the University of Southern California Dissertation Support
Center; to my editor, Dr. Shantanu DuttaAhmed; to my husband, family, and friends;
and to all who participated in my study, I give my heartfelt appreciation for your
support, guidance, and patience and for the opportunity of experiencing such an
amazing process. Finally, I wish to thank God, through whom all things are
possible, for providing me with patience and persistence and lending me support.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ………………………………………………………………………. ...ii
Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………….....iii
List of Figures …………………………………………………………………... ...v
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………… ...vi
Chapter One: Overview of the Study …………………………………………... ...1
Chapter Two: Literature Review ………………………………………………...11
Chapter Three: Methodology …………………………………………………. ...48
Table 1: School District Year 2 Beginning Teacher BTSA participants (2008) ...52
Chapter Four: Results …………………………………………………………....58
Chapter Five: Discussion ……………………………………………………... ...89
References ……………………………………………………………………. ...106
Appendix: Interview questions ………………………………………………. ...116
v
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Components of Teacher Induction Partnership (MacIsaac, 1990) …. ...29
Figure 2: Components of a successful induction program according to …….. ...30
Wong (2004)

Figure 3: The ten goals of BTSA, according to the California Governor’s …. ...32
Office of the Secretary for Education (2002)

Figure 4: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs …………………………………….. ...99
vi
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine the value of mentoring techniques
as perceived by beginning teachers. One specific school district in Southern
California using the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program
was the focus of this study. There were 12 beginning teachers involved in their
second year of the BTSA program. The study focused on elementary school teachers
(Kindergarten through fifth grade). The beginning teachers were interviewed so the
researcher could identify their perceptions of effective techniques used by their
mentor during their first year of teaching. This study found four common themes
which emerged during the interviews. They were interactive dialogue, collaboration
and joint planning, demonstration and modeling, and observation and feedback. All
of these findings indicate that beginning teachers need assistance which will promote
retention and confidence in the teaching profession. This will help induction
program designers and administrators to consider these effective techniques when
developing and implementing an induction program.
1
CHAPTER ONE
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

Introduction
During the past two decades, one-on-one mentoring between beginning
teachers and veteran teachers has become the dominant paradigm used in teacher
induction programs (Fideler & Hasselkorn, 1999). An induction support program is
a structured system that allows beginning teachers to have access to support and
guidance during their first two years of teaching (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). The
beginning teachers also receive support through orientation and are assigned a
mentor (Smith & Ingersoll). Scholarship in the field of education continues to
indicate that beginning teachers are generally overwhelmed by the workload and feel
isolated from colleagues (Eisenman & Thornton, 1999; Hegstad, 1999). Salient
indicators of this isolation is that they reported having no one with whom to discuss
pedagogy used in the classroom, lesson planning and design, or school policies
(Field & Field, 1994). Harmon’s (2006) scholarship has indicated that new teachers
need specific support systems to remain invested in the teaching profession and to
improve their own pedagogical practices.
Research clearly indicates that mentoring is effective to counter the isolation
experienced by novice teachers, as described above. Ingersoll and Smith (2004)
found that providing beginning teachers with support systems, including mentoring
2
and group activities, made them less likely to move to other schools and less likely to
leave the teaching profession after their first year.
In 1992, the state of California developed a formal induction support program
called Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA). Induction is a
developmental phase of learning to utilize with educators who have completed a
credential program and are in their first two years of teaching (Smith & Ingersoll,
2004). During induction, a mentor and a beginning teacher meet regularly to discuss
student achievement, classroom organization, and how to create a positive learning
environment. The beginning teacher is assigned a mentor for their first two years of
teaching (Bartell, 1995) since attrition rates are the highest during this time (Darling-
Hammond, 2001).
Induction support programs emphasize the use of specific techniques to be
used by mentors. Previous research has shown that mentoring techniques most
frequently utilized are: interactive dialogue (Feiman-Nemser, 2003), collaboration
and joint planning (Shields, Esch, Humphrey, Young, Gaston, & Hunt, 1999),
demonstration and modeling (Howey & Zimpher, 1989; Kelley, 2004), and
observation and feedback (Algozzine, Gretes, Queen, & Cowan-Hathcock, 2007;
Wong, 2004).
Interactive dialogue between an experienced veteran teacher and the
beginning teacher supports beginning teachers’ professional development by
allowing them to discuss various components of their teaching (Feiman-Nemser,
2003). Collaboration was found to be valuable because the beginning teachers are
3
able to meet with their mentor to exchange ideas related to the strategies they are
currently using in the classroom and to assess how effective those strategies may
prove to be (Shields et al., 1999). Joint planning was also identified as a widely used
mentoring technique where the beginning teacher meets with their mentor to plan
curriculum-based lessons together. Demonstration and modeling is another critical
mentoring technique found to support beginning teacher development (Kelley,
2004). Using this technique, the beginning teacher can observe a lesson, modeled by
their mentor, and subsequently discuss how to implement strategies the mentor used
during the lesson. Observation and feedback are also cited in the pertinent literature
(Algozzine, 2007; Wong, 2004) as another effective tool in the mentoring process.
This technique involves both teachers participating in discussion related to the
effectiveness of the strategies chosen by the beginning teacher and observed by the
veteran teacher. The opportunity for both teachers to co-construct knowledge
supports professional development for both the novice and mentor teacher (Wong,
2004). During this type of dialogue the mentor and beginning teacher discuss and
analyze lesson planning, administrative questions, culture of the school, and meeting
with parents.
While each of the techniques described above are used in the mentoring
process, and has been acknowledged and discussed throughout the pertinent
literature as being productive and effective tools, research still remains to be done on
how beginning teachers perceive their effectiveness. Discovering those findings
4
would assist induction support programs with making sure mentors implement the
identified techniques.

Background of the Problem
Attrition rates among beginning teachers has been increasing for a decade
(Public Policy Institute of California, 2006). This growing trend has perplexed
educators, causing them to study possible sources of the phenomena (Lathan & Vogt,
2007). More than 20% of beginning teachers leave their positions within three years,
and 30% to 50% of beginning urban teachers leave the profession within the first
five years (Ingersoll, 2002). Most new teachers need collegial, interactive support
and professional development to help them find success during the first few
challenging years. Chester and Beaudin (1996) found that when new teachers are
faced with the challenges of urban teaching and left without this support, the
resulting sense of isolation may contribute to attrition. Eisenman and Thornton
(1999) corroborated this data by finding that when beginning teachers are isolated,
they do not experience the positive reinforcement from colleagues that is derived
from techniques such as interactive dialogue. Some new teachers are not observed
by anyone, other than an administrator, and do not have the opportunity to observe
colleagues; consequently, observation takes on a punitive tone, rather than being a
venue for productive, professional growth. Participating in cooperative professional
exchanges helps new teachers discover and improve their sense of self competence
as well as enhance and enable professional development.
5
Bandura (1986) has identified four sources of self-knowledge that describe
how people learn through these exchanges. They are (1) enactive attainments, (2)
vicarious experiences, (3) physiological state, and (4) verbal persuasion. Enactive
attainments are based on authentic mastery experiences, so when the experience is
successful, it is likely that the person will try it again; however, when the person
experiences repeated failures, they are less likely to keep trying without support.
Vicarious experiences were described by Bandura as modeled attainments, where an
individual assesses their ability to successfully complete a task by learning through
the observation of others. One example of vicarious experiences in education is
when mentors model lessons for beginning teachers, encouraging the beginning
teachers to implement the strategies into their own teaching style. The third source
that Bandura identifies is the physiological state, which requires and demands
physical strength and stamina. This can be observed when mentors assist the
beginning teacher in setting up classroom routines, classroom environment, and
reviewing curricula (Kelley, 2004). Finally, verbal persuasion is the oral
encouragement of a person, helping them to believe they have the ability to achieve a
certain task (Poulou, 2007). This is observed when mentors use positive interactive
dialogue such as verbal feedback, encouragement, praise, discussing norms of
persistence, and identifying achievement, to create goal setting and persistence with
beginning teachers (Milner & Hoy, 2003).
When beginning teachers experience individual success, progressive
professional development occurs (Bandura, 1986). Bandura’s sources of self-
6
knowledge, which have the potential to result in increased professional development,
may contribute to new teacher effectiveness. Therefore, investigating how beginning
teachers evaluate specific mentoring techniques will provide critical information that
will productively enable teacher development.

Statement of the Problem
The act of mentoring has become an institutionalized practice within
induction support programs (Ingersoll & Smith, 2004). Educational literature
suggests that in an induction support program, there is a significant positive
relationship between beginning teacher retention and mentoring (Riggs, 2000).
While beginning teachers have participated in mentoring relationships during
induction, their perception of which techniques provide the greatest support has not
been analyzed. Research indicates that mentors use techniques such as interactive
dialogue, collaboration and joint planning, demonstration and modeling, and
observation and feedback with beginning teachers. In a study by Reed, Reuben, and
Barbour (2006), the researchers were unable to identify which areas of support
provided by the mentor assisted in retaining beginning teachers. To truly understand
how beginning teachers perceive the value of the techniques used within the
mentoring relationship, research is needed to identify and analyze beginning
teachers’ perceptions of their effectiveness.
7
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze which mentoring
techniques used by veteran mentor teachers are perceived as most effective by
beginning teachers. This qualitative study collected data to create a hierarchy of
valuable techniques used during the mentoring relationship. Smith and Ingersoll
(2004) found that having a beginning teacher participate in an induction support
program, which included mentoring, increased their chance for retention in the
teaching profession. Although the field research has indicated which techniques are
most frequently used during mentoring and induction, to enable professional
development in beginning teachers, research is still lacking in identifying those
techniques that have been viewed as being most efficacious by beginning teachers
themselves.
Research Question
The research question guiding this study was:
• Which techniques occurring during a mentoring relationship
are perceived as most effective by beginning teachers?

Importance of the Study
Researchers discovered that when beginning teachers have a mentor, the
possibility of retention increases (Reed, Reuben, & Barbour, 2006). Mentors
working with beginning teachers use a myriad of techniques which may or may not
be tailored to the individual beginning teacher’s needs. Determining which of these
8
techniques proved to be most effective in increasing the professional development of
beginning teachers, remains a priority for researchers studying induction support
programs and mentoring relationships. Identifying this information will help a wide
variety of stakeholders such as district administration, beginning teachers, veteran
teachers, and parents.
District administration will be able to determine how effective mentoring is
during the induction support program maintained by their district. Administration
will further benefit by evaluating the continued needs of the induction support
program and specific techniques used by the mentors which enhanced the retention
of beginning teachers. Veteran teachers will be able to better define their role, as a
mentor, in assisting new teachers and using preferred techniques when building the
skills of beginning teachers. Beginning teachers will also benefit from well-chosen,
researched-based and tested, mentoring techniques since their mentors will be
implementing these identified techniques. Finally, parents and students will benefit
through the interaction with educational professionals, who are able to meet the wide
range of students’ needs.

Definition of Terms
Attrition: when a teacher leaves the teaching profession (Ingersoll, 2002)
Beginning Teacher: for the purpose of this study, a beginning teacher is an
educator in the first two years of their tenure after receiving their preliminary
9
credential. In this study, the participants are teachers in their second year of
participating in BTSA, holding a preliminary credential.
Induction: refers to the developmental phase of learning to teach to
educators who have completed a credential program and are in their first two years
of teaching. (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004)
Induction Support Program: refers to a program beginning teachers can
participate in, which offers support, guidance, and orientation (Smith & Ingersoll,
2004).
Mentor: a person who is professionally experienced ( a veteran worker) and
coaches a less experienced colleague, offering assistance in professional
development. The mentor typically shows commitment and respect towards the
beginning worker both personally and professionally (Healy & Welchert, 1990).
Mentoring: refers to the relationship in a work environment between a
veteran worker (the mentor) and a beginning worker to promote career development
(Healy & Welchert, 1990).
Retention: refers to the act of keeping beginning teachers in the teaching
profession (Hancock, 2003).
Self-Efficacy: it is based partly on beliefs a person has about their capabilities
to complete a task (Bandura, 1986).
Social Persuasion: the positive verbal support beginning teachers received
from prior professional experiences (Bandura, 1986)
10
Turnover: teachers leaving their school site (as opposed to attrition which
means teachers leave the teaching profession (Ingersoll, 2002).
11
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction
Historically, the teaching profession has not had the kind of structured
mentoring and initiation processes characteristic of many other professions, such as
the processes involved in medical and legal education. New entrants into the
teaching profession are often left to succeed or fail within the confines of their own
classrooms; an experience referred to euphemistically as being “lost at sea”
(Ingersoll, 2002).
As previously discussed, induction support programs are designed to assist
beginning teachers throughout their first two years of teaching. Smith and Ingersoll
(2004) found that the support received by beginning teachers during the induction
phase, such as mentoring, can build both professionalism and competence.
However, research lacks data identifying which specific areas of mentoring support
are the most effective in increasing the retention of beginning teachers. For the
purposes of this study, a review of the literature related to factors influencing
beginning teacher retention, current techniques used by mentors, and the history and
importance of induction programs is pertinent, and consequently is the focus of this
chapter.
A review of the significant literature has been divided into key areas that will
address the proposed research question: What techniques occurring during a
12
mentoring relationship are perceived as most effective by beginning teachers? The
literature review will begin with 1) a discussion of the theoretical frameworks
supporting this study. This is followed by 2) an examination of retention of
beginning teachers. Next, the literature review will present 3) an overview of
induction, including legislative impact on induction, induction development and the
implementation of induction support programs. This is followed by a description of
4) a statewide induction program used in California, (Beginning Teacher Support
and Assessment--BTSA), including a description of BTSA mentors. The literature
review continues with 5) how mentoring is used in induction support programs, and
6) describes significant studies conducted on how mentoring has affected beginning
teacher retention. The literature review concludes with an investigation of 7) which
mentoring techniques are currently being used with beginning teachers and how
beginning teachers view mentoring techniques.

Theoretical Frameworks
In order to investigate how the extant literature contributes to the study, this
dissertation will use two theoretical frameworks. The first theory is Social Cognitive
theory and the second is socio-cultural theory. These two theories and their
relevance to the current study will be discussed in this section.

13
Social Cognitive Theory: Bandura
The first theoretical framework guiding this study is social cognitive theory,
stemming from the works of Bandura (1986). The focus of social cognitive theory is
observation and modeling, mainly how people learn from one another (Ormrod,
2004). Three of the main concepts are observational learning, imitation, and
modeling (Ormrod, 2004). One of the general principles of social cognitive theory is
that through the observation of others, people can learn.
Reinforcement and punishment are the main factors in social learning
(Ormrod, 2004). Specifically, one observes another person’s behavior, imitates the
behavior, and then is reinforced for imitating the behavior. One common way this is
executed in education is through verbal reinforcement or encouragement (Ormrod,
2004).
Finally, in analyzing the concept of modeling, Bandura classified different
types of modeling: live modeling and cognitive modeling (Ormrod, 2004). Live
modeling is when a person demonstrates a desired behavior. Ormrod (2004) implies
that students can learn academic skills when someone demonstrates how to execute
the skill and also discusses how to think about the skill, called cognitive modeling
(Ormrod, 2004). Furthermore, modeling affects behavior by: teaching new
behaviors, influencing the frequency of previously learned behaviors, and increasing
the frequency of similar behaviors (Ormrod, 2004). When considering the impact
modeling has on behavior, the impact on academic skills is substantial (Ormrod,
2004).
14
There are many aspects when analyzing the cognitive factors in social
learning (Ormrod, 2004). One important aspect is outcome expectations (Ormrod,
2004), or the desirable outcomes people expect from a certain behavior (Bandura,
1977). Bandura, further, found that people not only form expectations from certain
behaviors, they also form beliefs about how they think they can complete a task
successfully, called efficacy expectations (Ormrod, 2004).
Another important aspect in cognitive factors of social learning was self-
efficacy. Bandura defined self-efficacy as “beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize
and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments” (1997, p.3).
Bandura (1997) believed that the development of a strong self-efficacy was critical
in order to utilize a person’s acquired skills. Bandura found that if levels of self-
efficacy are high in beginning teachers, they will perform well (1986); that is, one
can realize what it takes to do something, but they may lack the confidence they need
to actually perform the task. Self-efficacy also determines how much effort they
will put into that challenge, and how long they will continue to try to overcome the
challenge when faced with more obstacles (Bandura, 1986). Bandura (1997) also
described the difference between self efficacy and outcome expectancies as follows:
self efficacy being judgments of personal competence to complete a certain task, and
outcome expectancies as judgments of what will happen if that certain task is
completed. In this study, beginning teachers were asked to describe mentoring
techniques that gave them a sense of efficacy. They were also asked to identify
15
which techniques were so effective, that they wanted to stay in teaching for another
year.
Socio-cultural Theory: Vygotsky and Hickey
The second framework is socio-cultural theory. The relevance of this theory
correlates with the implied effect of Vygotsky’s (1929) work. Vygotsky contended
that humans have the capacity to alter the environment for their own purposes, and
correspondingly his theory stressed that the interaction between social, cultural, and
individual factors were the keys to human development. According to Vygotsky,
cognitive change results from using cultural tools in social interactions and
subsequently from internalizing these interactions. Vygotsky also contended that the
social environment was important for learning to take place, and furthermore that
these social interactions transformed learning experiences. It is critical to note, that
Vygotsky stressed the importance of taking into account, the specificity of the
learner’s culture(s) to explain the processes of learning and development.
Vygotsky’s (1978) work suggested that people learn from each other through
critical psycho-social interactions, and that within this setting and dynamic, new
knowledge is co-constructed between two or more people. One critically important
concept in Vygotsky’s theory is the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky
defined the ZPD as “the distance between the actual developmental level as
determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development
as determined through problem solving … in collaboration with more capable peers”
(p. 86). In the ZPD, a teacher and learner (or a mentor and beginning teacher), work
16
together on a task that the learner could not otherwise perform independently. The
ZPD reflects the dynamics of collective activity wherein those who are more skilled
share their fund of knowledge and skills with those who are less able (Bruner, 1984).
During these interactions, the teacher and learner produce cognitive change when the
learner internalizes the shifts in learning (Bruning, 1999). In Vygotsky’s study of
learners, he found that learners bring their own understanding to social interactions
and are able to build meaning. This theory has implications for teaching, schooling,
and learning, as it states that a person’s interactions with their environment
contribute to success in learning. Vygotsky’s theory also emphasizes the interaction
between people and their environment.
Hickey (1997) lends further support to Vygotsky’s concept as outlined above.
Hickey advocates for the contention that any participation in knowledgeable activity
changes the nature of that “knowledge,” thereby supporting Vygotsky’s (1978) claim
that knowledge is co-constructed via collaboration and he had described learning as
building and strengthening one’s own representations of external associations. In
this way, learning occurs whenever people engage in an activity that creates or
strengthens these associations. Furthermore, in order to keep people engaged in the
activities that help them learn, they need to stay motivated.
Vygotsky’s (1929) and Hickey’s (2003) theories encourage support from
others to promote development. An important aspect of Vygotsky’s theory is peer
collaboration. Research shows that cooperative groups are the most effective when
each learner has mastered the required responsibilities and has demonstrated
17
competence before progressing to the next set of responsibilities (Slavin, 1983).
Vygotsky’s suggestions about how a learner should interact with people, objects, and
events in the environment to accelerate their learning, directly correlates with
beginning teachers’ needs for interacting with peers, resources, and events (such as
mentoring) in the environment to accelerate their learning. In this study, the
professional development of the beginning teachers was promoted through providing
encouragement and feedback from the mentors, two of the main components in
Vygotsky’s theory contending that people learn from each other. Therefore, socio-
cultural theory will provide theoretical understanding of how much of an impact the
interactions between mentors and beginning teachers can have on beginning
teachers’ growth and, ultimately, retention. Hickey’s perspective was demonstrated
through the routine interactions beginning teachers have with their mentor, and the
small units of sequential learning that occurs associated with their induction
program.

Retention of Beginning Teachers
Curran and Goldrick (2002) found that a large number of qualified teachers
leave the profession due to job dissatisfaction and end up pursuing other careers.
Additionally, they found that nationwide 30% of beginning teachers leave within the
first five years, while in disadvantaged, low SES, urban areas, the rate of attrition is
much higher at approximately 50%. In their study, Curran and Goldrick also
concluded that while some beginning teachers leave for personal reasons, such as
18
raising children, the majority leave due to lack of support by the administration, poor
working conditions, insufficient preparation, low pay, minimal respect and limited
advancement opportunities.
While Curran and Goldrick (2002) found that teachers leave the teaching
profession within the first five years at high rates, Reed, Rueben, and Barbour (2006)
further specified these findings by reporting that 13% of new teachers leave public
schools by the end of their second year of teaching, and 22% leave by the end of
their fourth year. In their study, Reed, et al. examined patterns in new teacher
retention efforts such as teacher induction programs, teacher compensation, class
size reduction, student poverty, and business cycles, and how these efforts enable the
goal of retaining new teachers. For their study, the attrition records of teachers in
various parts of the state, with different types of credentials, were examined to
analyze teacher retention before and after implementation of an induction program
used in that state. Reed, et al. evaluated the school years 1991-1992 through 1999-
2000. Their database consisted of individual teachers who were certifiably working
for a public school district.
Reed et al. (2006) found that the retention of beginning teachers not only
increases the chance of improving student test scores and school quality in general,
but retention also helps to address the current shortfall of fully credentialed teachers
in California’s schools. They further validated the assumption that beginning teacher
retention can be attributed to new teacher induction programs. However, their study
19
was unable to provide which areas of support provided by the mentor assisted in
retaining beginning teachers.
Smith and Ingersoll (2004) found that beginning teachers were more likely to
stay at their site when they experienced collaboration and common planning time
with other teachers. In their study, Smith and Ingersoll found mentoring to have the
highest impact and to be the highest predictor in teacher retention. The study
compared the retention rates of teachers across the United States involved in the
same type of induction program. It sought to identify the effects of different kinds of
activities used during induction that led to higher retention rates among beginning
teachers. Through administering questionnaires to first year teachers who left the
profession, researchers were able to conduct a regression analysis on the impact of
participation in induction activities, such as mentoring, and beginning teacher
attrition.
Similar to Reed, et al. (2006) the study was limited, however, in that it could
not specifically determine which particular mentoring techniques led to beginning
teacher satisfaction. This was attributed to the survey items’ lack of probing details.
Reed, et al. discussed how the two typical outcomes of mentoring during induction
related to commitment to the teaching profession. Their findings suggest that if
beginning teachers have a mentor who chooses techniques that support growth and
competence, the likelihood for retention in the teaching profession increases. This
dissertation attempts to go beyond the aims of the Reed, et al.’s study to determine
20
which mentoring techniques were perceived as the most effective by beginning
teachers, as well as which techniques affected their efficacy.

The Confidence of Teachers
Rosenholtz (1989) clarified the importance of having high self confidence
among teachers. The article analyzed the needs of beginning teachers and reviewed
research on factors that increase the confidence of beginning teachers. Rosenholtz
related her findings to Bandura’s (1997) by suggesting that when people are highly
motivated, they perform well with greater confidence, creating intrinsic motivation
for them to continue to do well. Rosenholtz interviewed elementary teachers both
from schools where they were free to collaborate, as well as schools where teachers
were essentially isolated. The study’s findings support the idea that collaboration
among colleagues is critical for beginning teachers. Rosenholtz noted that the
greater exchange of ideas that beginning teachers observed between veteran teachers
and colleagues, the more comfortable the beginning teachers would feel when asking
for assistance. Rosenholtz goes on to mention that when beginning teachers
participate and experience collaboration, it is viewed as a school norm and a
necessary instructional tool. Additionally, Rosenholtz found that beginning teachers’
performance was directly related to how much positive feedback they received from
doing their work, and conversely, a lack of administrative and collegial support
discouraged beginning teachers from continuing with their teaching careers.
Rosenholtz’s research would suggest that identifying which mentoring techniques
21
are most effective in helping beginning teachers build confidence and competence is
paramount.
Like Rosenholtz (1989), Shields, Esch, Humphrey, Young, Gaston, and Hunt
(1999) attempted to identify which experiences used during the induction phase were
the most helpful from the beginning teachers’ perspective. Shields et al. examined
which specific areas of support used by mentors helped beginning teachers feel more
confident. Using social cognitive theory, their study examined how effective the
beginning teachers reported feeling after receiving mentor support through varying
activities and frequency of support. Not surprisingly, the more frequent the activity,
the higher the beginning teachers scored the specific activity as being efficacious,
reporting greater feelings of confidence. The two items that had a higher number of
frequency during the study were ‘asking for additional feedback’ and ‘developing
collaborative relationships’ with other teachers. Because mentoring support is
viewed as important to beginning teacher development, further study of which
specific mentoring techniques assist in the development of beginning teachers would
help future development of induction programs in this district to emphasize these
techniques.
Findings from Riggs (2000) suggested that the more confidence a mentor
exhibits, the more efficient the exchange between mentor and beginning teacher will
be. Riggs’ purpose was to evaluate mentors’ level of confidence through an
instrument she designed in 1997 titled the Mentor Efficacy Scale (MES). The two
groups that were analyzed in Riggs’ study included formally trained mentors versus
22
untrained mentors. The study’s significant findings indicated that mentors trained
through an induction program had higher levels of confidence than mentors who had
not participated in the training. Riggs (2000) discovered that a mentor trained to
work with beginning teachers is more likely to have higher confidence than those
without training experiences. Riggs also found that mentors who believed that
beginning teachers can be positively influenced by effective mentoring and that they,
as mentors, possess that ability, would invest more time with the beginning teacher,
thereby creating better beginning teacher outcomes. Therefore, it would be most
beneficial to beginning teachers to have a mentor who has received appropriate
training, therefore having higher confidence, who spends more time with the
beginning teacher, increasing the possibility of retention as well as efficacy. This is
most critical for induction support programs.

Induction
Induction programs have gained attention since their development began
(McCaughtry, 2005). Induction has been defined as “the period of transition from
student to professional when beginning teachers need supervision and support to
adjust to their new roles” (Berk, 2006). Smith and Ingersoll (2004) identify
induction programs as on-going and designed for teachers who have already
completed student teaching and are employed in a school district as a classroom
teacher. They describe induction as a bridge, connecting student teaching to
autonomous classroom teaching. Curran and Goldrick (2002) found that beginning
23
teachers who participated in an induction program, whether they came from
traditionally prepared programs or alternatively prepared programs, increased their
chances of staying in the teaching profession. According to McCaughtry (2005),
participation in induction programs increased during the decade from 1990 to 2000
nationwide. In the 1990-1991 school year, about 4 in 10 beginning teachers said that
they had "participated in a formal teacher induction program” (McCaughtry, 2005).
According to McCaughtry’s research (2005), by 1993-1994, the number increased to
just over half of beginning teachers, and by the 1999-2000 school year, participation
rates in induction programs had risen to about 8 in 10. This indicates a significant
increase regarding participation in induction programs. To provide an overview of
the concept of induction, this section will describe induction development,
implementation of induction programs, Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment
(BTSA), beginning teachers, and BTSA support providers (for the purposes of this
study, the term ‘BTSA support provider’ will be referred to as the mentor).

Induction Development
Recent California state legislation called for support and assessment of new
teachers due to high attrition rates (Center for the Future of Teaching & Learning,
2006). State policies require new teachers to complete a formal induction experience
to receive their clear credential (Shields et al., 1999). Induction programs are policy
interventions designed to address the problems that can occur during beginning
teachers’ first few years. Research by Shields et al. also supports the contention that
24
through induction, mentors should provide opportunities for the beginning teacher to
observe other teachers, be observed by others, and collaborate with peers and
mentors (Wong, 2004).
Recently, many states have created policies to develop induction programs
for their beginning teachers (Adler & Harvell, 1996). From 1988 to 1992, the
California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Commission on
Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) sponsored a pilot study entitled the California New
Teacher Project (CNTP) (Bartell, 1995). Bartell found that the purpose of this
project was to study the alternatives for supporting and assessing new teachers.
Senate Bill 148 authorized the CNTP and required state education agencies to
analyze how supporting beginning teachers could lead to more productive outcomes
in terms of teacher retention.
As part of the authorizations of Senate Bill 148, data was collected through
questionnaires, interviews, observations and ratings of new teachers’ use of
instructional practices. The questionnaires were completed by 1) new teachers in the
CNTP project, 2) new teachers not in the CNTP project, 3) veteran teachers and
university faculty who worked with CNTP new teachers and 4) principals of schools
who employed CNTP and non-CNTP new teachers (Bartell, 1995). Interviews were
conducted between researchers and CNTP project directors, staff development
directors in non-CNTP districts, samples of CNTP and non-CNTP new teachers and
CNTP new teacher mentors (Bartell). However, the data collected was not used to
25
evaluate how confident beginning teachers were; the research was simply aimed at
discerning the opinions of this population.
The CNTP was the groundbreaker for utilizing induction as part of the
teacher training process in California. Bartell (1995) found that because of the
CNTP, the educational world realized the importance of having a supportive
environment for a beginning teacher. The study also found that a well-designed
induction program improves teacher retention, teacher performance, career
satisfaction, and stimulates collegiality and reflective practices between beginning
teachers and veteran teachers (Bartell,1995). Upon its completion, 91% of the
beginning teachers stayed after one year, with 96% of those staying in the same
district (Bartell, 1995). After two years, 87% stayed in teaching, with 93% staying
in the same district (Bartell, 1995). These results were presented to the CCTC and
the Superintendent of Public Instruction and became the foundation for Senate Bill
1422, or the BTSA Program.
Senate Bill 1209, the Omnibus Teacher Workforce Bill, assisted with
induction; specifically, the funding and monitoring of induction programs. The bill
required funding for two years of induction, a provision which disallows districts to
let beginning teachers complete induction early. Further, the bill also required the
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) to regularly review
induction programs. In 2007, it allocated $1 million for the CCTC to review all
BTSA programs (CFTL, 2007). The CFTL stated that induction for beginning
26
teachers is one of the most important investments towards the support of beginning
teachers and their retention (2006).

Implementation of Induction Programs
The implementation of a new induction program can be difficult (Storms &
Lee, 2001). Such implementation involves paying careful attention to structures,
procedures, policies, and practices that support the design and intent of the program
(Storms & Lee, 2001). The purpose of the study by Storms and Lee was to evaluate
a different way of implementing a program and also to evaluate the professional
growth among beginning teachers as a result of the program. Storms and Lee found
that implementing a new program requires caring for the ways individuals and
groups understand, value, and interpret the effort they put into the program. The
BTSA program is used to promote communication between veteran and beginning
teachers regarding how the beginning teacher feels about issues such as their
classroom teaching, student achievement and classroom management (Storms & Lee,
2001). Through events and paperwork, the mentor and beginning teacher also
communicate about ideas to improve student achievement, camaraderie with other
teachers and effectively communicating with parents (Storms & Lee, 2001).
In the study by Storms and Lee (2001), the data were collected in six sets
during the 1999-2000 school year. BTSA program directors were interviewed three
times between January 2000 and June 2000. Focus groups were held twice during
the same school year with beginning teachers and their mentors, which were tape
27
recorded and transcribed. To develop a feedback system to improve the
implementation of induction programs, Storms and Lee suggested that program
directors ask mentors to share their written ideas about how the assessments were
working in general, or to share particular concerns voiced in meetings with a
beginning teacher. This way, beginning teachers’ ideas, views and concerns would
be recognized, with their mentors acting as advocates to promote those thoughts.
Through the socio-cultural framework, Storms and Lee discovered that
implementing an induction program provided much needed continuous support for
beginning teachers, resulting in beginning teacher retention. This study showed that
communication between beginning and veteran teachers is highly important for the
retention of the beginning teacher; however, whether the techniques used by mentors
increased confidence among beginning teachers was not addressed and, therefore,
remains unknown.
Like Storms and Lee (2001), MacIsaac (1990) also wanted to study teacher
attrition. MacIssac worked off of the premise that “assistance is more effective than
assessment” (p.10). At the University of Northern Colorado, a Teacher Induction
Partnership Program was designed to assist new teachers with achieving a smooth
and effective transition into becoming an experienced professional (MacIsaac, 1990).
The participants in the program taught full-time and attended monthly seminars, and
earned a monthly stipend and graduate credits (MacIsaac, 1990). MacIsaac further
explained that the program provides professional course work along with field
28
consultation and supervision, while using the mentor/beginning teacher model. The
components of the induction program are included in Figure 1.
29
Figure 1: Components of Teacher Induction Partnership (MacIsaac, 1990)
 an orientation for mentors, principals and beginning teachers
 graduate seminars
 a three person support team for each beginning teacher
 a legal agreement documenting roles and responsibilities of all
parties
 graduate courses for mentors
 classroom observations by full-time university staff
 release time for beginning teachers to observe other teachers, attend
conferences, etc.

There are certain, specific elements that help create a successful induction
program, according to Wong (2004). In a recent study, Wong discusses his
observations of schools and school districts with successful and replicable new
teacher induction programs which built on the need of ongoing professional
development. The research data showed the positive effects of induction programs
through improved teacher retention. Wong suggested that the following components
should be a common thread in successful induction programs:
30
Figure 2: Components of a successful induction program according to Wong (2004)
 Begin with an initial 4-5 days of induction before the school year
starts
 Offer a continuum of professional development through a systematic
training over a period of 2-3 years
 Provide study groups in which new teachers can network and build
support, commitment, and leadership in a learning community
 Incorporate a strong sense of administrative support
 Integrate a mentoring component into the induction process
 Present a structure for modeling effective teaching during in-services
and mentor
 Provide opportunities for inductees to visit demonstration
classrooms

Wong’s (2004) components demonstrate strong ways to produce an effective
induction program. For example, Wong (2004) found that by providing beginning
teachers with continuous support, building networks, and collaborating together gave
beginning teachers a sense of belonging and security. He found that this increased
their efficacy and, therefore, can make them want to persist in teaching. In 2004,
Wong conducted a study where he studied schools and school districts that had
successful and replicable induction programs. Wong affirmed that a structured,
sustained, intensive, and comprehensive professional development program that
allows teachers to interact with colleagues around their work and growth is what
keeps good teachers teaching. Furthermore, Wong’s research showed the positive
effects that induction programs have on beginning teachers’ retention, leading to
greater success in those areas. Wong further asserted that beginning teachers are
31
retained through structured, sustained intensive professional development programs
that allow new teachers to observe others, to be observed by others, and to be part of
networks or study groups where all teachers share together, grow together, and learn
to respect each other’s work. One induction support program is described below.

Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA)
Currently several different designs are being utilized for induction programs.
In 1992, California adopted an induction program, Beginning Teacher Support and
Assessment (BTSA) as one format for beginning teacher support (Smith & Ingersoll,
2004). BTSA is a program used by most public school districts in California for
beginning teachers. BTSA was developed to provide new teachers with supervised
teaching experience in schools. BTSA began with trials in local districts to identify
the effects mentors had on beginning teachers. However, of the various techniques
used by BTSA mentors, which have been deemed to be the most effective by
beginning teachers, remains unknown.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) reported that
between 1999 and 2000, 129 out of 133 programs using BTSA had collective
retention rates of 96% for first year teachers (2000). The rate for second year
teachers was 94% (CCTC). The retention rate for participants in California not using
BTSA was 63% (CCTC). Therefore, implementing an induction program
demonstrates higher retention rates for participants than non-participants. Over five
years, the entire program resulted in a retention rate of 91% for beginning teachers.
32
For elementary school teachers, the BTSA program improved beginning teacher
retention an additional 26% at a cost of about $3,370 per participant (Public Policy
Institute of California, February, 2006). According to the California Governor’s
Office of the Secretary for Education (2002), BTSA has ten defined goals. They are
listed in figure 3:

Figure 3: The ten goals of BTSA, according to the California Governor’s Office of
the Secretary for Education (2002)

1. Provide an effective transition to teaching
2. Improve educational performance of pupils through improved
training, information, and assistance for new teachers
3. Enable more effective teachers of culturally, linguistically, and
academically diverse students
4. Ensure professional success and teacher retention
5. Provide individualized support to new teachers
6. Improve the consistency and rigor of teacher assignments
7. Establish an effective and coherent system of performance
assessments for teachers that is based on the CSTP, which
encompass necessary skills, abilities, and knowledge of teachers
8. Offer every new teacher an individual induction plan based on on-
going assessment
9. Ensure continuous program improvement
10. Assure the public that veteran teachers are competent instructors

BTSA Mentors
The BTSA program uses mentors, called support providers, to assist the
beginning teacher with a myriad of support structures such as lesson planning,
33
classroom organization, grading, and time management (BTSA). The mentors are
typically veteran teachers who have been teaching at least three years and have gone
through the BTSA Support Provider training (BTSA); the training for mentors is
approximately 60 hours. There are additional monthly meetings that the mentor and
the beginning teacher must attend together. The mentor is also in contact with the
district BTSA coordinator. Typically, the support provider (or mentor) has the same
beginning teacher(s) for two consecutive years. The U.S. Department of Education
(2002) found that 66% of new teachers nationwide reported that having a mentor
improved their classroom teaching.

Mentoring in Induction
It is important to understand that there has been controversy over the specific
differences between induction and mentoring. Wong (2004) asserted that induction
is a process that assists professionals with growth and is usually organized by a
school district to train, support, and retain new teachers; whereas mentoring is an
active process. According to Wong, a mentor is an ingredient of induction;
however, the two words are not interchangeable.
As revealed through this literature review thus far, studies continue to
reiterate that mentors play an important role in teacher confidence and professional
growth. Even more importantly, research has demonstrated that the way to retain
these teachers is through an induction program (Kelley, 2004). Furthermore,
mentors can be effectively used in an induction program to retain beginning teachers
34
(Kelley, 2004). Kelley (2004) discovered that district-sponsored “orientations,”
periodic workshops, or generic instruction on classroom strategies used to be
considered induction experiences. However, research revealing the inadequacy of
such informal practices, has led to induction programs becoming more formalized, so
that induction as a process can become more effective. In order for school districts
to adopt more formalized induction programs, induction programs were required to
have certain tasks for beginning teachers. One of the main tasks was frequent one-
on-one meetings with a mentor (Kelley).
Kelley (2004) also discovered that the major strategies used in the ‘Partners
in Education (PIE)’ program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in conjunction
with six school districts, proved to be effective in raising teacher confidence. Some
of these strategies were reflective teaching practices, weekly individual mentoring
from a veteran teacher, and frequent networking with other novice teachers. This
study tracked ten cohorts of inductees through their fifth year of teaching. The PIE
program is an induction program tied to a masters’ degree program, which started in
1987. The program is highly selective, accepting between ten and twenty applicants
a year. The study used surveys for novice teachers, the mentors and administration
to receive feedback on their assessment and opinions of the PIE program.
Even though this program was different relative to the current study, the
results of the study shed significant light on the PIE program. In the area of
professional growth, 98% of principals and all 147 PIE teachers (over the course of
ten years) reported high levels of professional growth. Further, beginning teachers
35
reported satisfaction with the quality of mentoring they received in the program.
Moreover, PIE teachers seemed to be more open to productive and sustained
suggestions for improving their teaching, rather than searching for a quick fix to
improve areas in which they were pedagogically deficient. Kelley (2004) also found
that when beginning teachers reflected what they learned during the mentoring
process, through writing in journals and interactive dialogue, it created a sense of
efficacy for beginning teachers.
McCaughtry, Kulinna, Cothran, Martin, and Faust (2005) examined the
outcomes that a mentoring program can have on mentors and their protégés. The
study focused on how the mentoring program being studied influenced mentors and
how the mentors’ experiences in the program influenced the way beginning teachers
perceived the program and if that perception had an influence on the way beginning
teachers subsequently taught. The study used two groups of teachers in a large
Midwestern school district. One group had 15 veteran teachers who had experience
with the district-adopted physical education curriculum and were willing to learn
how to be mentors for newer physical education teachers. The second group
consisted of 15 newer elementary physical education teachers who volunteered to
learn about and be mentored in the district-adopted physical education curriculum.
The mentors completed the 40 item ‘Mentor’s Aptitude Inventory’ nine
times: before and after each of the four workshops and one final post-administration
at the end of the school year. Mentors rated their own aptitude on a five point Likert
scale. Similarly, beginning teachers rated their mentors using the 21 item Mentoring
36
Functions Scale (MFS) seven times during the school year, on a five point Likert
scale. Results indicated that mentors’ confidence dropped 10% after the first
workshop. McCaughtry, et al. (2005) suggested that this was due to mentors having
higher confidence in what they were doing before they were told in specific terms
what they were going to do. Mentors were perhaps questioning their abilities and
were fearful of failure after discovering their particular responsibilities for the
beginning teachers, (McCaughtry et al, 2005). This is a critical discovery and helps
researchers to further evaluate if mentors know what they are signing up for, and if
they are aware of what is really means to be a mentor. These aspects of mentoring
need to be further explored. Furthermore, as a result of this discovery, it is fair to
say that researchers may wonder if mentors eventually reconsider the decision to
have become mentors in the first place, and what affect this had on their efficacy.
This study also found that if mentors lacked specific subject matter knowledge, then
they questioned their ability to be mentors.
Based on the above findings, McCaughtry, et al. (2005) have suggested that
when induction program administrators assign mentors to beginning teachers, they
may need to consider the goal of induction and determine if the potential mentor has
the knowledge and skills to productively assist the beginning teacher. In many
instances, mentors volunteered to help beginning teachers even when they did not
realize the full extent of the potential requirements or training they needed to endure
as a mentor.

37
Mentor Characteristics
According to Patton and Kritsonis (2006), to develop a strong mentor, formal
mentor training is needed in an induction program. The authors mention how
important formalized mentor training is in order for mentors to stay updated on the
most current pedagogical strategies and educational theories. The scholarship in the
article explores the reasons for teacher attrition and analyzes research-based
strategies that principals can use to retain beginning teachers. Patton and Kritsonis
found one of the reasons beginning teachers leave the profession was due to high
stress which led to self-doubt which ultimately lowered their self-esteem. The
beginning teachers also mentioned that meetings with their mentors had been brief
and intermittent, thus not helping them in productive ways.
One of the five suggestions Patton and Kritsonis (2006) offered to principals,
was “providing new teachers with a highly qualified mentor” (p. 4) and for the
beginning teachers to have been enrolled in an induction program from the day they
were hired. The mentor’s teaching assignment should be in the same area as the
beginning teacher so that the mentor can offer as much assistance to the beginning
teacher as possible. The article goes on to state that mentors should not be selected
merely by meeting certain pre-established criteria, but by ensuring that those who
will function as mentors can actually carry out the tasks they will be required to
perform as a mentor. Additionally, Patton and Kritsonis suggest that mentors should
provide beginning teachers with socialization into the school culture and provide
emotional and psychological support. This particular assertion was important to the
38
current investigation because it suggests that mentors can use reinforcement and
encouragement to be more effective with beginning teachers, which is supported by
social cognitive theory. However, the present study seeks to discover the possible
answers to this query specifically through the perception of the beginning teachers.
The BTSA program has focused on how important training is for mentors to
know what is expected of them. The mentor, or support provider, in BTSA has been
trained for 60 hours and is taught how to collaborate with the beginning teacher
using the state standards while engaging in various mentoring activities. Mentors
rely on these activities so beginning teachers can learn through effective practice or
study, consult with colleagues, and utilize reflective practice (CCTC, 1999).

Teacher Retention Through Mentoring
Researchers found that beginning teachers leave the profession due to lack of
help, difficult teaching assignments, expectations to quickly begin performing like an
experienced teacher, overwhelming responsibilities that require advanced
multitasking, high stress, time commitment, and teaching assignments without
adequate preparation. This causes self-doubt in their abilities (SREB, 2001).
Moreover, in 2005, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and
Recreation found that while trying to manage the stresses that a new environment
and position can bring, mentors are used to support novices. This is especially true in
the teaching field. New teachers are not only overwhelmed with regular teaching
duties of instructing children, there is an underlying worry that connects with
39
parental/familial communication, classroom organization, lesson plan development,
professional development, and establishing co-worker rapport (SREB).
According to Sargent (2003), mentors can be a support system for the
beginning teacher by establishing an environment of safety and encouragement, and
by providing opportunities for the beginning teacher to feel efficacious in performing
their job. In a New Jersey school district, Sargent described how they used a highly
selective and organized process for hiring and retaining teachers. They provided
beginning teachers with a structured support system. The district had approximately
4500 students and had hired more than 60 teachers each year over the past three
years. The district had a 99% retention rate for non-tenured staff (which makes up
over 50% of the total staff). Sargent claimed that professional development
opportunities should be presented to beginning teachers, as well as the offer of a
supportive environment, such as providing a mentor. During their first year,
beginning teachers were provided with six workshops that promoted maximizing
student learning. Two of the workshops focused on specific strategies for effective
management and student involvement. During their second year, two workshops
were offered to teachers which were intended to sharpen their instructional strategies
for differentiated instruction. This way, Sargent found, the beginning teachers, in
their second year, had more time to meet with their mentor, lesson plan, and become
acclimated to the school culture, while still being provided with workshops to
improve their teaching strategies.
40
The beginning teachers met their mentors at summer workshops, where the
mentors helped the beginning teachers with lesson plans and shared teaching ideas.
The beginning teacher-mentor relationship was described as “successful and natural”
(Sargent, 2003, p.3). Sargent (2003) found that this can greatly reduce feelings of
being overwhelmed, as well as feeling inadequate, and unmotivated. Sargent also
found that if beginning teachers feel like a part of the culture and feel that they can
succeed in the climate, they are more likely to stay in the profession. However, this
study did not search or discover which particular mentoring techniques were
perceived as the most effective by beginning teachers.

Current Mentoring Techniques and Support
There is much debate in the literature regarding the most effective techniques
that are used by mentors. Howey and Zimpher (1989) found that collaborative
action, reflection, and letting beginning teachers and mentors observe each other’s
teaching and providing feedback demonstrates some of the best techniques in the
literature.
Algozzine, Gretes, Queen, and Cowan-Hathcock (2007) studied activities of
an induction program and beginning teachers’ perceptions of their effectiveness.
The purpose of the study was to examine which activities beginning teachers
experienced through induction during their first years of teaching. Third year
teachers in 14 school districts in North Carolina were part of the study.
41
Algozzine, et al (2007) studied beginning teachers’ perception of their
experiences in an induction program. The beginning teachers stated the positive
experiences and then ranked them. Not surprisingly, among those rated the highest
were: being observed and opportunities to engage in cooperative learning.
Observation is the focus of social cognitive theory and cooperative learning is the
focus of socio-cultural theory.
Teacher induction programs have referred to a variety of activities such as
classes, workshops, orientations, seminars, and one on one mentoring (Shields et al,
1999). Like Sargent (2003), Shields et al. found that the most common type of
induction support was workshop attendance. In their study, Shields et al. researched
how much support new teachers receive, and the quality and impact of that support.
Shields, et al (1999) defined mentoring as collaboration between an experienced
teacher and a beginning teacher to assist in a variety of aspects relating to the
profession and the school district. Shields et al. mentioned that the top three most
important techniques in the support of beginning teachers were: 1) assignment to a
mentor, 2) allowing time to observe other teachers, and 3) allowing time to meet
with other teachers. This study also mentioned activities provided by the mentor.
Interestingly, some of these activities included the mentor preparing or sending
materials to the beginning teacher, professional dialogue between mentors and the
beginning teacher examining student work, and receiving help from the mentor in
developing lesson plans. This study identified eight mentoring techniques used in
induction that were reported by beginning teachers as being the most effective.
42
These were: 1) collaborating around concrete activities that focus on instruction and
student work (joint planning), 2) to observe other teachers (observation), 3) share
about subject matter content (joint planning), 4) discuss the importance of having a
strong teacher relationship with the students (rapport), 5) receiving advice about
professional issues (feedback), 6) tackle common challenges in the classroom
(differentiating instruction), 7) review how to relate to students’ families, share
student work samples (joint analysis) and 8) observe lessons and provide targeted
feedback.
A study by Young and Cates (2005) found that the type of communication
that is used between the mentor and the mentee, can be significant in terms of being
helpful to beginning teachers. For example, they described “playful communication”
as a non-serious, informal mode of communication that includes humor and telling
stories (Young & Cates, 2005). They claimed that playful communication can ease
the tension for beginning teachers and leads to effective mentoring. In their study,
Young and Cates investigated freshman in their first semester at a state university
enrolled in an orientation course by giving their instructors a questionnaire to
distribute. The questionnaire had 28 items and was based on a seven point Likert
scale, and focused on the student mentors’ playful communication. The students’
ages ranged from 18-20 and 183 of 200 questionnaires were returned. The results
showed that the students liked mentors who engaged in playful communication.
However, the analysis of the questionnaires’ results showed that these outcomes
were based on the students’ perceptions of their mentors’ playful communication,
43
not their perception of their mentors’ attitudes. Young and Cates proposed that
playful communication leads to effective mentoring because the protégé feels more
at ease and feels more connected with the culture of the school, creating a strong
sense of belonging. In the present investigation, the type of communication used by
a mentor may be considered one of the mentoring techniques which assisted in
beginning teacher development.
Genz, Levin, and Bishop (1996) discovered that the types of teacher support
used in the evaluation of a faculty mentoring program in a community college in
Maryland were: help with tests, grading and project development, mentors available
for advice, mentors that were able to address problems associated with teaching,
knowledgeable about pedagogy, and shared responses on how to teach, what works
well and what doesn’t. In their study, Genz, et al. (1996), discovered that the faculty
at this site were offered mentors at the beginning of each semester, with priority
given to full-time faculty. Mentors were paid a stipend of $100 for the semester and
received two units of credit. In addition, the program was mutually agreed upon,
meaning either participant could terminate their services at any time. Interestingly,
the committee that was associated in pairing up mentors and beginning teachers
decided, that rather than using a title that seemed subordinate (such as beginning
teacher, the mentored, or protégé), they would use the term “partner”. This idea
behind this titular modification stressed the equal sharing each participant
contributes to the relationship.
44
At the end of the study, Genz et al. (1996) found this reframing of the term
helped faculty “partners” to perceive themselves as more of a professional and as
individuals contributing valuable information, causing the mentor to treat them as
such. The results were high faculty “partner” satisfaction and retention the following
year. Both mentors and partners noted on the instrument that they would do it again
the next year (Genz et al, 1996). This study demonstrates how the treatment of a
person being mentored, such as a beginning teacher, can result in increased teaching
confidence and possible retention in the field. This offers more interactions between
the mentor and beginning teacher than encouragement, praise, and identifying
achievement. In working from the theoretical framework of socio-cultural theory,
these findings suggest that working in a supportive group or environment can help a
beginning teacher feel socially accepted into a culture and help build a positive view
of their profession.
Feiman-Nemser (2003) examined how teachers, especially beginning
teachers, can develop professionally overtime, rather than during their first two years
of teaching. The study analyzed teacher preparation, induction, and professional
development offered to beginning teachers. The study described how mentors
collaborated with beginning teachers with lesson planning, instructional strategies,
and indirect personal and professional assistance. They were also able to establish a
“safe environment” which included setting up the physical aspects of the classroom,
establishing rules and routines, teaching problem-solving strategies, encouraging
cooperation, and learning how to manage disruptions.
45
Interactive dialogue was the first interaction that was mentioned in the study
by Feiman-Nemser (2003). This included reinforcing the positive aspects the
beginning teacher was incorporating into lesson planning and instructional delivery,
identifying the successes of the beginning teacher through observation and feedback.
Further, beginning teachers also found demonstration or modeling of lessons to be
effective. This study developed from social cognitive theory.

Professional Learning Communities
Inspecting this study from a social cognitive perspective, Feiman-Nemser
(2003) found that if the beginning teachers obtain knowledge of their students, the
curriculum, and the context of the school, their confidence level increases and their
performance in the classroom improves. This study found that Socratic discussions
helped the novices focus on student achievement. The study called this
“encouraging collaboration and shared inquiry.” The study also discovered that
frequent opportunities for teachers to discuss their work with other teachers helped
beginning teachers become less isolated and built communities of practice.
Darling-Hammond (1995) found that teachers’ acquisition of new knowledge
and skills means finding the time to reflect critically on their own practice and be
open to new knowledge and beliefs about content, pedagogy, and learners. This
applies not only to the novice teacher, but for all teachers involved in producing an
effective learning community. Dufour (2004), further, has insisted that educators
must critically reflect on the big ideas of the core principles of a professional
46
learning community. The three big ideas were ensuring that students learn, a culture
of collaboration, and a focus on results. Dufour further claimed that working in
isolation, rarely produces the best strategies for schools. Additionally, Dufour stated
that everyone must work together as a team that focuses on student learning. This
social practice clearly stems from the socio-cultural perspective where collaboration
and working in teams to achieve a common outcome is the goal.

Conclusions
The literature review presented in this chapter, specifically supported the
research question pertaining to the perceptions of beginning teachers regarding those
mentoring techniques they felt were most effective. The literature explained the
major concepts entailed by “mentoring” and “induction”. The study used two
theoretical frameworks: social cognitive theory and socio-cultural theory. Both
theories were extensively utilized throughout the review to demonstrate how each of
the research studies presented, connected to one of the theories.
The extant field literature guided the researcher in determining which areas of
mentoring support have been used in previous studies. The current literature
suggests that mentors are most effective in retaining beginning teachers and
improving their professional development when they assist them with
communicating with colleagues, collaborating with teachers in their same grade
level, using encouragement with the beginning teachers to be supportive and help
raise their efficacy, and promote communication with parents and the community.
47
However, research still needs to determine which mentoring techniques these
beginning teachers perceive as being the most effective. The need to understand
beginning teachers’ perceptions is necessary to assist their mentors. If these
perceptions are better understood, induction program coordinators could then make
sure that these techniques were implemented into the program and utilized by
mentors. This would increase the likelihood of higher retention among beginning
teachers and an increase in the level of efficacy.
48
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY

Introduction
Chapter three presents the research question, a description of the research
design, population and sample, instrumentation, data collection, and the data analysis
process used in this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate which
mentoring techniques, utilized during induction, were perceived as the most effective
by beginning teachers. As articulated in Chapters One and Two, beginning teachers
leave the profession at high rates. In California, beginning teachers are required to
participate in an induction program during the first two years of teaching. Beginning
teachers involved in an induction program receive a mentor who provides support
designed to help them become more effective classroom teachers. Kindergarten
through fifth grade teachers in one Southern California school district was studied to
answer the following research question:
• Which techniques occurring during the mentoring relationship are
perceived as most effective by beginning teachers?
This dissertation study focuses on the elementary schools in one mid-sized
urban school district in the greater Los Angeles County. This district provides
services for Kindergarten through twelfth grade. It has 13 elementary schools, four
middle schools and three high schools with a total population of 20 schools with over
22,000 students (ED-DATA). The population of this district is over 50% English
49
Language Learners (ELLs). The unit of analysis was each individual beginning
teacher, who participated in interviews. All 12 beginning teachers involved in the
study taught in elementary school classrooms (kindergarten-fifth grade), were in
their second year of teaching, and were in their second year as a participant in the
induction program. The data collection consisted of beginning teacher interviews to
determine their perception of the most effective mentoring techniques.

Research Design
The design of this study was driven by the research question. All data was
gathered through interviews. This data provided the necessary information to answer
the research question.

Population
The population sample for this study consisted of 12 beginning teachers in
their second year of participation as K-5 teachers, as well as in the induction
program. The district was selected based upon criteria of location and population.
The district is located in an urban city within the county of Los Angeles with the
population consisting of 86% Hispanic, 10% Caucasian, and 4% labeled as “Other”
(ED-DATA). The district examined in this study used the Beginning Teacher
Support Assessment induction program (BTSA). All 12 beginning elementary school
teachers in their second year of the BTSA program were interviewed. No first year
elementary school teachers existed during the year of this study, as no new
50
elementary school teachers were hired during that particular school year. Second
year elementary school teachers were chosen since they had already been through
their first year of teaching and decided to remain in the teaching profession at their
school site.

BTSA in this district
In 1999, the district implemented BTSA as an induction program. The BTSA
program is used to assist beginning teachers with transitioning into their first two
years of teaching. In the program, they are assigned a mentor so curriculum
planning, interactive dialogue and modeling can take place. Beginning teachers and
their mentors also attend district-wide monthly meetings where they have the
opportunity to collaborate, participate in discussions, and share concerns with other
beginning teachers and district administration.
The BTSA program requires the use of the California Formative Assessment
and Support System for Teachers (CFASST). It is a collaborative assessment tool
which integrates the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) and
the K-12 state adopted academic content standards for students. Evidence of mastery
is collected through shared discussion, formal observation, and through examining
student work.
In addition to the CSTP, the BTSA program also has professional standards:
Pedagogy and Equity for all Students. These standards emphasize that beginning
teachers must use and interpret student assessment data from various measures for
51
monitoring progress and summative assessment of student performance to assist with
instruction. The standards also encourage beginning teachers to plan instruction for
special populations (i.e., English Learners) based on students’ level of performance
as measured by multiple assessments (i.e., California English Language
Development Test).

Mentor Descriptions
The mentors who are assigned to beginning teachers complete BTSA support
provider training. They complete 60 hours of training after submitting their
application and having gone through a screening process. In the application stage,
they need to submit three letters of recommendation, be strongly recommended by an
administrator who has observed them teaching, and have experience providing an in-
service for teachers or conducted professional staff development. The mentor
teacher must meet the requirements of teaching at least three years and have
experience teaching in the same subject area or grade level as the beginning teacher.
They must also demonstrate mastery of the program standards by attending CFASST
training. The training for Year 1 is five days and the training for Year 2 is two days.
Some mentor teachers are assigned more than one beginning teacher at a time.

Teacher descriptions
The beginning teachers in this district have limited diversity. Currently, ten
of the 12 beginning teachers identified themselves as Caucasian, one as Asian-
52
American, and one as Latina. Data was also collected to determine if beginning
teachers had any past professional experience (other than teaching). Data was also
collected to determine living arrangements of beginning teachers. The data showed
that most of the beginning teachers still lived at home with their parents, two lived
on their own, and two were married and not living with parents.
These are listed in Table 1:

Table 1: School District Year 2 Beginning Teacher BTSA participants (2008)
Beginning
Teacher Ethnicity
Past Professional,
non-teaching Experience
(in years) Age
Living
situation
A Caucasian 0 26 w/parents
B Caucasian 0 30 w/parents
C Caucasian 0 24 w/parents
D Caucasian 0 27 w/parents
E Asian 6 34 Married/On own
F Caucasian 2 30 On own
G Caucasian 8 35 On own
H Latina 4 32 Married/On own
L Caucasian 0 27 w/parents
M Caucasian 0 25 w/parents
N Caucasian 0 25 w/parents
P Caucasian 0 25 w/parents

53
Interviews
Beginning Teacher Interviews
Interviews were conducted during November and December 2008. Interview
questions were constructed in response to current literature. Specifically, research
conducted by Reed et al (2006), Genz, et al (1996), and Kaplan and Owings (2004)
helped construct the first question regarding the specific techniques the beginning
teacher learned from their mentor which aided their retention. The study by Shield,
et al (1999) and Ingersoll and Smith (2004) helped construct the second question
pertaining to specific experiences shared between beginning teacher and mentor
which aided in their retention. Further, research by Rosenholtz (1989) and Adler and
Harvell (1996) helped construct question three where the beginning teacher was
asked to describe their mentor’s impact. Question four was constructed from the
research by Bandura (1986), Gibson and Dembo (1984) and Woolfolk-Hoy (1998)
asking the beginning teacher to describe their teaching efficacy. Question five was
generated from the studies by Storms and Lee (2001) and Hoy and Woolfolk (1993),
asking the beginning teacher to describe their thoughts on the effectiveness of their
mentor which impacted their teaching. Finally, question six was created by
analyzing the findings from Becker and Shaffner (1999), Genz, et al. (1996), and
MacIssac (1990) asking the beginning teacher if they become a mentor in the future,
what effective techniques they would implement. The main concepts during the
interviews were mentoring environment, efficacy, effective mentoring techniques
experienced and why did they want to persist in teaching.
54
To gather data, either in person or over the phone, the interviews were
informal in nature. The researcher looked for extensive responses to the interview
questions and common themes which emerged from the open-ended questions. The
interview questions addressed the expectations beginning teachers held for their
mentors, effective techniques the mentors used, as well as perceptions of the skills
the beginning teachers learned from their mentor that they identified as directly
related to their professional growth and development (see Appendix A). The
interviews were transcribed and analyzed for common themes and patterns to
provide the researcher with data to create a frequency distribution related to the
techniques used by mentors in order to address the research question.
Patton (2002) has described the interview format used in this study as an
informal interview. The questions had a descriptive purpose providing an
enhancement of what occurs during mentoring interactions. The sequence of
questions was not determined, and there was room for expansion and in-depth
answers to these questions. The interviewer used the funnel format as an
interviewing strategy for gathering data, which has been described as an upside down
triangle (Patton, 2002). The questions start out broadly, then the inquiry is narrowed
down to mini-tour type questions for answers that need more exploration, with the
interview process becoming progressively more focused on addressing the research
question. Probing techniques, such as asking for clarification or expansion of an
answer, were utilized when the beginning teachers’ responses to the interview
questions were not expansive enough for the researcher to gather data.
55
Data Collection
After receiving permission from district administration, the researcher
attended a monthly BTSA meeting in November 2008 and explained the study to
potential participants. The researcher then requested participants to sign the
information sheet so data collection could begin. During November and December
2008, the beginning teachers were contacted one at a time via telephone to make an
appointment for a 30 minute, six question interview. The researcher wanted to
ensure better beginning teacher participation, so the interviews were kept to a
maximum of 30 minutes. Two of the interviews were conducted via telephone and
the remaining ten interviews were face-to-face. All interviews were conducted after
the instructional day. The researcher audio recorded the interviews with the
beginning teachers’ permission. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed
for effective techniques used by mentors that, in the opinion of the beginning
teacher, had an impact on their development.

Data Analysis
Data analysis was used to interpret and analyze the information obtained
during interviews. This study analyzed the data from one set of interviews. The
interviews allowed the researcher to explore and determine the beginning teachers’
perception of the most effective mentoring techniques that assisted in increasing
teaching confidence and competence of the beginning teachers. The researcher
analyzed the responses of beginning teachers that were similar and dissimilar in
56
nature, then coded and labeled the emergent themes. The researcher also correlated
the interview responses with the extant, related literature to further substantiate and
support the findings. Additionally, the researcher used direct quotes from the
beginning teachers to interpret the findings.

Role of the Researcher
The researcher is employed in the district being studied. This aided in
obtaining information directly related to the research question. Additionally, the
researcher was a participant in the BTSA program in its pilot year as a beginning
teacher. Patton (2002) describes how beneficial it is to go through a program first as
a participant, before studying it and interviewing other participants. Patton further
explained how his research team would not have understood one of the programs
they studied to the extent that they did without having experienced it previously. He,
further, revealed that had they not been participants, he and his team would have not
fully understood the appropriate questions to ask, nor what the program was really
about.
However, despite the benefits of the researcher knowing the program being
studied for this research, the ethical implications of this previous knowledge had to
be taken into consideration. Consequently, the need to clarify researcher bias was
confronted. As professionalism is mandatory when conducting the interviews, the
researcher remained objective and professional when interacting with the individuals
57
to secure honest feedback. The interviews were audio taped to establish an unbiased
and valid data base.

Summary
Most public school districts in California use an induction support program
for beginning teachers, which usually lasts two years. The beginning teachers are
assigned a mentor during induction to assist with implementing classroom strategies
and curriculum design. However, current literature does not specifically and
adequately indicate which techniques the beginning teachers perceive as the most
effective. The data was collected using a qualitative design, based on a six question
interview protocol to answer the research question. The researcher interviewed all
beginning elementary, second year BTSA participating teachers in a mid-sized urban
Los Angeles County school district to determine beginning teacher perception of the
most effective techniques used by their mentor, that led to professional growth and
development. The results were coded and labeled by themes. The results of these
findings are presented in chapter four.
58
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS

The previous chapter included a description of the research design, sample,
population, instruments, and an explanation of the data collection and analysis
process. This chapter provides the research findings from the current study as well as
an analysis of those findings. The purpose of the study was to discover the specific
techniques used by mentors that were perceived as most effective by beginning
teachers.
Once the data for this study was collected and evaluated, it was anticipated
that identifying the effective mentoring techniques would have an impact on future
exchanges between mentors and beginning teachers.

Findings
Interviews
Interviews were conducted during November and December of 2008 and the
purpose of these interviews was to gather data that could be utilized to address the
research question:
• Which techniques occurring during the mentoring relationship are
perceived as most effective by beginning teachers?
Second year beginning teachers in a District located in a suburb outside of
Los Angeles, involved in their second year of the Beginning Teacher Support and
59
Assessment (BTSA) program were interviewed. The teachers interviewed will be
referred to as Teacher A, Teacher B, etc. The interviews were audio-taped, then
analyzed and evaluated for patterns, trends, and similarities. Common themes
emerged from the interview data, and a frequency distribution was used to identify
them. These themes can best be described as techniques and are listed as: 1)
interactive dialogue, 2) collaboration and joint planning, 3) demonstration and
modeling, and 4) observations and feedback.
The present study used a social cognitive theoretical framework, supported
by socio-cultural theory, to help with the analysis and interpretations of the interview
results.

Technique 1: Interactive Dialogue
All of the beginning teachers that were interviewed reported that interactive
dialogue with their mentor was one of the most effective techniques a mentor could
use. Interactive dialogue included reflective conversations, targeted feedback (Joyce
& Showers, 1985), praise and encouragement (Milner & Hoy, 2003), professional
dialogue, shared inquiry (Feiman-Nemser, 1983), and one-on-one analysis and
dialogue. When beginning teachers had these experiences with their mentors,
retention in the field was likely to increase (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy,
2007). Additionally, encouragement and support were also found to be very
important to beginning teachers’ efficacy. Moreover, as the field research indicates,
giving beginning teachers opportunities to role play with feedback can give them
60
more opportunities to have mastery over their experiences (Woolfolk-Hoy & Hoy,
2003).
During the interviews, some teachers also referred to interactive dialogue as
“talking”, “venting”, “telling”, “chatting”, or “discussing”. Beginning teachers and
mentors used these types of exchanges to create structures, create classroom
organization, address challenging classroom behavior, and promote an academically
and emotionally safe learning environment.
Teacher A stated,
Each day I feel better and better. As I learn more, now that I have had more
experiences, I know how to better manage my classroom. I know that if
something doesn’t work, you just stop it and go on to something else.
Learning to adapt is also key and your seating arrangements in the room are
very important. I am so thankful for my mentor for taking the time to talk
with me about these things. (Interview, November 11, 2008)

Teacher B stated how her mentor gave her strategies to work with students.
Using interactive dialogue, the mentor and beginning teacher discussed what the
beginning teacher was currently doing in her classroom and how and why she
assessed these strategies to be effective. The mentor offered different strategies that
the beginning teacher was open to trying.
She [my mentor] is the Title I specialist at our school so she is very
knowledgeable and she knows a lot. She is a great person. I am the ELD
coordinator at our school and my mentor also has a background in ELD…
she is a good resource. We would sit at one of the tables in my classroom
usually after school twice a week and discuss everything. She is very
helpful…I felt unprepared and [she] gave me strategies for working with
kids, some great ideas. I felt so unprepared in the beginning. (Interview,
November 13, 2008.)

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Teacher C stated,
…without good classroom management, you’ll go crazy. My mentor taught
me to create structure from the very beginning of the day. She told me to
implement it right away. This was usually in the morning before school
started. She would ask me what I was going to do when I went to get my
students in line. This was a good reminder to always be thinking about my
classroom and my students. Like, when I get them in line in the morning, I
tell them what I expect, where we are going, what we are doing. Learning
will not take place without good management. My class is very structured. I
am strict and tell them this is what we are doing or we are moving on.

She gave me really good ideas to use during my learning center time, which
has really helped. It was great. This was usually after school during our
BTSA time. But after we did our BTSA stuff, she would always stay another
hour with me and ask if I needed help with anything. I would ask her about
something and she would tell me what she has been doing in her classroom.
Since we taught the same grade, it was perfect. I was so amazed at how
well it worked and how well the kids did. I reported back to her and she was
really excited for me. I had a lot more confidence that these worked
(Interview, November 13, 2008).

As the above interview data reveals, there were set times during which
helpful information was exchanged between the beginning teacher and her mentor.
But the teacher also revealed that if she needed additional help, consequently more
time from her mentor, that additional time was made available to her. This is
important during the induction phase. For example, realizing what the mentor
specifically did with the beginning teacher, (spent time afterschool, did more than
just the requirements of BTSA, helped give ideas for learning center time), seemed
to assist this beginning teacher in feeling good about teaching. She stated how she
gained a lot more confidence in using the techniques her mentor gave her and since
they worked, she was more likely to persist. This correlates with social cognitive
theory and what Bandura (1986) has described as enactive attainments.
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Interactive dialogue also includes praise and encouragement. Beginning
teachers shared that they may not have stayed in the teaching profession had it not
been for the encouragement and support of their mentor. Scherer (1999) discovered
that offering support to new teachers is viewed as highly needed and very common
in terms of the challenges of beginning teaching. Additionally, Bartell and Ownby
(1994) discovered that many new teachers admit that they could not have survived
their first few years of teaching without the support and encouragement of their
mentor.
Rapport between the beginning teacher and the mentor was often cited during
the interviews as a significant aspect of the interactive dialogue that the beginning
teacher and mentor were engaged in. Beginning teachers shared that by having a
good rapport with their mentor, they were able to receive constructive criticism and
feedback in a non-threatening way. Likewise, having this strong rapport made the
feedback resemble encouragement. Milner and Hoy (2003) point out that not having
feedback, praise, and encouragement can create an unsupportive environment.
Teacher C mentioned that her mentor would identify her successes through
positive encouragement. She would verbally reinforce the positives of the lessons
which made the beginning teacher want to persist. She described the importance of
this type of rapport in the following way:
It was nice knowing you had someone to go to, especially the same person.
Now that I have built that foundation, I know I can go to her for anything.
She knows my background, which is helpful, and I feel like she understands
my point-of-view. (Interview, November 13, 2008)

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In this instance, Teacher C felt as if she was prepared with “even more to go
into the classroom”. Additionally, beginning teachers mentioned how much they
appreciate their mentor using positive encouragement. This form of validation was
reported by over half of the beginning teachers interviewed. Teacher E stated how
much she appreciated her mentor acting like her “cheerleader”.
I think basically being the cheerleader [helped me]. That is the most
effective way to encourage the beginning teacher. Being a mentor, you are
probably going to run into a lot of teachers who are frustrated and insecure.
She was always uplifting, enthusiastic, gave me security and encouragement.
She would mostly use kind words and smile a lot. She would say things like,
‘I know you can do this” and “great job on this lesson”. (Interview,
November 18, 2008)

Significantly, Teacher E also shared that she would utilize this technique with
someone else if she were to become a mentor in the future. As this interview data
indicates, the positive encouragement, both verbal and non-verbal, helped her feel
more efficacious about teaching. Positive encouragement is supported by both
theoretical frameworks since reinforcement is a main factor in social cognitive
theory and encouragement is a component of socio-cultural theory. Similarly,
Teacher H stated how important it is for beginning teachers to feel confident and
secure and commented on the critical importance of the mentor to promote such
confidence: “a mentor should instill that in a beginning teacher even if they have to
fake it.”
Three of the beginning teachers also mentioned that their mentors described
and gave examples of how to create a safe and fair classroom environment. As an
example of such fairness, Teacher D shared how when she sat with her mentor after
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school, her mentor described a classroom management technique of putting the
student numbers on popsicle sticks and putting the sticks into a can. “You use the
can to pull out a stick with a number on it and that student answers the question.
This relieves you from always calling on the same student” (Teacher D). Such an
approach also enables working towards a more gender neutral classroom, and would
prevent boys or girls from being called on more often than the other.
Additionally, Teacher D supported the importance of a safe and fair learning
environment by adding, “One of my strengths is that I try to create a warm, loving,
safe, fair environment in my classroom. My mentor and I talked a lot about that.
Everybody can learn in here and I try to be encouraging” (Interview, November 18,
2008). This understanding evolved as the beginning teacher analyzed her current
environment with her mentor, and discussed the changes she might make with her
mentor over time. She described how she and her mentor observed another
classroom to identify how that teacher was creating a safe learning environment.
Afterward, Teacher D and her mentor discussed what they had observed and if
Teacher D thought she implemented these same ideas in her classroom. They also
discussed new ways Teacher D could implement a safe environment, which was as a
result of observing the other teacher.
Teacher A shared how she and her mentor discussed how to create a
nurturing, supportive environment for the students:
I think my biggest strength is making the classroom a safe environment
where the kids feel comfortable and will tell me anything…that is definitely
one of my strengths. Since the kids feel safe, they are more apt to learn. I am
65
appreciative of my mentor for helping and talking with me about that.
(Interview, November 1, 2008)

As this interview data reveals, this beginning teacher was appreciative of her
interaction with her mentor when they discussed how to create a positive and safe-
feeling environment for the students. This is important to note for beginning
teachers and mentors so they can instill this system into their classroom environment.
Responses on this subject indicate that everyone in the classroom benefits positively
from creating a safe environment.
Another way that interactive dialogue proved to be supportive was in relation
to the area of student classroom behavior. Through analysis and dialogue, six of the
beginning teachers shared that their mentors were able to discuss strategies on how
to handle social learning situations. Teacher D shared, “This really helped me with
my management in the beginning of the year. It sets it up for a better year”.
Teacher F said,
One of my strengths is classroom management. My classroom runs smooth.
I like a classroom environment that is predictable. When the bell rings, the
kids know what they are supposed to do, where they are supposed to be.
They know what time we are supposed to do things. I feel like if the kids
know what is going on, they behave a lot better in that situation and can
learn. My mentor would ask me at our weekly meetings what I think of my
classroom management and how I handle certain situations. I think it was
beneficial to discuss this with her so that way she could see that I had thought
it out and I knew what I was doing. It also made me feel good to show her
that. (Interview, November 20, 2008)

This interview data revealed that the beginning teacher appreciated how her mentor
would check in with her each week and promote discussion regarding her classroom
organization. She also mentioned how it validated her. This is important so that
66
mentors know to discuss classroom management issues with beginning teachers.
That way, they can provide techniques to use in the classroom if the beginning
teacher appears to be struggling. It is also important for mentors to note that they
need to encourage the beginning teacher to ask for help, since the beginning teacher
may realize they need to improve in a given area, they probably won’t ask for the
help first.
Similarly, Teacher G shared how she and her mentor used dialogue for
dealing with challenging situations:
Afterschool, we would sit and talk about non-BTSA stuff. There was a
certain day of the week we did BTSA things, and then on another day, we did
non-BTSA things. She really put in a lot of time with me. She helped give
me strategies to work with students that had behavioral issues and different
things like that. Those were pretty helpful. It made my class more
manageable… (Interview, November 20, 2008)

This interview data indicated that this beginning teacher valued how much time her
mentor contributed to their meetings. She also revealed that her mentor gave her
effective strategies for use in the classroom. Beginning teachers also revealed that
because of interactive dialogue, they were willing to come back the following year.
Through the interviews, it is clear that interactive dialogue proved to be an
invaluable technique mentors used with beginning teachers. Previous studies have
indicated that having someone with whom to discuss work-related situations, as well
as non work-related situations, helped with transitioning into a new work culture.
Their perceptions of what made them want to persist in the teaching profession,
67
based on their experiences with their mentor, were the most valuable components in
this study.
While prior studies have demonstrated that using encouragement, praise and
support with a beginning teacher increased their likelihood of remaining in the
teaching profession, the findings of this study also illustrate that beginning teachers’
perceptions of self-efficacy increased through the interactions with their mentors.
For example, Teacher B described how her own sense of efficacy increased as a
result of discussing important classroom information with her mentor who she
described as being very experienced and knowledgeable. Teacher C stated how her
confidence elevated when her mentor advised her on using certain learning centers in
her classroom and they were successful.
Teacher L also shared how difficult it is to be a beginning teacher and try to
handle everything all at once.
… you feel like you are just trying to survive. Nobody tells you how hard the
first year is. So, it was really nice when my mentor used some encouraging
words to help lift my spirits. It came in handy many times during these two
years. (Interview, December 3, 2008)

Additionally, the beginning teachers in this study stated that it was not only
having the praise and encouragement from their mentor that was important, but also
the variety of interactions that the mentoring relationship made possible. Teacher D
reported that since her mentor always had a warm smile during their interactions, she
was able to relax and, therefore, perform more effectively in the classroom.
Teachers C and E also added that their mentors always encouraged them and because
68
of this encouragement, their rapport was much stronger. This removed any sense of
an inferior/superior dichotomy being perceived by the beginning teacher. These
reports of having these types of positive interactions, which ease anxiety and tension
also increased the possibility of remaining in teaching. That is, the beginning
teachers had such positive experiences with their mentors, they were willing to come
back the following year.

Technique 2: Encouraging Collaboration and Joint Planning
The second technique that beginning teachers focused on frequently during
the interviews was collaboration and joint planning. Collaboration is the meeting of
two or more people who have an ongoing, reflective process which supports the
participants and where an increased self-knowledge develops as well as an increase
in knowledge and awareness of others’ perspectives (McPhie, 1995). Beginning
teachers also refer to collaboration as “planning time” or “meetings”.
Collaboration has been viewed by a number of studies as extremely important
not only between mentor and beginning teacher, but between all teachers,
administration, and parents. Smith and Ingersoll (2004) discovered how important
collaboration and joint planning are to a beginning teacher. Their findings state that
beginning teachers are less likely to leave the profession after their first year of
teaching if they are involved in planning and collaboration with other teachers
(Smith & Ingersoll). One teacher in the latter study shared that she only stayed in
teaching because of collaboration. Rosenholtz (1989) also found, through
69
interviewing beginning teachers, that collaboration among colleagues was vital.
Rosenholtz further postulated that, the more mentors and beginning teachers
exchanged ideas, the more comfortable the beginning teacher felt asking for
assistance, resulting in a desire to stay in the teaching profession.
While all of the beginning teachers collaborated with their mentor through
one-on-one meetings, attending BTSA meetings together and lesson planning with
their grade level, some of the beginning teachers also appreciated that collaborating
with and learning how to collaborate was encouraged by their mentor. As stated in
Technique 1, some beginning teachers shared that through positive encouragement,
making themselves available to beginning teachers, and expressing a warm
demeanor demonstrated effective collaboration.
Collaboration was a common thread appearing in seven of the twelve
interviews and is supported by the socio-cultural framework where collaborative
learning is the focus. In this study, collaboration and joint planning focused on the
beginning teacher and their mentor analyzing lesson plans and student achievement
together. Through the interviews the researcher also discovered that the mentors
encouraged beginning teachers to collaborate with colleagues and others.
For example, they encouraged them through their one-on-one meetings by
describing the importance of collaboration. One mentor provided her beginning
teacher with personal experiences she had when she was a beginning teacher and was
not involved in collaboration. This helped Teacher L realize the importance of
collaboration.
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Some of the mentors used verbal encouragement with beginning teachers.
Teacher E described her mentor as “being a cheerleader” which helped her feel
comfortable enough to share her thoughts and ideas in grade-level or staff meetings.
Teacher D shared the same experience stating that through the encouragement of her
mentor, she felt more comfortable sharing her opinions.
Some mentors acted as role models to show how to collaborate with others
through the use of nonverbal communication and encouragement (e.g. smiling).
Some of these teachers declared that having this collaboration with their mentor
influenced their decision to stay in teaching.
Other teachers shared that collaborating with their mentor helped them be
more productive during their grade level meetings. Teacher H stated how her mentor
emphasized that she (the beginning teacher) should share her thoughts more freely
and be more vocal during the meetings, and one of the methods that proved most
helpful was role-playing. “She and I role played some diplomatic ways to enter the
conversation without it seeming like I was interrupting” (Teacher H). Teacher H had
explained that she had a habit of “barging in” on conversations because she felt she
was never able to share what she was thinking during the appropriate time when
others were discussing a certain issue. She further shared that by the time she
politely waited her turn, the group had already moved on to a new topic and her
comment seemed “out of place”. She goes on to discuss what it is like for her now:
So far, it has been nice collaborating with my teammates. The last two years I
was a sub and last year I was at a different school teaching a different grade.
So the hard part is I haven’t taught the same thing twice. I was feeling like I
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was falling behind or couldn’t catch up. I was always finding myself
recreating the wheel when it had already been created. Thanks to
collaboration with my grade level, I know what’s been created and can ask
someone for it, or we all put our heads together and create something
together. I can ask others what they do for this lesson or that lesson. I am
seeking help from my colleagues. I feel okay about it and like I am more
effective in the classroom because of it. (Interview, December 1, 2008)

This appears to also be important regarding collaboration. Beginning
teachers are sharing that they feel more accepted by the veteran teachers at their
grade level in meetings, etc. They have described the process as helpful, since now
they feel like they can ask for ideas or for a sample of teacher-made tests or teacher-
created papers. Teacher D supported this by stating how collaborating with her
mentor also helped her collaborate with colleagues:
We worked well as a [grade level] team together. Last year I was more laid
back and didn’t want to voice my opinion. My mentor told me not to let that
happen and to share my opinions more. And if you disagree, let them know
and if you agree let them know. She was always positive and welcoming
when telling me, which made me willing to try her suggestions. (Interview,
November 18, 2008)

Teacher H further mentioned how meeting as a grade level and conducting
joint lesson planning had been really effective. She stated how the other teachers
provided feedback and guidance to questions about the curriculum:
My mentor stressed how important it is to lesson plan together. She would
lesson plan with me and showed me some techniques she has been using to
make lesson planning less stressful. There are twelve fourth grade teachers
and so we plan together in pods. When you lesson plan with your pod, you
always know someone else is teaching the same lesson that day and you can
go to them and ask them how they are going to go about teaching that
particular lesson, so it is helpful. (Interview, December 1, 2008)

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Teacher E also stated:
My mentor really encouraged me to go to grade level meetings. We do meet
in grade level meetings. When everyone is sharing ideas for seasonal
activities, someone else may have a different thinking map or a new book to
read in the beginning. Meeting as a grade level has been really effective too.
Our mentors, friends, grade level meeting teachers who are one grade level
above or below to give me guidance in what they think may be appropriate or
inappropriate and look for suggestions from those teachers. I ask, ‘Am I
jumping the gun or expecting too much?’ They have chimed in on topics like
that, so that can affect my lessons. (Interview, November 18, 2008)

Teacher G agreed. She described how her mentor helped her with lesson planning.
She said,
…my mentor has taught me the importance of collaboration and teamwork.
We were at our BTSA meeting with other beginning teachers and mentors
and the group discussion was about collaboration. Collaborating with
colleagues, mentors and parents were all viewed as important. This grade
level team is amazing at collaboration. My mentor is the team leader and has
taught me that it is the importance of good, strong collaboration just by
demonstrating it herself. It gives me support. If I am not sure about a
lesson, I can go to any one of them. Every decision is made by the team.
(Interview, November 20, 2008)

Further, Teacher M added to the importance of collaboration and joint
planning: “In teaching someone how to create lesson plans or how to do curriculum
mapping, time management is important. Time management helps the beginning
teacher get organized so she knows what is coming up in each subject and therefore
helps her to lesson plan.”
These suggestions and positive experiences with collaboration provided more
insight into what was helpful for beginning teachers and also demonstrated what
made them want to develop more professionally. For example, beginning teachers
experienced collaboration and joint planning with their mentors and other colleagues,
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and since the beginning teachers reported that these experiences were positive, and
that these positive experiences made them want to stay in teaching, it can be assumed
that these beginning teachers stayed for another year of teaching because of their
experiences with joint planning and collaboration with their mentor. These
experiences demonstrate how important collaboration can be.
This section described the importance of collaborating with a mentor. Some
beginning teachers shared how collaborating made them feel like they were part of a
team and that their input had some value. This sense of “belonging” assisted
beginning teachers in feeling validated or worthy. They really appreciated the
suggestions from their mentors to assist them to be better, which resulted in more
productive collaboration, as well as the material demonstrations of good
collaborating provided by their mentors.

Technique 3: Demonstration and Modeling
The third technique mentioned frequently was demonstration and modeling.
Feiman-Nemser (2003) found that when demonstration and modeling were utilized
successfully, the affect was so positive that beginning teachers actually expressed
confidence about wishing to remain in the teaching profession. Beginning teachers
particularly cited the benefits of having a mentor demonstrate lessons. By having
these demonstrations, beginning teachers are able to get a clearer understanding of
what they are supposed to do in the classroom and develop more professionally as
they approach the opportunity to deliver their own lessons. Moreover, an additional
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benefit of demonstrations and modeling seems to be that mentors taught their
beginning teachers how to improve their time management and organizational
strategies. Consequently, beginning teachers gained a greater sense of self-efficacy.
Seven of the 12 beginning teachers mentioned how modeling of a lesson or
how to implement certain strategies in the classroom, was particularly helpful when
demonstrated by their mentor. The beginning teachers found the process to be
particularly helpful if it also allowed them time for asking questions about the
demonstration or strategy, as well as an explanation by the mentor as to why s/he
chose the specific strategies that had been modeled.
Most of the beginning teachers described how classroom organization is
extremely helpful, especially during the first year of teaching. Teacher P discussed
the ways her mentor showed her how to stay organized in the classroom. For
example, the mentor showed Teacher P how to create a daily schedule on the board
along with the objective of each lesson. The mentor asked Teacher P what the start
times were for each of her subjects or transitions and photocopied a clock displaying
that same time. She put the photocopy of the clock on a piece of construction paper
and then labeled it and taped it on the front whiteboard. Teacher P mentioned that
this method of having the lesson in sight before her, was helpful because it kept her
on-track during the day and helped with transitioning in case she wasn’t near her
lesson plan book. It also helped this beginning teacher in case there was something
happening during the day that was out of normal routine, for instance an assembly or
a field trip.
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Another way organization was used by a mentor was demonstrating how to
use anecdotal records. The mentor demonstrated and discussed with Teacher D that
anecdotal records and grade books can be used during conferences as related to
student behavior issues and academic achievement. The mentor showed Teacher D
how she records grades, calculates grades in her grade book, and takes notes when
assessing reading. The mentor then gave Teacher D several blank forms and had
Teacher D demonstrate for the mentor how to perform these tasks. The mentor
evaluated her performance and offered feedback. Teacher D said, “This has helped
this year [my second year]”.
Some of the beginning teachers mentioned how they would work with their
mentor as the mentor demonstrated how to create a daily schedule, lesson planning,
and using their time effectively. Teacher G commented how much she appreciated
how her mentor was organized and how she told her to “always stay organized”. Her
mentor always came in prepared and ready to discuss the guided topics, as well as
any other issues that Teacher G felt like sharing. Her mentor brought in samples of
her own record keeping books, and “had folders for everything”. She stated that she
already felt like an organized person and her mentor was even more organized.
Furthermore, she claimed,
I would try to be organized [if I was a mentor]. I happen to be an organized
person. I always felt like she was more organized than me and if I forgot a
signature or something somewhere, she would take care of it. As a beginning
teacher, you really can’t be on every little thing, and so as a mentor you
should take care of the beginning teacher. If you are more organized, your
lessons will be more organized, and then the students will understand the
lessons easier. (Interview, November 20, 2008)
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Additionally, nine of the twelve beginning teachers shared that after their
mentors modeled how to communicate with students’ parents, it positively affected
their confidence. This made it easier to discuss students’ academic achievement and
classroom behaviors with parents. In a study by Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, and
Brissie (1987), teacher efficacy increased when parent involvement was high.
Additionally, Ashton, Webb, and Doda (1983) found that teachers with low self-
efficacy may be the cause of lower teacher-parent contact.
For example, Teacher P mentioned how having a relationship with students’
parents is essential for school success. She stated:
My mentor showed me how to communicate more effectively with parents so
they know what is expected of them and vice versa. She showed me notes
she sends home to communicate, how she puts reminders and announcements
on the homework cover letters, and even had scripts to read for telephone
conversations. She has definitely assured me that everyone has trouble
communicating with parents and that it is not just me. (Interview, December
14, 2008)

She also stated how parent-teacher communication is something she would
demonstrate to a mentee if she becomes a mentor in the future. Teacher D also
mentioned that,
parent-teacher communication is a big one. It starts at home. [If I were a
mentor] I would emphasize talking more with parents to find out what is
happening at home. My mentor showed me a weekly communication
schedule she uses to discuss student progress and what is happening at
school. (Interview, November 18, 2008)

Beginning teachers shared they were thankful to their mentors for
demonstrating ways to be effective in the classroom. Modeling is a main concept in
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social cognitive theory and therefore supports this technique. Many shared that their
mentors showed them how to create lesson plans, how to keep an organized grade
book, how to make anecdotal records, how to maintain classroom organization and
how to establish effective parent communication. Beginning teachers shared that
while receiving this information was not necessarily new, they needed
demonstrations to be provided by someone whom they trust. Having their mentors
conduct these demonstrations helped them realize that these strategies are attainable
and therefore, solidified their decision to stay in the teaching profession.

Technique 4: Observations and Feedback
Finally, observation and feedback was one of the most effective mentoring
techniques shared by beginning teachers. Observations have been suggested as
helpful to beginning teachers in several studies. In their research, Shields, et al.
(1999) have supported the idea that beginning teachers should observe other teachers
and be observed by other teachers. Wong (2004) also corroborates this finding by
noting that when beginning teachers are in a structured, intensive professional
development program, where they can observe and be observed by others, then all
teachers learn to share and grow together.
Correspondingly, Feiman-Nemser (2003) found that using observation and
feedback with beginning teachers increases their potential to stay in teaching.
Howey and Zimpher (1989) discovered that if beginning teachers were given the
opportunities to observe their mentors in their own class setting and mentors were
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able to observe beginning teachers in their classroom and provide feedback, it was
more effective for the beginning teacher. Also, seeing another teacher in action in
the classroom, creating and delivering lessons using the same curriculum helped
beginning teachers identify with their mentor.
Five out of the 12 beginning teachers revealed that being observed was an
effective technique used by their mentors. Teacher L described how having a good
rapport between mentor and mentee could assist with feedback after an observation.
Whenever she came in to observe or anything, her body language, between
us, when she came in, was so relaxed and it was nice. We liked each other
right away and we get along well; our personalities match. We clicked right
away. (Interview, December 3, 2008)

Most beginning teachers used the word “observed” during the interviews,
however, two of the beginning teachers used the less neutral and more laden term
“watch me” when describing that their mentor observed them. Teacher C stated that
after she received feedback from her observation by administration, she and her
mentor would review the feedback and reflect on it.
Teacher P described observations by her mentor as one of the effective
techniques that made her want to develop professionally. She described how her
mentor would come in to observe her, script what she said during the lesson, and
then reveal her findings during their meeting. She mentioned, “…getting that
feedback was good; it was good to hear myself speaking and what I was saying to
the students.” Additionally, as Teacher M pointed out, “the observations are helpful
and point out things you wouldn’t have known otherwise.”
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Teacher F stated:
Last year, she observed quite a few of my lessons herself. She was able to
point out areas that I may not have been aware of. Last time, she helped me
see the importance of closure in a lesson. Her ability to point that out made
me more aware of it. Each time I receive feedback, I always try to implement
it right away in my classroom. That way, it becomes part of my daily
routine. (Interview, November 20, 2008)

This interview data revealed that the beginning teachers valued being
observed by their mentor. It gave many of them a different feeling than when they
are observed by administration. Rapport with their mentor also played a key role in
how they interpreted the feedback they received.
Teacher N shared her thoughts about receiving feedback on her transitioning
time:
Something I am very weak at is maintaining control during transitioning
time. I’ve tried so many things and they haven’t worked. After my mentor
observed me trying to maintain control during transitioning, she was able to
show me how to use a stopwatch on myself to help transitioning between
subjects, using music so the students know what to do and having a routine
all help with establishing more control during transition time. (Interview,
December 9, 2008)

Additionally, Teacher G stated how her mentor helped her transition from
one subject to the next by ringing a bell.
I guess I have been affected by the transition from small group in special
education to large group in regular education. Because I was always in a
small group, I do see a struggle. It is hard to transition normally, but coming
from special education seems harder. After observing me, my mentor
brought in a bell at one of our meetings and suggested trying it. She rang it
in our meeting when she and I were transitioning from one area to the next of
our paperwork. I really got the effect. The next day, I started using the bell
in my classroom. Now I can’t remember what it was like before then.
(Interview, November 20, 2008)

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The data presented displays how observations and feedback are effective
techniques used between a beginning teacher and a mentor. This is supported by
social cognitive theory where observation and modeling is the major focus. The
beginning teachers mentioned how being observed by their mentor helped with their
teaching. For example, two of the teachers mentioned how they would look at being
observed as a positive occurrence, realizing the areas they are strong in and the areas
needing help. One of the teachers stated that analyzing the feedback offered more
time for reflection so she can make the necessary changes in her classroom. She
tries to implement the feedback she receives right away, so it becomes part of her
routine.
Furthermore, these beginning teachers mentioned the importance of their
mentors observing and critiquing their time management and how it impacted their
teaching. Transitioning from one activity to another was also cited by beginning
teachers as an area where mentors observed them and then contributed productive
feedback. This often occurred during one-on-one dialogue or in group settings with
other beginning teachers and their mentors. The beginning teachers had also
mentioned that the rapport between beginning teacher and mentor is as important as
the feedback itself. This data demonstrates why these beginning teachers felt
observations are an important component to mentoring and lead them to want to stay
in the teaching profession.

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Additional techniques:
The data revealed a few techniques that are considered to be out layers.
These additional techniques were not mentioned by a majority of the beginning
teachers interviewed and so therefore, did not fit comfortably under any of the four
major themes described above. These additional techniques were organization,
demonstration of availability and flexibility by the mentor, demonstration of how to
establish effective parental communication, and rapport between beginning teacher
and mentor.
One of the components that beginning teachers mentioned during interviews
was how their mentor reviewed organization, which included formal record keeping
and maintaining anecdotal records for all subjects and behaviors. Beginning teachers
reported that developing greater competence in these areas creates a more effective
classroom and possibly increased student achievement. These were deemed very
important during beginning teacher interviews when teaching in general was
discussed, as well as the more specific and aligned topic of wanting to stay in
teaching. Teacher B described how a dialogue with her mentor made her more
cognizant of the changes that needed to be made in her record keeping. Teacher H
shared that her mentor emphasized the importance of being organized. She analyzed
and critiqued the beginning teacher’s assigned activities and provided a discussion.
Generally about my mentor, there were some strategies that were helpful,
mostly organizational skills. Being organized. Taking it one day at a time.
Try to plan ahead, but know to just take it one day at a time. Do not
overload. Do not take on too many projects. (Interview, December 1, 2008)

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Another component mentioned during interviews was availability and
flexibility of the mentor, which were mentioned by three out of the twelve beginning
teachers interviewed. Teacher F stated that her mentor was an amazing teacher and
she was available to her at all times for any topic. Interestingly, the teachers who
mentioned availability or flexibility also tied it in with a structured or flexible
schedule. Teachers C and D said they really appreciated having a set day and time
every week so they could put it into their plan books and write down things
throughout the week to ask their mentor during their next meeting. They knew that
even though they weren’t meeting until a certain day, they could go to their mentor
in between meetings with any problem or question. However, Teacher N
commented:
I don’t know how it would be with someone who is really strict on a schedule
because things come up and it would just be really hard. And she
understands, too, because she has things that have happened to her or come
up for her, and me and the other beginning teacher understand. (Interview,
December 9, 2008)

Teacher F had both experiences. She stated:
The person last year had a really busy home life and had kids, so I
understand, but we would meet irregularly and so it was a lot harder on me.
This year it is a lot more predictable. This year I feel she is more available,
and we have set times to meet, and it makes it a lot easier. I feel like I could
walk over to her right now and she would stop what she is doing and help me.
(Interview, November 20, 2008)

Additionally, beginning teachers shared how much they appreciated having a
mentor who presented themselves as available. Teacher A stated how her mentor let
her know that she was available to her at anytime,
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It was nice to have someone to go to no matter what. It was really helpful. It
was good just to give me some direction. It didn’t make me feel like I was all
alone at a new place and that there was someone I had to talk to. You feel
like you have someone there to help you and also they can help you with
other people who can help you. Such as, ‘Hey this person really knows a lot
about this’. (Interview, November 12, 2008)

These beginning teachers liked having the security of knowing there was
someone whom they could turn to. This further increased their self-confidence since
they knew they could rely on someone for a plethora of issues. They further shared
that having these experiences made them want to stay in the teaching profession.
Another component mentioned during beginning teacher interviews was how
mentors emphasized effective parental communication. Teacher A mentioned how
her mentor stressed that communicating with parents needs to be effective. This
particular beginning teacher felt her strength is communicating to the parents how
they, as parent and teacher together, can assist the student in reaching their maximum
potential. She stated,
I think I still need to come up with better ways to involve parents even if it is
simple and minor. I have a lot of diversity with my parent population and
because I don’t speak the language, I am unable to communicate with them.
I think that would definitely help. My mentor provided a couple of ideas
when we were in our induction group with other beginning teachers. She
suggested that I provide an incentive to the students (e.g., a homework pass)
if they get their parents to come to a school event (such as Open House)
(Interview, November 11, 2008)

Teacher D described her mentor encouraging her to continue a strategy she had
initiated regarding homework,
This year has been challenging, especially during conferences. I wish I had a
better avenue to speak with them [parents] and communicate. I think that
would definitely help. Regarding the homework thing, my mentor told me
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that it’s great how I write a little note to the parents. (Interview, November
18, 2008)

Further, 10 of the 12 beginning teachers interviewed mentioned that rapport
was a strong, important component of mentoring. These ten beginning teachers
describe how “it is nice to know you have someone you can go to no matter what”
(Teacher D). Additionally, Teacher D shared,
We worked well together. I am starting to share my opinions more this year.
She’s very easy to talk to and helpful. I feel secure and confident and trusted
whenever I talked to her. If I didn’t have that, it would be so much harder. I
go to her for so many things. If I am unclear on something, I go to her. And
not just for teaching things, but personal things too. She’s always willing to
listen to me. She has kind of a mother-like way about her. It made it really
easy for me to talk to her. She would tell me that it was a safe place to share
information. I felt like she wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better, but
she was making the environment [in her classroom] feel welcoming.
(Interview, November 18, 2008)

Overall, most felt that having someone to talk to was helpful. Also, the
interview data revealed, that once beginning teachers felt comfortable with their
mentors, they were able to become more honest about their feelings, and, therefore,
were able to receive more helpful and honest feedback in return.
Four of the beginning teachers mentioned being able to vent their frustrations
freely was an important aspect of the rapport they felt they had with their mentor.
Some of the comments discussed the importance of feeling comfortable enough to
bring up problems the beginning teacher might be facing, be it with administration,
office personnel, other teachers, or parents.
Additionally, some beginning teachers also mentioned how the type of
interaction their mentors used was especially helpful. Young and Cates (2005)
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supported this in their study by discovering that beginning teachers valued playful
communication from their mentor. They claimed that playful communication can
help ease the tension between the beginning teacher and their mentor, helping them
to feel more connected.
Moreover, beginning teachers shared how they appreciated having a person
with whom they could share thoughts and feelings with. Teacher D said, “My
mentor always seems to have a smile on her face which was warm and inviting. It
helped put me at ease”. This perception of easing tension and the opportunity for
more casual and informal exchanges helped this beginning teacher feel more enabled
to be effective in her classroom. These additional techniques are deemed just as
important in retaining beginning teachers. Moreover, as described by some
beginning teachers, having their mentors provide these additional techniques
increased their sense of efficacy, making them more confident and desire to persist in
teaching.

Summary of Findings
Beginning teachers reported that one-on-one, interactive dialogue,
collaboration and joint planning, demonstration and modeling, and observations and
feedback, were the techniques used most often to address topics such as
organizational skills in the classroom environment and transitioning from activity to
activity. The technique that was mentioned by all of the beginning teachers during
the interviews was interactive dialogue. The beginning teachers appreciated having
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someone to talk with about induction and non-induction situations. Many of the
teachers were able to use these discussions to help with classroom organization and
structure and most received positive encouragement from their mentor, which helped
them feel better about their teaching ability. Furthermore, receiving praise and
encouragement and experiencing shared dialogue are supported by social cognitive
theory. Since this was revealed, mentors will now know and understand that the use
of interactive dialogue is a critical technique when working with beginning teachers.
Mentors can continue to use positive encouragement and become a listening ear, or
sounding board, as often as the beginning teacher needs it. If there are currently
mentors who do not offer this technique, they can start implementing it.
Collaboration and joint planning were the next effective techniques
mentioned by beginning teachers. Beginning teachers shared how much they
enjoyed collaborating with their mentor. They also mentioned how they appreciated
their mentor showing them, through mostly positive role modeling, the outcomes of
effective collaboration. Many of the beginning teachers shared that if it weren’t for
their mentor showing and discussing the importance of collaboration with their grade
level team, they may never have had the confidence to talk at these meetings, and
therefore increase their efficacy about teaching. Understanding these findings will
also help mentors realize that they need to not only discuss and encourage
collaboration with others, but they also need to demonstrate it. They need to act as
role models and show what good, strong collaboration looks like. Beginning
teachers shared that they, too, observed their mentors to see how they interacted with
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colleagues and often used that as a base on which to scaffold. This is supported by
the secondary theoretical framework of this dissertation, socio-cultural theory, where
collaboration and learning in cooperative groups promotes learning. This also
supports what Maslow described as socialization into a profession (Korthagen, 1993;
Veenman, 1984). Teachers can become cognizant of the values they have acquired
during their socialization into the profession.
Next, beginning teachers mentioned demonstration and modeling as one of
the most effective techniques provided by their mentor. This is supported by the
social cognitive theory, where one of the main concepts is modeling. Furthermore,
within the contexts of modeling, there are two parts: live modeling and cognitive
modeling. Data revealed from this study demonstrate that both live modeling and
cognitive modeling were displayed and effectively utilized by mentors. During the
interviews, they brought up demonstration and modeling through a variety of ways.
It appears that even when they don’t directly ask for a demonstration, beginning
teachers are appreciate when one is given. From this point on, mentors will realize
that demonstration and modeling are effective techniques to use when working with
beginning teachers.
Finally, observation and feedback were cited during the interviews as one of
the most effective mentoring techniques. This is also supported by social cognitive
theory, where another main concept is observational learning. Through observation
and feedback, beginning teachers were able to be observed or to observe others.
This was helpful, as some beginning teachers shared, so that they could see what the
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lesson was supposed to look like, or to have someone (who was not part of
administration) watch how they teach and be critical, without the process being
hurtful or threatening. This aspect of the findings is also very important for mentors
to note, because establishing and maintaining a strong rapport is reported by
beginning teachers as extremely important and necessary. Furthermore, if the
mentor and beginning teacher have a strong connection, the effectiveness of helpful
feedback from an observation increases and will be well-received. All of these
techniques should be considered by mentors of beginning teachers. Since beginning
teachers shared how they felt in this study, it may improve how things can be done
differently in the future.
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CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION

High turnover rates for beginning teachers have been and continue to be a
persistent problem. About one-quarter of beginning teachers leave within the first
three years and almost half leave by their fifth year (Ingersoll, 2002). Many
researchers and educators have tried to discover the reasons for such high attrition.
This study sought to identify particular techniques used in mentoring first-year
teachers which were perceived as being particularly effective by the beginning
teachers themselves, participating in this study, during the induction phase.
The present study used a social cognitive theoretical framework, supported
by socio-cultural theory, to help with the analysis and interpretations of the interview
results. As described in the previous chapter, the interview results were analyzed
and evaluated for patterns, trends, and similarities. Common themes that emerged
from the interviews regarding the interactions of beginning teachers and their
mentors, that were found to be particularly effective were:
1. Interactive dialogue
2. Collaboration and joint planning
3. Demonstration and modeling
4. Observations and feedback

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Summary of Findings:
The first emerging theme was interactive dialogue. Interactive dialogue, in
this study, was mentioned by most beginning teachers as praise and encouragement.
Often times beginning teachers do not receive the positive reinforcement that is
usually given during dialogue, which may result in decreased self-confidence.
Marsh and Perry (2005) support this finding when they discovered that beginning
teachers who do not experience social persuasion from mentors or colleagues lack
enhancement in self-confidence. Some of the beginning teachers in this study
reported that they appreciated when their mentor acted as their “cheerleader” by
being supportive, encouraging, and uplifting. Moreover, they suggested that if
beginning teachers gain insight from receiving positive feedback from their mentor,
their self-efficacy will increase (Marsh & Perry).
One important reason positive encouragement probably worked so
effectively, as reported by beginning teachers, is because it increased their sense of
efficacy. That is, when beginning teachers felt supported, especially by their mentor,
they felt more confident in teaching. The technique was effective since beginning
teachers mentioned that their mentor identified their successes through positive
encouragement, which made them want to persist. Teacher C shared after receiving
encouragement and praise form her mentor, she felt even more prepared to go into
the classroom. Teacher E described how her mentor always seemed to have
confidence and was enthusiastic, which made the beginning teacher want to persist in
teaching. Interestingly, when Teacher H expressed how important she thought it was
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for beginning teachers to feel confident and secure, she stated that mentors are the
ones who should be instilling this feeling in beginning teachers “even if they have to
fake it”. This statement is supported by the findings that encouragement from a
mentor increases the self-efficacy among beginning teachers (Scherer, 1999).
Additionally, receiving this type of encouragement is supported by the social
cognitive theory and what Bandura (1986) referred to as verbal persuasion.
Poulou (2007) affirmed this notion by stating that verbal persuasion is the
oral encouragement of a person, making them believe they have the ability to
achieve a certain task. Poulou also discovered that a beginning teacher is more likely
to stay in the profession when they receive positive feedback and have a supportive
environment. Therefore, a lack of administrative and collegial support will
discourage beginning teachers from remaining in the teaching profession. In the
study by Bartell & Ownby (1994) beginning teachers revealed that they could not
have survived their first few years of teaching without their mentors’ encouragement
and support. If beginning teachers are receiving verbal persuasion, social persuasion
and collaboration, according to these researchers and the current study, their level of
confidence has the potential to increase.
The first few years of teaching are highly demanding and overwhelming and
having someone to collaborate with has been deemed helpful by beginning teachers.
This related to the second technique in the current study, collaboration and joint
planning. Bandura (1986) referred to this as one of the four sources of self-
knowledge, the physiological state. Beginning teachers frequently feel as if they
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have no one with whom to discuss organization, lesson plan design, or to vent their
frustrations. Smith and Ingersoll (2004) found that when beginning teachers
engaged in collaboration and common planning time with other teachers, they were
more likely to stay at their school site. During the interviews, while collecting data
for the current study, some of the teachers expressed that they were extremely happy
when they had common planning time with other teachers or were able to collaborate
with their mentor. Another reason for this might be because they feel better when
following through on a lesson designed by a more experienced teacher. Also, if the
lesson goes well, they can use that lesson plan as a template to create their own,
adding to or taking away certain techniques.
This is supported by the both the social cognitive theory, where the focus is
people learning from one another (Ormrod, 2004) and socio-cultural theory where
collaboration and learning in cooperative groups is a major focus (Vygotsky, 1978).
The technique of collaboration and joint planning probably worked so well because
beginning teachers felt as if they were part of the planning process, rather than being
told what to do and how to do it. This is important for mentors to remember when
working with beginning teachers. They need to realize that beginning teachers, in
this district, enjoyed collaboration and joint planning and gained more confidence as
a result. In fact, one teacher shared that she only stayed because of collaboration.
Teacher D shared that through collaboration with her mentor, she felt more
comfortable collaborating with colleagues. This was supported by Rosenholtz
(1989) who found that the more mentors and beginning teachers exchanged ideas,
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the more comfortable beginning teachers felt like asking for assistance, which led to
a desire to remain in the teaching profession.
The third technique was demonstration and modeling, where the mentor
models how to get and stay organized with the beginning teacher. This is supported
by social cognitive theory since one major concept is modeling. Bandura (1986)
referred to this as the physiological state, one of his four sources of self-knowledge.
Beginning teachers in this study revealed that it was beneficial for their mentor to
demonstrate and model certain classroom components, and since the experience was
positive, the beginning teachers expressed a desire to stay in teaching. Feiman-
Nemser (2003) supported this by finding that when demonstration and modeling
were used, it made beginning teachers want to remain in the teaching profession.
Beginning teachers also expressed that the experience was even more beneficial
when they were able to ask questions about the demonstration. Most of the teachers
revealed that their mentors demonstrated ways to stay organized in the classroom
and modeled lessons in their classroom. By having these demonstrations provided
for them, beginning teachers stated their confidence level had been increased and
they wished to remain in the teaching profession.
Their confidence level had probably increased because they knew what to do
regarding teaching the lesson, and therefore felt like they could carry out the task
more efficiently. Further, if they tried to imitate what their mentor had
demonstrated, and it proved to be successful, they were more likely to persist. This
is what Bandura (1986) has referred to as enactive attainments.
94
Smith and Ingersoll (2004) described the effectiveness of having a mentor
during the induction phase of development. Bandura (1986) referred to this as
vicarious experiences. Bandura (1986) described vicarious experiences as an
individual’s assessment of their ability to complete a task through the observation of
others. According to the findings of this study, beginning teachers appreciate
observations by their mentor. One reason is because their mentor is able to provide
feedback on their teaching style and give them feedback they would not have
received otherwise. Another reason may be because they have less anxiety when
they are presenting a lesson in front of their mentor, versus in front of administration.
This is important for mentors and administration to realize. While it is common for
beginning teachers to be observed during their first few years of teaching, the
emphasis in this study was that it was done by their mentor; someone less
threatening. Teacher P shared how having her mentor come in and observe her, and
provide feedback later during their meeting made her want to develop more
professionally. Further, Teacher M pointed out how helpful the observations are
because having someone observe you helps you to understand what others are
seeing. This gives beginning teachers perspective and a better base for reflection.
It is also just as effective to observe other teachers. Shields, et al. (1999) and
Wong (2004) confirmed these findings. The beginning teachers in this study did not
share anything about going to other classrooms and observing other teachers. This
data would have been valuable in this study to understand the extent of how much
the beginning teachers thought observing others was effective.
95
However, there were a few areas of supportive mentoring techniques that
have been discussed in the field literature, but were not revealed during the
interviews. One study’s findings indicated that workshop attendance was the most
common type of support used during induction (Shield, et al., 1999). One reason
this may not have come up in my study is because the BTSA program (the induction
program implemented by the District used in the current study) does not provide
workshops or conferences. Instead, the BTSA coordinator occasionally organizes
guest speakers to discuss topics that may be of some interest to the beginning
teachers. The guest speakers are usually veteran teachers or mentor teachers. Their
study discovered that workshop attendance was effective and among the top
techniques listed by beginning teachers, especially if, during the workshops, time
was allowed to observe other teachers.
Furthermore, Simonsen, Fairbanks, Briesch, Meyers, and Sugai (2008),
conducted a study of literature on best evidence-based practices in classroom
organization and discovered that classroom structure and physical arrangement of the
room that minimizes student distractions were the top rated practices. They also
discovered that classrooms with more structure have been found to promote more
applicable academic and social behaviors (Simonsen, et. al. 2008). Teachers who are
disorganized and shuffle through paperwork before delivering instruction, lose the
attention of the students. This is also another example of how being organized helps
learning take place. This is important for mentors to realize when working with
beginning teachers so they can show beginning teachers how to be more organized,
96
and explain how they organize their classroom information. This is also supported
by one of the concepts in social cognitive theory, cognitive modeling.
Another area of mentoring support not revealed during interviews, but found
throughout literature was availability and flexibility. Some of the beginning teachers
liked having the same day and time set each week to use for discussion or joint
lesson planning. This helps teachers who perform better with a structured routine,
and it also made it easier to set the time aside each week in their lesson plan book.
Other teachers shared how they appreciated flexibility because sometimes “things
come up” and “you have to rearrange your plans”. However, a couple of the
beginning teachers liked having a mentor who had a flexible schedule and wasn’t
strict on meeting every week at a certain day and time. They probably liked this
because of their own unpredictable schedule. In addition to the scheduled induction
meetings, grade-level meetings, and staff meetings, other unscheduled meetings
frequently happen in education. For example, parents, administration, or colleagues
may want to schedule a meeting for various reasons. Additionally, most teachers
have unpredictable and unscheduled personal events that can occur, such as doctor’s
appointments or family obligations.
Shields, et al. (1999) discovered that the more frequently the beginning
teachers met with their mentors, the more confident they were. One reason for this,
according to the findings from the interviews, might be because frequent meetings
reminded the beginning teacher that they would see their mentor each week.
Therefore, the beginning teacher could write down concerns or questions and have
97
them ready for the next meeting. Also, some of the beginning teachers that were
interviewed stated that if they had a pressing need or area of concern, they could
walk over to their mentor (or call, if off-site) and she would be available.
Another area of mentoring support not revealed during interviews was the use
of reflective journaling. A study cited that utilizing reflection increased beginning
teacher efficacy (Kelley, 2004). Kelley’s study discovered that when beginning
teachers wrote down their reflections, resembling a journal, of what they were
learning during the mentoring process, it created a sense of efficacy. Since the
beginning teachers were able to go back and review what they had written down for
each entry in the Kelley (2004) study, the increase in efficacy may have been
attributed to their feelings of professional growth. For example, if the beginning
teachers wrote in their reflective journals about experiences communicating with
parents, and then a few months later, looked back on that reflection to see what they
learned or how they handled the experience, the beginning teachers potentially could
identify how much they have grown in a professional manner and to compare how
they may handle the situation currently.
All of these findings indicate that beginning teachers need assistance which
will promote retention in the teaching profession. Findings also indicate that
induction programs have success at retaining beginning teachers (Kelley, 2004). As
revealed in the current study’s findings, having a mentor during the induction phase
is a key component to retaining beginning teachers. This can be attributed to
beginning teachers having someone to engage in interactive dialogue with,
98
collaborate and lesson plan, provide demonstrations and modeling, and being able to
have someone observe you and provide targeted feedback. By discovering which
mentoring techniques were the most effective in retaining beginning teachers and
which techniques affected their confidence in teaching, this study may contribute to
future success of induction programs and further retention of beginning teachers.
When using the social cognitive theoretical framework, it was important for
the researcher to analyze Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. “Maslow emphasized the
importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a
person to achieve individual potential” (Poston, 2009). The hierarchy of needs is
seen in figure 4. The most basic needs are at the bottom. These are the basic
physical requirements. Once these needs are met, people can move on to the next
level of needs, safety and security. As people progress up the pyramid, needs
become increasingly psychological and social. The next level of needs becomes
important for human development. The highest level is the growth needs, which
stem from the desire to grow as a person. This directly relates to how beginning
teachers are progressing through their development and learning. At each stage, they
are learning, getting their needs met, and moving on. Their desire to grow both
professionally and personally depends on their motivation.
99
Figure 4: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Implications for practice:
During the interviews, the researcher asked beginning teachers to list ways
their mentor assisted them. This is beneficial to the teaching profession in multiple
ways. First, if educational research discovers which mentoring techniques are the
most helpful to beginning teachers, then mentors are more likely to emphasize and
keep using these particular techniques. Next, once these techniques are discovered,
induction support programs can influence the mentors they train to use these
100
techniques and spend more time explaining why it is important. Third, if beginning
teachers are stating that these are the most effective techniques, then that means that
these techniques must have an influence on their efficacy and therefore, these
techniques must continue to be used.
When analyzing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it is easy to determine which
human needs are filled and which human needs remain to be filled. First, it is
obvious that the basic needs have been met. These do not have to do with becoming
a beginning teacher. These needs are usually met in the early part of life. After
progressing up to the next level, safety and security needs are usually met through
obtaining a career, buying your first residence, and perhaps starting a family. This
appears to be where a majority of the beginning teachers were at the time of the
study. As the data in chapter 3 revealed, most of them still live at home with their
parents. A few of them, that did not live at home, were married. Moving up to the
next level, love and belonging, appears to be where a lot more work gets done as
people develop solid friendships, and build levels of intimacy in relationships. The
next level, self-esteem, deals with building confidence, having respect for others, and
obtaining achievement. Even though beginning teachers may feel that they have
respect for people or that they have a sense of confidence, the work that needs to be
done at this level can be difficult. This is the second to last level, with the top level
being the most challenging since it deals with self-actualization. Many people do not
ever get to the top of this pyramid. Finally, the top of the pyramid deals with
morality, acceptance of self, and discovering one’s own true meaning for being here.
101
School district personnel and administration can read and understand the
specific areas of effective mentoring support beginning teachers shared in this study.
This district’s BTSA coordinator could research any data on file that describes
effective mentoring techniques reported by beginning teachers. District personnel
could then compare all data. This comparison will allow district personnel to
evaluate the effectiveness of the areas of mentoring support they choose to
emphasize during professional development with mentors in the BTSA program.
Further, mentors can be trained by other successful mentors on implementing
these techniques. District personnel could survey beginning teachers in the
beginning of the year and then again at the end of the year to determine changes in
efficacy. The same could also be done for the mentors.
Other school districts that implement teacher induction programs should do
the same. Evaluating, analyzing, comparing and contrasting current areas of
mentoring support that was reported as the most effective in this study might
persuade the other school districts’ personnel to have the mentors of their induction
program use the effective support. Additionally, BTSA coordinators at the state
level could use this information in the same way.

Limitations
This study examines qualitative data gathered from one group of beginning
teachers in a specific induction support program under the direction of the Beginning
Teacher Support Assessment (BTSA). Since state law mandates that beginning
102
teachers have a mentor and need to be involved in an induction support program, the
study would be unable to suggest what might have happened had the individuals not
participated in a mentoring or induction program. This study is also limited by being
unable to control for prior teacher preparation or past professional experiences.
Another limitation is how the mentors use or do not use the techniques they were
trained to utilize and how they decided to implement them.

Delimitations
In this analysis, Year 2 participants in BTSA were the only participants
involved in the study. The rationale for using these participants is to demonstrate
that these beginning teachers have returned to the profession after their first year of
teaching. Another delimitation to this study is that it focuses on elementary school
teachers (K-5). Finally, the findings in this study cannot be generalized to other
districts with different demographics or to secondary teachers.

Assumptions
This study assumes that the district involved has implemented BTSA in the
manner in which it was intended. The study also assumes that teachers leaving the
district are leaving the teaching profession rather than relocating to another district.
It is also an assumption that the responses in the interviews were honest and all Year
2 participants were interviewed at the time of the study.

103
Recommendations for Future Research:
This study reveals the mentoring techniques which beginning teachers found
effective, based on observations and opinions they shared during interviews.
However, there is always room to improve a study or ways the study could have
been done differently.
First, future researchers should ask multiple sets of beginning teachers to
identify which single mentoring technique increased their level of efficacy, rather
than asking one set of beginning teachers about multiple techniques. This way, the
beginning teacher can elaborate on that particular technique and future researchers
will be able to understand which single techniques increased beginning teacher
efficacy, according to the beginning teachers.
Next, mentors of the beginning teachers should provide their insight as to
which techniques they think are the most effective. This way, future researchers will
be able to conduct a comparison between the two groups. They may discover that
beginning teachers appreciate more than techniques. For example, they may
appreciate the mentoring relationship, the camaraderie, and the rapport with their
mentor.
Additionally, researchers need to study how the mentors view themselves as
mentors and as teachers. This is an important discovery since what a person thinks
of themselves has an impact on how effective they are with others. Researchers
could then compare this data with the data about beginning teachers. Identifying any
104
matches or mismatches between beginning teacher and mentor would provide
fascinating findings.
Finally, determining how effective beginning teachers think their induction
program is would be a good future study. This would help the future of induction
programs as well. If induction programs know how beginning teachers think and
feel, they could structure their programs to meet the needs of beginning teachers,
thereby increasing their sense of efficacy and their potential for retention.
Therefore, research questions for future studies could be:
1. Which techniques used during the induction phase do mentors view as
most effective?
2. How effective do mentors view themselves?
3. How effective do beginning teachers view their induction program?

Conclusion
This study examined which mentoring techniques were viewed by beginning
teachers as the most effective types of support. The interviews conducted found that
the techniques mentioned by beginning teachers were consistent with the literature.
Since this study discovered techniques that are perceived as the most helpful by the
beginning teachers, stakeholders might pay attention and make sure mentors
implement these effective types of support. The information in this study may
provide school district personnel with the ability to analyze and compare currently
implemented mentoring techniques and structure their induction programs
105
accordingly. Beginning teachers were the ones to express how they felt about the
techniques used during their mentoring experience; we should all listen.
This study’s interview data showed that the human element of mentoring and
socialization into a profession is critically important. For example, the interviewees
repeatedly stressed that they wanted a “friend”, “comrade”, or someone they could
just share their day with, rather than someone just to share aspects of a lesson plan.
Additionally, one interviewee had expressed her concerns of “being watched” in the
classroom. There will always be an underlying sense of insecurity among novices,
especially when it comes to being assessed. However, the mentoring field needs to
understand and allay this fear in human/humane ways, and thus the personal contact
from a personable mentor becomes critical.
106
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116
APPENDIX : Interview Questions

Respondent #: _______________
Interview Questions
1. Describe any specific strategies you feel you have learned from your mentor
which assisted you in deciding to stay for your second year.

2. Describe the behaviors or experiences you have shared with your mentor last
year which assisted you in deciding to stay for a second year.

3. How would you describe the impact your mentor has had on you?

4. Describe your thoughts on your teaching efficacy (include your strengths and
weaknesses as an urban teacher).

5. Describe the effectiveness of your mentor in helping you have an impact on
your teaching (e.g., lesson planning, becoming more culturally sensitive to
your students, time management, classroom management, meeting the
diverse needs of your students, collaboration with other teachers, etc).

6. If you decide to become a mentor in the future, what effective strategies
would you most likely implement?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the value of mentoring techniques as perceived by beginning teachers. One specific school district in Southern California using the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program was the focus of this study. There were 12 beginning teachers involved in their second year of the BTSA program. The study focused on elementary school teachers (Kindergarten through fifth grade). The beginning teachers were interviewed so the researcher could identify their perceptions of effective techniques used by their mentor during their first year of teaching. This study found four common themes which emerged during the interviews. They were interactive dialogue, collaboration and joint planning, demonstration and modeling, and observation and feedback. All of these findings indicate that beginning teachers need assistance which will promote retention and confidence in the teaching profession. This will help induction program designers and administrators to consider these effective techniques when developing and implementing an induction program.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Slabodnik-Rivas, Kathryn (author)

Core Title Beginning teachers' perceptions of effective practices used by their mentor

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education

Degree Conferral Date 2010-05

Publication Date 02/02/2010

Defense Date 12/17/2009

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag beginning teachers,BTSA,collaboration,demonstration and modeling,elementary school beginning teachers,increased confidence,induction,interactive dialogue,interviews,mentoring techniques,OAI-PMH Harvest,observation and feedback,retention,veteran teachers

Place Name California (states)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Pensavalle, Margo (committee chair), Hirabayashi, Kimberly (committee member), Ragusa, Gisele (committee member)

Creator Email kate.rivas2u@gmail.com,slabodni@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m2825

Unique identifier UC1500115

Identifier etd-SlabodnikRivas-3466 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-288003 (legacy record id),usctheses-m2825 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-SlabodnikRivas-3466.pdf

Dmrecord 288003

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Slabodnik-Rivas, Kathryn

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California

Repository Location Los Angeles, California

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu