The impact of mentoring on the Canadian early career teachers’ well-being

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kutsyuruba ◽  
Lorraine Godden ◽  
John Bosica
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact that mentoring has on Canadian early career teachers’ (ECTs’) well-being. The authors describe findings from a pan-Canadian Teacher Induction Survey (n=1,343) that examined perceptions and experiences of ECTs within K–12 publicly funded schools, with particular interest in retention, career interests and the impact of mentoring on well-being. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was used to examine perceptions and experiences of ECTs within publicly funded K–12 schools across Canada. For this paper, the authors selectively analyzed 35 survey questions that pertained to mentorship and well-being of ECTs, using quantitative and qualitative procedures. Findings The findings revealed a strong correlation between the mentoring experiences and well-being of the participating Canadian ECTs. The teachers who did not receive mentorship indicated significantly lower feelings of well-being, and conversely, teachers who participated in some kind of mentorship demonstrated much higher levels of well-being. Research limitations/implications This paper draws on the selective analysis of the data from a larger study to elicit the connections between the mentoring support and perceived well-being. Due to inconsistencies in terminology and multifaceted offerings of induction and mentoring supports for ECTs across Canada, there might have been some ambiguity regarding the formal and informal mentorship supports. A longitudinal study that is designed to specifically examine the connection between the mentorship and well-being of ECTs could yield deeper understandings. A comparative study in different international contexts is commended. Practical implications The findings showed that the ECTs who did not receive any mentorship scored significantly lower feelings of well-being from external, structural, and internal well-being sources, and conversely, the ECTs who participated in some kind of mentorship scored much higher levels of feelings of well-being. Policy-makers should therefore continue to confidently include mentorship as an intentional strategy to support and help ECTs to flourish. However, inconsistent scoring between individuals and their levels of external, structural and internal well-being suggest that more research on the connection between mentoring and well-being of the ECTs. Social implications Work-life imbalance seems to be more challenging for ECTs than policymakers who provide these expectations are aware. Therefore, excessive work demands and intensive workloads need to be given proper attention for their potential negative effects (such as stress, burnout and absence) on the beginning teachers’ health and well-being. Likewise, purposeful strength-based approaches should be undertaken to establish generative and pro-social efforts to enhance the connectedness, collaboration, collegiality and resilience-building opportunities for novice professionals within flourishing learning communities. Originality/value In this paper, the authors have undertaken the first steps in exploring the impact that mentoring has on Canadian ECTs’ well-being. The study increases the understanding of how mentoring can be used as a purposeful strategy to support the well-being of ECTs and retain them in the teaching profession in Canada and potentially in different international contexts.

The role of mentoring in early career physics teachers’ professional identity construction

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Cameron ◽  
Anna Grant
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Physics Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which external subject-specific mentoring can influence the professional identity construction of early career physics teachers (ECPT). Design/methodology/approach The methodology evolved from the evaluation of a mentoring project, involving semi-structured interviews with a number of early career teachers. Responses from 18 teachers, which related to the impact of the mentoring relationship on their professional identity development, were subject to a process of iterative thematic coding in the context of interpretative repertoires via a collaborative “developmental dialogue” between the managers of the mentoring project and its external evaluators. Findings The analysis of participants’ responses suggested that the nature of the relationship between early career teacher and mentor played a role in the emergence, or suppression, of their professional identities as physics teachers at the start of their teaching careers. In some cases, mentoring provision was little short of a “lifeline” for the teachers. Practical implications Mentors need the opportunity to develop their professional practice and identity through contact with the community of teacher educators. The practice of training, mentoring and coaching teachers should be valued at least as much as teaching itself and should be recognised as its own professional practice. Originality/value This study builds on a number of well-established pieces of research and concepts relating to the challenges facing early career teachers and their professional identity construction. It provides insight into the challenges facing ECPTs specifically, which includes the risk of isolation and unrealistic expectations from colleagues. It not only confirms the merits of external mentoring, but also demonstrates the significant responsibility, which comes with the mentor’s role and the negative impact on teachers’ professional identity construction caused by deficiencies in mentoring.

scholarly journals More than a mentor

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 198-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Struyve ◽  
Alan Daly ◽  
Machteld Vandecandelaere ◽  
Chloé Meredith ◽  
Karin Hannes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Job Attitudes ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Experienced Teachers ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Teachers

Purpose – The number of early career teachers leaving the profession continues to be an ongoing issue across the globe. This pressing concern has resulted in increased attention to the instructional and psychological conditions necessary to retain early career educators. However, less formal attention has been paid to the social infrastructure in which early career teachers find themselves. The purpose of this paper is to foreground the role of social capital and its effect on job attitudes and educators’ intention to leave the profession. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 736 teachers within ten secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Using social network and multilevel moderated mediation analysis techniques, the relationships between teachers’ social connectedness, job attitudes, and the intention to leave the profession for both novice and experienced teachers were analyzed. Findings – Findings indicate that being socially connected to other educators within the school is associated with a reduction in teachers’ intention to leave the profession, mediated by their job attitudes, for both early career and experienced teachers. However, social connectedness was significantly more important for early career teachers. No significant effects are found for being socially connected to the mentor. Originality/value – This study provides evidence for the importance of social capital for teachers, particularly early career educators. Moreover, by introducing teachers’ social connectedness as related to intention to leave, this study makes a significant and unique contribution to the literature.

A Longitudinal Study to Explore the Impact of Preservice Teacher Health Training on Early Career Teachers’ Roles as Health Promoters

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Byrne ◽  
Karen Pickett ◽  
Willeke Rietdijk ◽  
Jonathan Shepherd ◽  
Marcus Grace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Preservice Teacher ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Teacher Health ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Beginning Teachers Conceptions Of Competence

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Huntly
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Teacher Performance ◽  
Beginning Teacher ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Teaching Competence ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Specific Education

This paper reports the outcomes of a phenomenographic investigation of beginning teacher competence. In the research presented here, 18 beginning teachers were interviewed and the transcripts analysed to reveal how these teachers describe the phenomenon of competence. In highlighting the various conceptions of competence held by beginning teachers, the paper also outlines the variety of appraisal approaches experienced by teachers seeking entry into the profession. The competence of teachers is not a recently contested issue, nor one that is isolated to specific education contexts. More than ever before, there is worldwide debate about the authenticity of various forms of appraisal that aim to measure or judge teacher performance. Such judgements are of particular concern to early career teachers who must demonstrate ‘competence’ before they are formally accepted as members of the teaching profession. This paper seeks to add to the debate about teaching competence by providing the voice of the beginning teacher.

Curricular coaches’ impact on retention for early-career elementary teachers in the USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
David De Jong ◽  
Ayana Campoli
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Teacher Turnover ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Career Teacher ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
Career Teacher

Purpose Researchers have found that curricular coaches have had an impact on student achievement by supporting classroom teachers in providing high-quality instruction. However, few studies examine the association between curricular coaches and teacher retention, especially in urban areas. Given the high cost of teacher turnover and the high percentage of early-career teachers who leave the profession each year, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the presence of curricular coaches in elementary schools reduces turnover among early-career teachers. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors analyzed the observational data from the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). The SASS is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that has been administered repeatedly to public and private kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers in the USA approximately every four years by the National Center for Education Statistics and the US Census Bureau. Findings The authors found that the presence of a curricular coach was associated with a substantial reduction in early-career teacher turnover. This finding suggests that curricular coaches could be a particular benefit to urban schools. Research limitations/implications This study was national in scope; therefore, it does not examine causes of attrition specific to local contexts. Practical implications Curricular coaches may indirectly save urban school districts thousands of dollars because of their impact on reducing early-career teacher attrition. Social implications In this study, the authors found a statistically significant and practically meaningful association between the presence of curricular coaches in schools and the retention of elementary teachers, especially in urban areas. Originality/value The model predicted that among early-career teachers, teachers in schools without curricular coaches are approximately twice as likely to leave the profession the next year compared to teachers in schools with curricular coaches.

Applying Self-Care to Strategically Prevent Burnout in Early Career K-12 Teachers

2021 ◽  
pp. 25-49
Author(s):  
Nancy A. Walker ◽  
Bridgette M. Hester ◽  
Michelle G. Weiler
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Professional Relationships ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Mentor Programs ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
K 12

This chapter explores potential sources of burnout for early career K-12 teachers, or those with less than five years of classroom experience. After a discussion of burnout and compassion fatigue, this chapter will present strategies for building positive relationships, developing and engaging in effective mentor programs, and current best practices in self-care. The discussion will include a presentation of steps one can take to promote and effectively manage mental and physical health to improve personal and professional relationships. This chapter will bring together resources, ideas, and information to help early career teachers to view themselves, their classrooms, and their relationships with students, parents, peers, and administrators from a different perspective through the building of positive relationships, collaboration efforts, and mentorship. The chapter will conclude with a list of examples of best practices in self-care to aid early career teachers in better serving themselves, their students, and their learning community.

scholarly journals External mentoring for new teachers: mentor learning for a change agenda

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Daly ◽  
Emmajane Milton
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Early Career ◽  
First Year ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Teachers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a qualitative study of the learning and development of 70 external mentors during the first year of their deployment to support early career teachers’ professional learning as part of a national initiative aimed at school improvement in Wales. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a narrative methodology that elicited accounts of external mentors’ learning experiences that were captured as textual data and analysed using an inductive approach to identify: first, the manifest themes that appeared at declarative level, and second, the latent (sub-textual) themes of external mentor learning and development. Findings Four key themes emerged that indicate the complexity of transition to the role of external mentor in high-stakes contexts. From these, eight theoretically-informed principles were derived which support mentors to embrace uncertainty as essential to their learning and development, and to harness the potential they bring as boundary-crossers to support the development of new teachers. Research limitations/implications The study investigated the first year of a three-year programme and worked with one form of qualitative data collection. The research results may lack generalisability and a longitudinal study is necessary to further explore the validity of the findings. Practical implications The eight principles provide a foundation for mentor development programmes that can support ambitious goals for mentoring early career teachers. Originality/value The study addresses the under-researched area of the learning and development of external mentors at a national scale.

scholarly journals Rural Teachers’ Literacy Practices In and Out of the Classroom: Exploring Teacher Characteristics and Literacy Tools

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara L. Lycke ◽  
Ellis Hurd ◽  
Terry Husband
Keyword(s):  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Teacher Characteristics ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Out Of School

Scholars who recognize the socially constructed nature of literacy acknowledge that important literacy processes take place across settings both in and out of school. Most of what is known about these trans-literacy practices relates to students, but little is known about the literacy practices of teachers in and outside of school. This study examines through survey research the in- and out-of-school literacy practices of teachers in a rural K-12 school district. The findings of the study suggest that for early career teachers, their out-of-school literacy practices are more deliberately connected to their literacy practices in school than for mid- and later-career teachers. This study calls for more descriptive research on the relationships between teachers’ literacy practices and use of literacy tools outside of school, and their literacy practices and pedagogical approaches to literacy in school.

scholarly journals An exploratory study of early career teachers as culturally responsive teachers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Ann Beutel ◽  
Donna Tangen ◽  
Rebecca Spooner-Lane
Keyword(s):  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Career Teachers

The purpose of this study was to advance understanding on how early career teachers imagined themselves to be culturally responsive and how their beliefs and ideologies about teaching a diverse range of learners were challenged and refined during their early years of teaching. This qualitative, exploratory study was conducted in a large, secondary school in eastern Australia that has a highly diverse population of students. Findings indicate that, while these early career teachers lacked preparation for working with diverse learners,  building relationships on multiple levels (with students, with fellow beginning teachers, and with senior staff which includes ongoing support and mentoring from colleagues) is essential for the development of early career teachers as culturally responsive practitioners. Findings are discussed in relation to Garmon’s (2005) six key factors for teaching diverse groups of students: openness, self-awareness, commitment to social justice, having intercultural experiences, have support group experiences, and recognising individual growth.  These findings have implications for schooling systems in how they can better transition early career teachers to classrooms and for higher education teacher preparation programs in Australia and many other countries with a growing number migrant and refugee students coming into the school system.

“I believe in home language, but the tests don't”: Addressing Linguistic Diversity within Assessment Practices across Literacy Teacher Preparation and Classroom Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Katrina Bartow Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Career Teachers ◽  
K 12

Background/Context Issues of policy, practice, and assessment and the relationships between them have been a persistent focus in the practice and research of teacher preparation. However, the field has also long appreciated the tensions that persist between assessment approaches espoused in most teacher education programs and the realities of practices in K–12 schools. These issues are of particular importance and consideration in the current climate of increasing standardization and accountability measures. There is a need to consider how teacher preparation programs prepare candidates to handle these pressures. Additional research following early-career teachers into the field is also needed to better understand the challenges and possibilities they face within their own literacy assessment approaches. Focus of Study Building on linguistic diversity work and issues of epistemic privilege and inequality related to literacy assessment in schools, the author theorizes practice within teacher education as inextricably linked to K–12 practices and policies, calling for a shift in teacher education to directly explore, and prepare teachers to navigate and circumnavigate, current policies and contexts. Focusing on linguistic diversity and assessment, I trace the tensions between the teachers’ asset-based beliefs and their practices within the current accountability climate. Research Design This study followed 10 early-career literacy teachers from their teacher preparation program into their first year of teaching. All the candidates completed their studies having strongly demonstrated beliefs in asset-based assessment practices and the need for clear links between assessment and practice. Through survey data—both qualitative and quantitative—and in-depth interview data gathered over a year, the study investigated shifts in the teachers’ beliefs and practices as well as the role of their school context in mediating the relationship between the two. Findings My focus in my analysis of the findings was understanding the impact of linguistic diversity as it relates to equitable assessment practices. These findings indicated that early-career teachers had differing degrees of difficulty implementing even strongly held beliefs. The early-career teachers described tensions between their goals and school expectations, increasing frustrations with standardized assessment measures, and disempowerment regarding their ability to support diverse students in the classroom through assessment measures. Conclusion Although teacher preparation programs can have a strong impact on candidates’ mindsets, simply focusing on shifting beliefs is not enough. I conclude by offering specific suggestions for how to better meet these needs through both pedagogical and theoretical changes within the field of literacy teacher education. “I believe in home language, but the tests don't. So, I'm—I'm stuck, you know? Because when I make assignments where the kids can use AAVE, or Spanglish, or whatever feels comfortable for them, then I worry I'm not preparing them. And my principal worries too, because our charter requires us to do as well or better than public schools on the [state test]. He suggested that I only do that when it's an in-class activity, and not for a grade, you know? But then—what am I saying to the kids? What message is that really sending? It seemed so easy when we talked about it in class.” —Kallie1

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