An Analysis of Effective Support Structures for Novice Teachers

Abstract

Teachers are leaving the profession at alarming rates. As a result, retaining novice teachers has become a major concern for policy makers, school districts, administrators, and teaching staff throughout the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of novice teacher induction support structures in a southwestern US state. The conceptual framework is based on research examining teacher attrition; this study extends the research by examining school-based and university-based programs. Research questions focused on the perception of novice teachers regarding mentoring experiences at their certifying universities and employing school districts. Three research questions examined school district comprehensive induction support, certifying university support induction programs, and other support services that supported novice teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession. The method used to conduct research was a sequential exploratory mixed methods design to gather data. Quantitative research analyzed survey responses through descriptive statistics. Qualitative research utilized semi-structured interviews. The results revealed strong school support can compensate for the lack of university support, but strong university support did not compensate for a lack of school support

Keywords

• Novice teacher mentoring, induction support, professional development, classroom, university, school districts

References

1. Alemdag, E., & Erdem, M. (2017). Designing an e-mentoring program for novice teachers in Turkey and investigating online interactions and program outcomes. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership In Learning, 25(2), 123-150. doi:10.1080/13 611267.2017.1327394
2. Bland, P., Church, E., & Luo, M. (2014). Strategies for attracting and retaining teach- ers. Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Practice & Research, 4(1), 9-18. doi:10.5929/2014.4.1.2
3. Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education. (1998). Fea- tured research activities. Retrieved from http://www.createtx.org
4. Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods ap- proaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
5. Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300-314.
6. Davis, B. H., & Waite, S. F. (2006). The long-term effects of a public school/state uni- versity Induction program. The Professional Educator, 28(2), 1-10.
7. Fink, A. (2017). How to conduct surveys: A step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
8. Fowler, F. J. (2009). Survey research methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

9. Huling, L., Resta, V., & Yeargain, P. (2009). Novice teacher induction program: an investigation of the long-range effects of induction support. Insight: Texas Asso- ciation of School Administrators Professional Journal, 25(4), 15-19.
10. ICF International. (2009). Evaluation of the beginning teacher induction and mentor- ing (BTIM) program. Retrieved from http:// tea.texas.gov/WorkArea/Download- Asset.aspx?id=2147490619
11. Ingersoll, R. (2003). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analy- sis. American Educational Research Journal, 30(5), 499-536.
12. Kutsyuruba, B., & Walker, K. (2015). The role of trust in developing teacher leaders through early-career induction and mentoring programs. Antistasis, 5(1), 32-36.
13. Langdon, F. J., Alexander, P. A., Farquhar, S., Tesar, M., Courtney, M. G., & Palmer, M. (2016). Induction and mentoring in early childhood educational organizations: Embracing the complexity of teacher learning in contexts. Teaching & Teacher Education, 57, 150-160. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2016.03.016
14. Leslie, L. L. (1972). Are high response rates essential to valid surveys? Social Science Research, 1, 323–334.
15. Lunsford, T. R., & Lunsford, B. R. (1995). Research forum: The research sample, part II: Sample size. Journal of Prosthetics & Orthotics, 7(4), 137-141.
16. Morin, F. L., Collis, K., & Smith, C. (2015). Going division-wide: Expanding our teacher induction program beyond the inner city. In K. Clausen (Ed.), The Cana- dian association of action research in education 2nd annual conference proceed- ings (pp. 19-23). Ottawa, ON: The Canadian Association of Action Research in Education.
17. National Partnership for Teaching At-Risk Schools. (2005). Qualified teachers for at- risk schools: A national imperative. Retrieved from http://www.ecs.org/clearing- house/57/96/5796.pdf
18. New Teacher Center. (2013). Increasing the effectiveness of educator induction pro- grams in Colorado. Retrieved from https://newteachercenter.org/wp-content/up- loads/ntc_co_induction_report-201305.pdf
19. Oliver, J. S. (2016). A case study of a teacher induction program’s effectiveness as perceived by program teacher participants and school district administrators (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from UT Electronics Theses and Dissertations: http://hdl.handle.net/2152/39607
20. Podolsky, A., Kini, T., Bishop, J., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2016). Solving the teacher shortage: How to attract and retain excellent educators. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.
21. Powell, R. R. (1997). Basic research methods for librarians (3rd ed.). Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
22. Ronfeldt, M., & McQueen, K. (2017). Does new teacher induction really im- prove retention? Journal of Teacher Education. Retrieved from https://doi. org/10.1177/0022487117702583
23. Rossman, G., & Rallis, S. F. (2012). Learning in the field: An introduction to qualita- tive research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
24. Sweeny, B. W. (2008). Leading the teacher induction and mentoring program. Thou- sand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
25. Tesch, R. (1990). Qualitative research: Analysis types and software tools. New York, NY: The Falmer Press.
26. Texas Education Agency. (2011). Beginning teacher induction and mentoring. Re- trieved from https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Educator_Initiatives_and_ Performance/-Beginning_Teacher_Induction_and_Mentoring/
27. Texas Teacher Mentoring Advisory Committee. (2015, January). Report to the Texas Legislature. Retrieved from https://tea.texas.gov/WorkArea/- DownloadAsset. aspx?id=25769819397
28. Veeman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54(2), 143-178.
29. Yanow, D. & Schwartz-Shea, P. (2006). Interpretation and method: Empirical research methods and the interpretive turn. New York, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.