Running head: PRE-SERVICE TEACHER MENTORING AND TEACHER RETENTION

Transcription

1 Pre-service Mentoring 1 Running head: PRE-SERVICE TEACHER MENTORING AND TEACHER RETENTION Pre-Service Teacher Mentoring in College Teacher Preparation Programs and Teacher Retention Sylvia Egal St. John's University

2 Pre-service Mentoring 2 Abstract I conducted two interviews with an experienced female teacher who has been a mentor. I then examined the mentoring relationship between a pre-service female teacher and her mentor male teacher by observing the pre-service teacher teaching science lessons to an eighth grade class with the mentor teacher present in a suburban middle school. Results from the interviews and observations were analyzed for emerging themes. This ethnographic qualitative study revealed the need for a mentoring relationship based on support, learning, collegiality, and mutual respect. The implications offer the basis for further research in the role of mentoring in college and university teacher preparation programs as an effective means of providing qualified teachers who feel confident and competent in the teaching profession.

3 Pre-service Mentoring 3 Introduction According to National Education Association (NEA) findings, in the United States 20% of new teachers leave the profession because they are not properly prepared for the realities of the classroom. According to researchers Woullard & Coats (2004), the NEA has determined In urban districts, close to 50% of newcomers flee the profession during their first five years of teaching (p. 610). Studies have shown that teachers can experience feelings of anxiety, isolation, powerlessness and lack of support (Brown, 2005; Rushton, 2003; Thompson & Dennie, 2005; Woullard & Coats, 2004). These experiences have, along with teacher retirements, low teacher salaries, teacher accountability, and increased teaching workloads, led to high teacher attrition rates while states attempt to ensure that there are enough qualified teachers for school enrollments (Woullard & Coats, p. 610). Teacher turnover can be very costly as replacing teachers involves recruiting, hiring, and training. Finding teacher replacements can increase school districts expenditures in recruitment and professional development. In addition to finding replacements, district personnel must use their resources to make certain that the new recruits have received or will receive professional development in content and teaching skills and strategies (Kajs, 2002). Furthermore, constant teacher turnover can have negative effects on curriculum improvement and student achievement (p. 58). The continuous need to replace teaching staff can result in the hiring of teachers who are inexperienced, unlicensed and unprepared to deal with the diverse cultural, personal, and academic needs of students (Stanulis, Fallona & Pearson, p. 71). Moreover, the student

4 Pre-service Mentoring 4 population is expected to continue to increase, resulting in the need for an increased number of teachers (Woullard & Coats, p.10). The issue of retaining qualified teachers has become more prominent with the passing of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) national legislation of This law, which went into effect in 2002, requires school districts throughout the nation to ensure that children in every public school classroom are taught by highly qualified teachers to attain academic achievement and meet annual yearly progress (AYP) requirements (Rushton, p.168). With many states facing this issue of teacher shortages, especially in urban schools, mentoring in teacher preparation and induction has gained increased attention as a means of assisting novice teachers successful entry into the teaching profession (Giebelhaus & Bowman, 2002). Research studies support that teachers grow professionally when they seek out peers for dialogue and turn to each other for constructive feedback, affirmation, and support (Danielson, 2002). In addition, researchers have reported that novice and veteran teachers alike often report a sense of isolation, which can be lessened by establishing these learning communities (p. 183). The purpose of this present study was to examine the role of mentoring in preparing the pre-service teacher to feel competent and comfortable with the realities of the classroom setting. Based on studies reviewed by researchers Giebelhaus & Bowman, they conclude: Because student teaching is important in developing effective practices, the kind of mentoring prospective teachers receive is a critical issue that teacher educators must investigate (p. 246). This qualitative study used the following question as a guideline: Was the mentoring relationship educational, supportive, trusting and

5 Pre-service Mentoring 5 collegial so that the pre-service teacher felt prepared to have a successful career in the teaching profession? Theoretical Framework Research studies have showed that the most popular method of training teacher candidates is the constructivist approach (Woullard & Coats, p. 613). Crotty (2003) states in his book The Foundations of Social Research that constructivism focuses on the meaning making activity of the individual mind (p. 58). This theoretical perspective emphasizes the teacher as being an active learner in the classroom. Most college and university teacher preparation programs require teacher candidates to perform student teaching in addition to attending education courses in order to major in education and prepare for state licensing certification. The objective of student or pre-service teaching is to provide teacher candidates with the experience of teaching, thereby allowing teacher candidates the opportunity to interact with students and apply first-hand the knowledge they have learned from their college professors. In this way, teacher candidates experience teaching and, in turn, increase their knowledge of how students learn. This constructivist approach is the framework for this ethnographic qualitative research using interaction and interpretivism to uncover meanings and perceptions focusing on the role of mentoring in teacher preparation. The term mentoring as used in this study is based on the nature of mentoring described by Danielson (2002) where the mentoring relationship is a collegial relationship in which the mentor teacher helps the novice through formal and informal interactions including writing lesson plans to refining teacher skills, to providing non-

6 Pre-service Mentoring 6 threatening constructive feedback and cultivating reflective behavior, to offering support and sharing insights, and to providing encouragement that supports affirmation and ongoing growth in which a teacher can benefit and grow professionally. Methodology I conducted two interviews, each lasting approximately 1 hour, which consisted of open-ended questions with a bilingual female who taught in a suburban high school as an English as Second Language teacher. She had over a decade of teaching experience and had been a cooperating teacher and mentor in the classroom. The questions were designed to facilitate conversation between the author and the participant to elicit honest and reflective responses based on the participant s experiences and perceptions. The first interview involved discussions relating to the participant s background, early teaching experiences and establishment of a comfortable environment. I took notes during this interview to listen for key words and/or phrases while also making notes on the nonverbal communication of the interviewee. The second interview was taped and focused on details of the participant s teaching career and early perceptions as well as her reflections on her experiences and the realities of classroom teaching. Notes were also taken at the conclusion of the interview on the nonverbal communication of the participant. This type of communication, known as conversation analysis, has been showed to provide more research data by analyzing the bodily movements and gazes of the participant during communication (Silverman, 2001). I then transcribed the taped interview verbatim. The two interviews were conducted 1 day apart in a conference room at the university where the participant is in attendance and were conducted with the consent of the interviewee.

7 Pre-service Mentoring 7 I analyzed the interviews to identify quotes and key words that could represent and be coded into patterns and emerging themes. Next, I took descriptive field notes based on an observation of a pre-service female teacher conducting a 40-minute earth science lesson to an eighth class with an enrollment of 25 students, where 2 students were absent. Researchers Bogdan and Biklen (2003) have defined descriptive fieldnotes as notes which portrait the subject(s), reconstruct dialogue, describe the physical setting, account events and activities and include the observer s behavior (p. 113). The pre-service teacher was a graduate student, approximately 30 years of age, who was in the last semester of her master s degree program at a large state university campus and in the process of seeking employment as a secondary school science teacher. The observation setting was a classroom in a suburban middle school. The mentor teacher was present for most of the lesson, which he also observed and then met with the pre-service teacher at the lesson conclusion to discuss the observed lesson, teacher-student interactions and preparations for the next lesson. The mentor teacher was a male in his thirties who had been teaching for approximately a decade. I conducted a second observation 5 days after the first observation. This second observation was in the same classroom during the same time of day as the first one. All 25 students were present for this earth science lesson. During the second observation I once again took field notes on the class events, conversations, comments, interactions and body languages of the pre-service teacher, the mentor and the students during the 40- minute lesson. The mentor was present during the entire lesson and met with the preservice teacher at its conclusion to discuss the lesson and elicit the pre-service teacher s

8 Pre-service Mentoring 8 feelings about her lesson, the students participation and learning, events that occurred during the lesson, as well as objectives and preparation for the next lesson. Both observations were conducted with the consent of the pre-service teacher and the mentor teacher. I reread both the interviews and observations notes several times and patterns were established based on repeated key words and phrases, and interesting quotes. I wrote these on index cards, which I categorized into themes identified as college teacher preparation, mentoring, collegial leadership support, teaching experience, and teaching perceptions. Perceptions were based on comments and observations relating to isolation, amount of work, work pressure, and student behavioral issues. Findings and Discussion Results from analysis of the interviews revealed that the interviewee considered mentoring to be an important factor in helping new teachers prepare and adjust to the realities of classroom teaching and professional growth. Observations of the pre-service teacher in a classroom setting also showed that the mentoring relationship can provide support, constructive feedback, and learning experience. The findings from these interviews and observations also showed that relationships with colleagues are significant in determining whether teachers feel isolated or supported during their first teaching experiences. In the first interview, the participant Jennifer pointed out that although she felt prepared to manage the classroom based on her experiences as a parent and from her previous job, she did not feel supported as a new teacher. The first few years were my

9 Pre-service Mentoring 9 worst years. I did not feel welcomed by the building staff, nor by the building administration. Building administration did not lend support or mentoring In addition, Jennifer stated: I was never given any support or guidance from my colleagues in the same discipline even when colleagues were encouraged by the building administration to corroborate with the bilingual teachers to share common materials for the same content area. Resistance was always evident. The feeling of isolation resurfaced in the second interview when Jennifer was asked about her relationship with the other teachers in her school during her first few years of teaching. My experience with my colleagues in my first several years of teaching was one that I felt a bit isolated from the other members of the staff in the building. Jennifer even pointed out that even to this day new teachers tend to express that sort of feeling too so I know it wasn t uniquely my experience. During the second interview, Jennifer revealed that despite her parenting and previous career experiences, she still felt overwhelmed by the needs of her students. My first few days in my first class I would say I felt overwhelmed by the needs of my students, and that wasn t even assessing their academic needs. She stated that her student teaching experience was delightful and that her cooperating teacher was an excellent role model. However, she felt that the limited number of education credits and short student teaching requirements in the undergraduate program were not enough preparation. I don t believe that an undergraduate degree prepares a teacher sufficiently to really manage and meet the needs of her students as a first year teacher. I really do believe that mentoring is required and on the building level, district level, wherever the teacher may be working.

10 Pre-service Mentoring 10 Despite the overall lack of support by her colleagues and the building administrator along with the lack of materials and curriculum development provided, Jennifer s response to the question of why she did not leave teaching after her first teaching experiences provided evidence for the basis of her decision to remain in the teaching profession: I felt totally committed to the students. I felt that I was making a difference in each and every one of their lives, and that was totally fulfilling to me. Jennifer s focus on her students showed that her positive relationship with them was her reason for remaining in the classroom. She demonstrated her belief in the importance of mentoring by becoming a cooperating teacher and mentor for student teachers. As a teacher I m honored that you know, they think I m a model teacher and I can help someone else. The mentoring relationship was evident between the cooperating teacher and preservice teacher during my observations of them. Actions and dialogue of these two in the classroom showed the pre-service teacher gaining first-hand experience in managing and teaching a class using lessons that she had planned based on the course curriculum. The cooperating teacher took on the role of an observer, consultant and mentor in a classroom setting to provide guidance, support and constructive feedback for the pre-service teacher. During the second observation, the students became talkative and inattentive near the end of the period and started to pack up their book bags upon hearing the five-minute dismissal-warning bell even though the pre-service teacher had not completed the lesson. One of the students, who had been disruptive during most of the lesson, stood up and

11 Pre-service Mentoring 11 started to approach the door. At this point the pre-service teacher, who was standing in the front of the classroom, told him to sit down, and that his actions were not beneficial to the class. She then announced to the class: Take out your things! No one is leaving till we finish the lesson. I m not kidding! She stood next to the classroom door as the students sat back down and took back out their materials. The dismissal bell rang as she continued to write answers from the students she called on by name with their explanations to the review questions on the chalkboard. After a few minutes, the lesson was finished and she dismissed the class. The cooperating teacher was able to discuss the strengths of the pre-service teacher s lessons such as her questioning techniques, selection and use of materials including the computer and overhead projector, and notes for the students to use for review. He also talked about her positive management of a discipline situation and her ability to refocus the class and complete the lesson. They shared questions and comments about the lesson. Then they discussed possible ways to handle disruptions by students and made plans for the next lesson. The pre-service teacher left the classroom with a smile on her face, commenting I m going to make copies for the next lesson. The observations provided support that a mentoring relationship can be used as a means of reducing or eliminating the feelings of frustration, isolation and doubts that inexperienced teachers encounter in the classroom. The dialogue between the experienced and pre-service teachers allowed both to engage in discussion based on the classroom experiences, respect, support and collegiality. Both the interviews and observations substantiated that mentoring of pre-service teachers is considered an effective means of helping to eliminate isolation and anxiety

12 Pre-service Mentoring 12 and provide support in developing a new teacher s confidence and competence. Increased opportunities to provide pre-service teachers with real teaching experiences in supportive environments can help these prospective teachers decrease the difficulties encountered and better align their perceptions of teaching with its realities, thus increasing their preparation for a successful teaching profession. Limitations This research study had several limitations that must be addressed. The use of different participants for the interviews and the observations limited the amount of information that was collected from each source. Moreover, using the Seidman interview methodology of conducting at least three 90-minute interviews over a course of several days would have provided the interviewee with more time to reflect on the subject (Brown, 2005). This would have been beneficial in my data collection, and also allowed me more time to formulate questions which could have elicited more details for analyzing. My inexperience in collecting and analyzing the data from field notes and interviews can also be considered a limitation that can be alleviated with practice and experience over time. However, the short time in which the study had to be completed further limited the number of interviews and observations that were conducted as well as prevented documentation at a later time to give further support of the findings. My inability at times to ignore my own feelings during data collection made me more involved and subjective than I should have been as an observer and listener whose main objective was to listen, watch and learn from others. Peshkin (1988) notes that

13 Pre-service Mentoring 13 researchers must be aware of their own subjectivity and opinions during the research process. Although qualitative studies based on a limited or small sampling such as this one was may be questioned for validity and generalization of the findings, this ethnographic study did provide first-hand, authentic data that were analyzed into themes supporting the research study topic. The data from the two participants in this research add to the stories that can increase our knowledge of effective teacher preparation. Recommendations More in-depth research based on qualitative studies of pre-service teachers using interviews, observations and surveys for data collection and analysis is a resourceful means of knowledge building. Such data from pre-service teachers of their perceptions of teaching and the role of mentoring in their preparation can provide a more thorough basis for evaluating the effectiveness of mentoring in teacher preparation programs. Furthermore, researchers can use ethnographic studies such as this one to obtain first-hand accounts from pre-service teachers on their feelings of competence and confidence and collegial support from their colleagues. The significance of implementing mentoring before participating in student teaching can be studied. Such information is valuable in determining the need for and structure of more extensive and supportive mentoring programs based on hands-on field experiences than are currently provided by most colleges and universities through their student teaching requirements. Results from such studies can lead to development of viable programs that support recruitment and retention of new teachers who are qualified and ready to help our students meet the increasing demands of learning and living in our complicated world.

14 Pre-service Mentoring 14 References Bogdan, R.C. & Biklen, S. K. (2003). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods (4 th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Brown, S. W. (2005). Emily and Rebecca: A tale of two teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21 (6), Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Danielson, L. (2002). Developing and retaining quality classroom teachers through mentoring. The Clearing House, 75 (4), Giebelhaus, C. R. & Bowman, C. L. (2002). Teaching mentors: Is it worth the effort? The Journal of Educational Research, 95 (4), Kajs, L. T. (2002). Framework for designing a Mentoring program for novice teachers. Mentoring & Tutoring, 10 (1), Loder, T. L. & Spillane, J. P. (2005). Is a principal still a teacher?: US women administrators accounts of role conflict and role discontinuity. School leadership and Management, 25 (3), Peshkin, A. (1988). In search of subjectivity One s own. Educational Researcher, 27 (9), Rushton, S. P. (2003). Two preservice teachers growth in self-efficacy while teaching in an inner-city school. The Urban Review, 35 (3), Silverman, D. (2004). Interpreting qualitative data: Methods for analysing talk, text, and interaction (2 nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

15 Pre-service Mentoring 15 Smith, D. L. & Thompson, S. (2005). Creating highly qualified teachers for urban schools. Professional Educator, 27, Solis, A. (2004, June-July). The role of mentoring in teacher quality land retention. (Electronic version). Intercultural Development Research Association, Retrieved May 5, 2005, from Stanulis, R. N., Fallona, C. A. & Pearson, C. A. (2002). Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing? : mentoring novice teachers through the uncertainties and challenges of their first year of teaching. Mentoring & Tutoring, 10 (1), Woullard, R. & Coats, L. T. (2004). The community college role in preparing future teachers: The impact of a mentoring program for preservice teachers. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28,