The Relationship Between a University-Based Mentorship Program and First-Year Teachers’ Performance

Authors

Alicia C. Stapp, University of MississippiFollow
Laura F. Prior
Catherine Harmon

Keywords

University mentorship program, mentoring, first-year teacher, teacher educator

Abstract

Teacher attrition affects both the stability and quality of schools. Nearly 24% of teachers leave after one year, 33% leave after three years, and 40-50% leave within their first five years (Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018). Effective mentorship programs can effectively assist teachers in overcoming the challenges that lead to resignation. This study implemented a teacher mentorship program where the mentor was a teacher educator who had worked with the mentees in their undergraduate program. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the study examined first-year teachers’ performance through monthly field observations, interviews, and self-reflections. Themes emerged that are critical to a first-year teacher’s performance: (a) increased instructional effectiveness; (b) relinquish survival mode, and (c) effective management.

DOI

10.15760/nwjte.2019.14.1.7

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/28560

Recommended Citation

Stapp, Alicia C.; Prior, Laura F.; and Harmon, Catherine (2019) "The Relationship Between a University-Based Mentorship Program and First-Year Teachers’ Performance," Northwest Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 14 : Iss. 1 , Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15760/nwjte.2019.14.1.7