Mentor and New Teacher Self-Perceptions Regarding the Effectiveness of a Statewide Mentoring Program

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by nayy☆

This qualitative study examined how mentor and new teacher pairings shape the self-reported benefits of a statewide mentoring program for beginning teachers. The sample included 147 new teachers and 89 mentors from a Midwestern, rural state, spanning grade levels and content areas with both in-district and out-of-district, job-alike and job-not-alike matches. Similar pairings (same district and position) produced the most positive mentoring experiences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study Design and Participants

Pairing Similarity and Mentoring Outcomes

Identified Benefit Themes

Context: Teacher Shortages and Attrition

Mentoring Definitions and Program Components

Evidence from Prior Research

| | Mentor and New Teacher Self-Perceptions Regarding the Effectiveness of a Statewide Mentoring Program | | --- | --- | Anna Schwan, Cheryl Wold, Andrea Moon, Alan Neville,& Janeen Outka, Northern State University Abstract This qualitative study examined the impact of mentor and new teacher pairings on the selfreported benefits of a statewide mentoring program for new teachers. Participants included 147 new teachers and 89 mentors in a Midwestern, rural state. Teacher demographics included all grade levels, different content areas, job alike and job not-alike pairings, and in-district and out-of-district pairings. Results indicated that the most similar pairings, i.e. same district and same position, reported the most positive mentoring experience. Several themes were identified by the mentors and new teachers as being benefits of the experience. Major themes identified by mentor teachers included reflection, positive interactions, collaboration, improved instruction, and improvement. Major themes identified by new teachers included improved instruction, collaboration, positive interaction, improvement, direction, and sense of community. Keywords: mentoring, new teachers, mentor/mentee pairings As teachers continue to flee the profession, school districts deliberate the reasons for attrition and work to cope with the cost associated with replacing a teacher. The nation was short 110,000 teachers for the 2017-2018 school year (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, and Carver-Thomas, 2016), and about 8% of teachers leave the profession every year (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017) . Research suggests that teachers require three to seven years of experience in order to be considered highly qualified (Long, 2010), yet many teachers never make it that long. Shaw and Newton (2014) reported that over one third of teachers quit within the first five years. While it is impossible to retain every teacher who enters the field, it is prudent for school districts to study and work to prevent teacher attrition as much as possible (Callahan, 2016) . Research has shown that establishing organized meaningful mentoring programs can be beneficial in reducing some of the reasons that teachers leave the profession (Breaux & Wong, 2003; Callahan, 2016; Darling-Hammond, 2012; White & Mason, 2003) . Lipton and Wellman (2018) highlighted the many benefits of a mentoring program, stating that, Novices who participate in high quality induction programs that include a comprehensive mentoring component have consistently shown that they increase beginning teacher retention, improve student achievement, and reduce the waste of financial and human resources associated with teacher turnover. Beginning teachers that are supported early in their careers have increased effectiveness in their classrooms, higher satisfaction, and greater commitment than those that do not experience these supports. (p. xv) Mentoring programs vary greatly in their structure and content (Ingersoll and Strong, 2011; Israel, Kamman, McCray & Sindelar, 2014; Polikoff, Desimone, Porter, & Hochberg, 2015; & Radford, 2018) . Defining mentoring and the components that make up a successful program is critical for success. According to Ingersoll and Strong (2011),“Mentoring is the personal guidance provided, usually by seasoned veterans, to beginning teachers in schools”(p.203) . Radford (2017) defined the role ofa mentor stating that mentors “need to be reflective practitioners, know how to facilitate adult learning, as well as observe and provide feedback (p. 3) . Zachary (2012) declared the mentoring process to be one where the “mentor and mentee work together to achieve specific, mutually defined goals that focus on developing the mentee’s skills, abilities, knowledge, and thinking; it is in every way a learning partnership (p. 3) . In 2011, Ingersoll and Strong compiled the results of 15 empirical studies conducted since the 1980s on the effects of mentoring programs, and su

FAQs

What was the focus of the qualitative study?

The study focused on the impact of mentor-new teacher pairings on participants’ self-reported benefits from a statewide mentoring program for new teachers.

How many new teachers and mentors participated?

Participants included 147 new teachers and 89 mentors.

Which pairing type reported the most positive mentoring experience?

The most positive mentoring experience came from the most similar pairings—those with the same district and the same position.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by nayy☆