Date of Award:

5-2009

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department:

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Department name when degree awarded

Emma Eccles Jones School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Committee Chair(s)

Gary Carlston

Committee

Gary Carlston

Committee

Martha Dever

Committee

J. Nicholls Eastmond

Committee

Michael Freeman

Committee

Steve Laing

Abstract

It is estimated the national teacher shortage will be approximately two million by the year 2010. Thirty to 50% of new teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years. In an effort to improve teacher quality and retain teachers, many states and local school districts have instituted induction and mentoring programs. The state of Utah's Early Years Enhancement (EYE) induction and mentoring program went into effect January 1, 2003. This purpose of this study was to examine how secondary novice teachers experience the mentorship requirement of the EYE program. A phenomenological approach was used to illustrate the lived experience of 19 Utah teachers who completed the mentorship and all other requirements of the EYE program in order to earn their Level 2 License and continue on in the profession.

Some of the themes that emerged from the participant interviews are congruent with the literature in terms of the benefits of a mentorship. A majority of participants reported their mentorship was beneficial because their mentor was a source of advice and information; their mentor was a confidant who also inspired confidence; and they got along with their mentor. Included in the study are unanticipated perceptions regarding the portfolio and the Praxis II requirements of the EYE program, giving a more holistic picture of what participants experienced during the mentor and induction process.

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e47580d8504be0020caf75dc4b427885

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