New Teachers' Perceptions of the Effect of Mentoring on Behavior Management
Abstract
School districts in the State of Georgia are losing new teachers at the rate of more than 40% within their first 5 years. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of new teachers on mentoring, specifically in behavior management. The research questions were developed to examine new teachers' firsthand experiences with mentoring on behavior management and how mentoring has supported their approaches in the classroom. The conceptual framework was based on theories developed by Knowles and Bandura focusing on andragogy and self-directed learning. Participants were 10 purposefully selected teachers of Grades 1, 2, and 3 in a single suburban school district in Georgia with not more than 3 years of teaching experience. Each participant was interviewed twice, and interview transcripts were analyzed through coding by identifying keywords and phrases that emerged. The coding process yielded the identification of common themes in the data. Results revealed that participants' experiences with mentoring on behavior management were limited because training and support from mentors and administrators on behavior management was lacking. Results also revealed a need for more individualized, consistent mentoring on behavior management techniques to foster new teachers' development of behavior management practices. A project was developed for mentors and administrators in the form of professional development using Barkley's four mentoring models for mentors and experiential learning designed to contribute to new teachers' effectiveness. The project is anticipated to have a positive impact on the mentoring of new teachers in the district on behavior management.
