Running head: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY: NEW TEACHERS’S                                         1

A Phenomenological Study: New Teachers’s Experiences with Green Valley School’s

Mentoring Program

(Name)

(University)

Project Study: Research in Practice

8106‐2

(Instructor)

(Date)

A Phenomenological Study: New Teachers’ Experiences with Green Valley School’s

Mentoring Program

The most intricate part of mentoring is the quality of teacher experiences in the mode of teaching during the process of becoming a highly qualified teacher.

Feiman‐Nemser & Parker (1992) state the following:

The provision of mentor teachers is considered a big improvement over the more typical “sink or swim” experiences of many beginning teachers in the United States. Mentoring also offers an incentive to experienced teachers who can take on a new role without giving up classroom teaching (p.2).

New teacher’s mentoring programs supports the growth and professional development of new teachers. It is a step in a continuum of professional learning for teachers to support effective teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Research revealed that mentoring helps cultivate skills imbibes a sense of camaraderie, value and pride for the teaching profession in a novice teacher. For example, the study by Feiman‐Nemser (2003) revealed that the first‐year teachers need to feel that they have a strong sense of belonging and that the work they had accomplish deeply appreciated. They will need a mentor who can bounce ideas off and check in with on consistent basics.

Problem Statement

he Green Valley School District is one of the top schools districts in the state because of the service they provide to the students in terms of focusing on their learning skills in technology, reading and science. Apparently, the performance of such teachers is highly attributable to the mentoring and training programs as well as the classes and seminars they are provided with. Unfortunately, the

Superintendent has decided to maintain budget cuts therein, noting that the budget allocated for such trainings is very high, arguing that mentoring programs are not really effective in enhancing the performance of teachers.

The role of teacher mentoring in educational reform is undeniable. Unfortunately, most researchers mention that the mentoring process has not always been recognized in education. Without a doubt, the mentoring program is considered of utmost importance as it helps in passing down the values of older teachers to the set of new ones to help them in performing better in class (Koki, 2005). However, the mentoring process goes beyond than merely helping new teachers cope with their classes through professional guidance and encouragement. Instead, it enhances commitment to education and its future. In this regard, this current research attempts to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent does the implementation of mentoring programs affect student achievement, (2) To what extent does the implementation of mentoring programs affect the quality of education and (3) How does mentoring programs differ from other methods (i.e. training) in enhancing the quality of education and student achievement?

Research Design and Approach

To help in understanding the topic at hand, the qualitative research design shall be adopted in this study. Qualitative research has been defined as that method of inquiry used in order to gain an in‐depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons behind the same. The qualitative research design has been employed in this study in order to effectively determine the importance of mentoring programs

Samples of the professional development program handouts will be collected and analyzed as well as collaborative plans and mentor handouts. A field notebook that will contain reflective and descriptive notes will accompany all data that is audio recorded. 

Conclusion

Undeniably, mentoring is deemed of paramount importance in educational institutions in such a way that it raises the quality of the experiences of the teachers and at the same time, guarantees their retention notwithstanding the many challenges they face during the first year of their career. Without a doubt, the failure of the teachers to perform in accordance with the requirements expected from them negatively affects the status of the educational institution and the education it provides to the students. In this case, school administrators, the students and their parents become affected by this present problem. Parenthetically, the incompetence of the teachers and their failure to perform according to mandate standards affect the education of the students and the general operations of the educational institution.