Date

4-2022

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Linda Holcomb

Keywords

Teacher Mentorship Relationships, Secondary Teachers, Teacher Mentor, Teacher Mentee, Veteran Teacher, New Teacher

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate teachers’ experiences in their mentoring relationships. This study investigated the experiences of 12 secondary teachers with varying levels of teaching experience from the Camel County School District in northeastern Wyoming. Kram’s (1983) original mentorship model guided this study, along with social network theory. The focus of this inquiry was to explore how teachers experience the initiation and cultivation phase of the mentorship relationship within their schools, and how these mentorship relationships positively affect the teachers involved. Data collection methods included interviews, participant-written essays, and focus group sessions to answer the central research question: What are the experiences of mentorship relationships for teachers from different levels in their educational career? Interviews, essays, and the focus group discussion were analyzed to find central themes among the experiences of teachers within their mentorship relationships. Findings from this study provided rich descriptions of secondary teachers’ experiences with mentorship relationships, regardless of their experience level. The analysis exposed that all teachers benefit from participating in mentorship relationships whether they are new or seasoned teachers and regardless of whether they serve as the mentor or the mentee in the relationship.

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