Date
2-28-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Heather Strafaccia
Keywords
community mentorship, mentorship, Jamaican immigrant teachers, immigrant teachers, cultural adjustment and integration, recognition and value of teachers’ expertise, emotional well -being, support systems
Disciplines
Education | International and Area Studies
Recommended Citation
Bixler, Nadralee, "Importing Educators: A Phenomenological Study Examining the Community Mentorship Experiences of First-Year Jamaican Immigrant Teachers Across Schools in the Southeastern United States" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6514.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6514
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the community mentorship experiences of first-year Jamaican immigrant teachers at schools in the Southeastern United States. The theory guiding this study is McMillan and Chavis's theory of sense of community, which provided a framework for understanding the critical factors of community, a sense of belonging, shared values, influence, and fulfillment of needs that contribute to an inclusive community for first-year Jamaican immigrant teachers. This qualitative research utilized a transcendental phenomenological approach, which enabled me to delve into the shared elements and the essence of the participants' experiences around community mentorship. Jamaican immigrant teachers teaching in public, urban school locations in the United States reflected on their first year of teaching to answer the central research question: What are the community mentorship experiences of first-year Jamaican immigrant teachers located in Southeastern schools in the United States? Twelve Jamaican immigrant teachers participated in individual semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a SCI-2 survey and shared their community mentorship experiences. The data yielded five major thematic findings: cultural adjustment and integration, recognition and value of teachers' expertise, emotional well-being, and mental health, the importance of support systems, and school leadership and climate. The findings align with the literature on immigrant teachers, community, and mentorship. They also add to the existing body of work on Jamaican immigrant teachers and the need for more culturally relevant mentorship for their success and emotional well-being.
