A Content Analysis of Induction Policies in Seven Selected Florida School Districts
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A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF INDUCTION POLICIES IN SEVEN SELECTED FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICTS By LAURA ANN ASTA A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2009 1 © 2009 Laura Ann Asta 2 To Rick, Jennifer, and Ricky with love 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my Heavenly Father. Through Him, all things are truly possible. It is my hope that this study can be used to help provide the highest quality of support for beginning teachers. I am so grateful for the blessing of my wonderful family. I truly appreciate the love and support from my husband Rick and our two children, Jennifer and Ricky. You all have been such great cheerleaders and I thank you for toughing it out when Mom retreated to “her cave” to work on this dissertation. I thank my parents who have always been supportive of my educational goals. The frequent words of encouragement from my dear sister DeAnna have meant so much to me. When I decided to return to graduate school, I met my very special mentor, Dr. Doud. He has taught me so much about leadership and about perseverance. Thank you for not giving up on me through bicycle accidents, broken bones, and numerous other bumps along this journey. I am forever appreciative of the countless hours that you have spent as my committee chair helping me to complete this study. I also wish to thank Mrs. Doud for graciously gifting me with the time that Dr. Doud donated for the completion of my lifelong goal. I would like to thank my committee members Dr. Crockett, Dr. Honeyman, and Dr. Quinn. I sincerely appreciate your valuable input for this study and your enthusiasm for a subject so dear to my heart. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................12 Teacher Attrition .....................................................................................................................12 Teacher Induction ...................................................................................................................13 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................14 Purpose of the Study ...............................................................................................................16 Research Questions .................................................................................................................17 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................18 Summary .................................................................................................................................19 2 REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH ..................................................................................20 Florida’s Projected Teacher Shortage .....................................................................................20 Induction Programs .................................................................................................................21 Mentoring – One Component of the Induction Process .........................................................26 Mentor Selection .............................................................................................................27 Pairing the Mentor and Mentee .......................................................................................30 Mentor Training ...............................................................................................................32 Self-efficacy ....................................................................................................................33 Cognitive Coaching .........................................................................................................34 Developmental Stages .....................................................................................................35 Mentees ....................................................................................................................35 Mentors .....................................................................................................................37 Adult Learning .................................................................................................................37 Mentoring Relationship ...................................................................................................39 Issues of Beginning Teachers ..........................................................................................40 Mentor Roles and Responsibilities .........................................................................................42 Mentoring Strategies .......................................................................................................45 Professional Development Plan .......................................................................................47 Assistance and Assessment .............................................................................................47 Mentor Support .......................................................................................................................48 Mentor Recognition ................................................................................................................49 Administrator Roles and Responsibilities ..............................................................................49 Administrator Training ...........................................................................................................52 Program Evaluation ................................................................................................................52 New Trends .............................................................................................................................53 5 Policy Matters .........................................................................................................................54 Summary .................................................................................................................................55 3 DESIGN OF THE STUDY ....................................................................................................68 Overview of the Method .........................................................................................................68 Overview of the Study ............................................................................................................68 Overview of Policy Analysis ..................................................................................................69 Operational Framework of the Study .....................................................................................69 Data Sources ...........................................................................................................................70 Procedure ................................................................................................................................71 Theory and Rationale ......................................................................................................71 Conceptualizations ..........................................................................................................72 Operationalizations ..........................................................................................................72 Coding Schemes ..............................................................................................................72 Sampling ..........................................................................................................................73 Coding .............................................................................................................................73 Tabulation and Reporting ................................................................................................74 Summary .................................................................................................................................74 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS ........................................................................................................75 Profile of Data Sources ...........................................................................................................76 Methods and Rates of Retrieval ......................................................................................76 Inclusion of a Definition of Induction .............................................................................77 Inclusion of a Definition of Mentoring ...........................................................................77 Inclusion of Criteria for Mentor Selection ......................................................................77 Inclusion of Criteria for Mentor and Mentee Pairing ......................................................78 Inclusion of Criteria for