Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

With an estimated 40 to 50% of teachers leaving the classroom within their first 5 years (Arnett, 2017; Haynes, Maddock, & Goldrick, 2014; Ingersoll, 2012; Neason, 2014; Phillips, 2015; Riggs, 2013), some have espoused that a well-conceived and well-implemented teacher induction program with a strong emphasis on mentoring will not only increase teacher efficacy (Barrera, Braley, & Slate, 2010), job satisfaction, and retention of new educators (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Ingersoll & Smith, 2004) but also combat the flight from the classroom. Hand-in-hand with an effective teacher induction program, Steinbeck (2009) suggested administrators should consider the existence of servant leadership factors within prospective mentor teachers as a prerequisite for selection to serve as a mentor. This study partially replicated and further supported Steinbeck’s claims through exploring the relationship between mentoring functions and servant leadership factors with a careful examination of the effectiveness of mentoring relationships in a K-12 public education school setting. Using the Mentoring Experience Questionnaire and similar to Steinbeck’s study in metro Atlanta, a sampling frame of teachers mentored during their inaugural year within one southeastern Virginia school division were surveyed. As a result of statistical analysis, all mentoring functions were statistically significant and had positive to strong positive correlations with each servant leadership factor listed as evidenced by the Pearson r scores ranging from .579 to .924. Relationship emphasis, the foundation of mentoring built on a climate of trust (Cohen, 2003), had a strong relationship with all servant leadership factors. These findings should encourage school leadership to carefully examine the selection of mentors and select those who demonstrate mentoring functions and servant leadership factors to provide an effective mentoring experience and ultimately extend the mentee’s tenure in teaching.