Influence of Mentoring Programs on Special Educators' Intent to Stay in Special Education

Overview & Synopsis

The lack of certified special education teachers and high rates of attrition have led to a shortage of special educators. Mentoring programs have been developed to improve retention of beginning educators. This study examined if a mentoring program is effective for special educators. The participants were first- and second-year elementary, middle, and high school teachers in a large suburban school system in southern Maryland. Participants rated the effectiveness of the mentoring program and their mentor and reported their short- and long-term plans to remain in special education. This study examined the relationship between participation in the mentoring program and intent to stay in special education. A binary logistic regression was used to investigate whether the frequency or effectiveness of interaction between mentors and their mentees could predict a new teacher's intent to stay in special education. A chi-square test of independence examined the difference in intent to stay in special education between being assigned a general education mentor versus being assigned a special education mentor. The data revealed no relationship between frequency and effectiveness of interaction between mentor and mentee. There was not a significant difference between participants with a general education mentor and participants with a special education mentor. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]