Advisory Committee Chair
Loucrecia Collins
Advisory Committee Members
John A Dantzler
Rose Mary Newton
Jerry Patterson
George Theodore
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2009
Degree Name by School
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Education
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the dual roles of a mentor and mentee as experienced by non-tenured teachers at three public secondary schools in Alabama. This case study examined the perceptions of three other individuals professionally related to each non-tenured teacher serving simultaneous roles of mentor and mentee. These three individuals were the mentor, mentee, and administrator of the non-tenured teacher serving dual roles. In order to address the central phenomenon of dual roles of mentor and mentee in a public secondary school through exploration of nontenured individuals, the following central research question guided the study: What are the experiences of non-tenured teachers serving simultaneously in dual roles of mentor and mentee at a public high school in Alabama? The participants of this study were purposefully selected from three public high schools in central Alabama. Using interviews, observations, and document analysis of mentoring manuals, log-in/out sheets, and reflective journals, the researcher explored the recurring themes of reciprocity, instructional modeling, cooperation, advisor, and organization. Through the exploration of these themes, additionally sixteen subthemes were identified. In order to enhance the validity of the findings, peer debriefing and member checking were done. After these measures were taken, an investigative approach was used to analyze the findings of the experiences of all involved with dual roles as a mentor and mentee. All four non-tenured teachers serving dual roles as mentor and mentee felt a need to “help out” the school, as well as burdened with extra responsibilities in order to maintain some sense of job security. The mentors and mentees of these dual role teachers felt it was unfair to put these responsibilities on these teachers. The three administrators agreed as well. However, two of the three felt the lack of teacher initiative to help with the mentoring process was partly to blame for the increased responsibility of dual roles. Surprisingly, a majority of the participants felt this misalignment could have more positive aspects opposed to the negative ones. A product of this dissertation is a FORMAL model along with other recommendations for schools with dual role scenarios in mentoring.
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Barry Lee, "The Dual Role of a Non-Tenured Teacher as a Mentor and Mentee in a Public Secondary High School in Alabama: A Case Study" (2009). All ETDs from UAB. 106.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/106