| Abstract Public schools in the United States continue to face a shortage of qualified teachers, and research has shown that the problem lies in the rate at which early career teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years of their careers. At a time of decreasing economic resources, school district personnel need to reduce the costs of recruiting and training new teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine early career teachers' perceptions and experiences related to a program of support that included induction, mentoring, and opportunities for professional collaboration and how this support and other factors influenced their remaining in teaching and with the district. Qualitative data were collected through individual interviews with 12 participants and written narrative statements completed by 8 of the participants. A combination of open and a priori coding was used to support categorical aggregation. The 3-factor retention-support model, created based on literature reviewed, purported that support provided through induction, mentoring, and opportunities for collaboration leads to job satisfaction which in turn leads to retention. Findings indicated that mentoring and collaboration were particularly important to the sense of job satisfaction, which teachers perceived as an important component in their decisions to remain in teaching and with the district. Mentoring was perceived as most effective when the mentor and the teacher were in the same school. Colleague relationships and principal relationships with teachers were important. This research contributes to positive social change by identifying supports that teachers identified as important to job satisfaction and retention. A stable teacher workforce should enhance the culture of the schools in the district and influence student achievement positively. |
