| Novice teachers often lack effective teaching strategies and exhibit poor classroom management, which creates disruptions in the classroom that lessen the quality of instructional time for students. The purpose of this program evaluation was to examine a teacher-mentor training program and the experiences provided to participants to gain a deeper understanding of how mentor training programs prepare novice teachers to perform effectively. Maslow's and Herzberg's theories provided the theoretical framework that underlies this program evaluation. Data collection occurred through document analysis, open-ended questionnaires distributed to mentors, novices, and the administrative leader of the mentor program, interviews with participants, and journal entries found in the anecdotal notes of a novice's coteacher. These data sources were analyzed using open and axial coding. The researcher found that the teacher-mentor training program lacks a comprehensive induction training program, which impacts the quality of the experiences that novice teachers receive. In addition, the lack of enforcement and accountability resulted in noncompliance with the requirements and recommendations of the school's current mentor program. The results of this research contribute to positive social change by identifying effective training experiences offered novices through a structured induction and mentor program, identified by researchers as important for job satisfaction and retention. A stable, experienced teacher workforce should enhance the culture of the school by arming novices with effective teaching strategies, which enable them to influence student achievement positively. |
