Mentoring perceptions of teacher candidates and first-year teachers from an alternative teacher preparation program

The need for mentoring of alternative certified teachers has been brought to the forefront of state and national programs due to the proliferation of perceived problems of teacher supply and shortage. A number of strategies for supporting alternative certified teachers, including effective induction through teacher mentoring, help to authenticate the demands of what teachers must know and do. Factors such as increasingly diverse student populations and pressures of accountability may lead some school systems to make first-year mentoring programs critical for the success of alternative certified teacher programs. Additionally, the need to fill vacancies before the start of the school year increases the urgency of state and district agencies to hire alternative certified teachers. This case study examined how a systematic program of mentoring affects Teacher Alternative Preparation Programs (TAPP) in one Regional Education Service Agency location. The study investigated the views held by TAPP candidates toward the mentoring they received during their 2-year on-the-job training program. Data were collected using in-depth, one-on-one, semistructured interviews. Manual analysis as well as the use of ATLAS.ti organized, coded, and developed themes from the large volume of tape-recorded interviews with TAPP candidates and TAPP teachers over the course of several months. Overwhelmingly, the TAPP candidates nearing the end of their second year of the program and the TAPP teachers who completed the program agreed the mentoring experience was a positive one. TAPP candidates and TAPP teachers agreed the support they received from their mentor was a key factor in their successful completion of the program. The study also suggests that the role of mentor support and quality mentoring were more critical during the first year of the program than during the second year of the 2-year training.