Date of Award

2-2022

Rights

© 2022 Kimberly L. Stephens

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Gizelle Luevano

Second Advisor

William Smith

Third Advisor

Peter Naitove

Abstract

The first months of teaching can significantly diminish a probationary teacher’s perception of their ability when the nuances of the job and students become overwhelming. On average, a school will lose three out of every 20 teachers annually. The problem this study researches is how faculty and staff provide support for probationary teachers. Too often, induction models remain underdeveloped, understudied, and rarely are formative assessments associated with faculty interactions. In this study, the dynamic interplay between the individual, the environment, and behavior establish a deeper understanding of the teacher network as a social system with expected returns. The tenets of Lin’s social capital theory (2001) and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy (1997) reveal more about the network and embedded resources.

Using a case study design, I conducted interviews with new teachers, continuing teachers, and mentors. Findings from interviews supported a gap in the literature pertaining to the intention design of an induction program specific to social learning opportunities to gain capital among the faculty network, thus increasing the new teacher’s autonomy to problem-solve and operate independently. The results from this study may influence other schools to integrate similar induction programs designed to permit new members opportunities to exchange knowledge with returning members to build social capital before they must find resources independently.

Comments

Ed.D. Dissertation

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