Elementary Teacher Mentoring in a Rural Georgia School System: The Impact on Teacher Retention and the Implication for Elementary School Principals

The purpose of this study was to explore beginning teachers\u27 beliefs on their mentoring programs and to explain their perspectives. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with three beginning teacher participants and three principal participants in a rural Georgia school system. Constant comparative analysis was used to collect, code, and analyze the data, which included interview responses and researchers\u27 memos. Mentoring programs were found to be supportive practices which involved the beginning teachers and mentors. Beginning teachers formed open, positive relationships with their mentors and interacted with them on a regular basis through their mentoring experiences in their respective schools. These interactions included the mentors providing support for the beginning teachers in the areas of curriculum, instruction, classroom management, and parent interactions. Personal and emotional support was also found to be an area in which beginning teachers received support. The relationships formed by the beginning teachers and their mentors and the outcomes of this study affected teacher 2 morale, teacher retention, classroom instruction, management, and teacher selfconfidence