Associations Between Mentoring Experiences and Stress Among First-Year Teachers

• In Event: Sources of Stress and Strategies for Coping

Abstract

U.S. beginning teacher retention is low, which could be linked to early career stress despite support offered by induction programs. Leveraging transactional theory, the current study explored associations between beginning teachers’ stress appraisals and mentoring experiences. Using 1,980 responses to the 2007-08 Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Survey, scale scores were created for teacher stress appraisals of demands and resources and reports of mentoring frequency and helpfulness. Teachers who identified classroom demands as exceeding resources (32.8%) reported significantly fewer (g = -.20) and less helpful mentoring experiences (g = -.19) than teachers rating demands and resources as equal, whereas those with higher resources than Demands (21.9%) reported significantly greater (g = .20) and more helpful mentoring experiences (g = 0.32).

Authors

• Kristen C. Mosley, The University of Texas at Austin

• Christopher J. Mccarthy, The University of Texas at Austin

• Paul G. Fitchett, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Richard G. Lambert, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Lauren Helena Boyle, The University of Texas at Austin

• Jendayi Bizzelle Dillard, The University of Texas at Austin