Enhancing Teachers' Well-Being: The Transformative Role of Mentor Support for Beginning Alternatively Certified Teachers

• In Event: Looking at Mentoring from a PK–12 School District Perspective

Abstract

Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, this paper examines the job the professional challenges of alternatively certified teachers (AC teachers) during the career entry phase. In addition, the paper examines how mentors can support this group of teachers. The work is based on data from 235 AC teachers, who were surveyed in their first year of practice in a large German federal state. The results show that novice teachers report mainly teaching-related challenges and that these are associated with higher emotional exhaustion. Mentors can alleviate this relationship through regular interaction. The results of this work provide clues as to what kind of mentoring is necessary for a successful career start.

Authors

• Dirk Richter, University of Potsdam

• Uta Klusmann, IPN · Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education

• Eric Richter, KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt