Mentoring Early Career Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Texas: A Phenomenological Case Study

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Mentoring Early Career Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the mentoring relationship, processes, and outcomes from the mentee’s perspective in the K-12 sector. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen first- and second-year teachers participating in a formal mentoring program at a Texas school district during the 2020-2021 school year. The findings revealed the need to understand the mentoring experience during the pandemic using an ecological systems approach. Further, mentees’ experiences were not sufficiently explained by social exchange theory. The complex, multi-level relationships beyond the traditional mentoring dyad experienced by mentees during the pandemic were better explained by relational mentoring theory. Recommendations for K-12 mentoring practice, limitations, along with future research opportunities are presented.

Author

• Sonya Haidusek-Niazy, Galena Park Independent School District