A University-School Partnership to Promote Beginning Teacher Resilience and Retention Through Utilization of Mobile Technology

• In Event: The Role of Social Media and Technology in Education

Abstract

Through a collaborative partnership with five school districts in the southeast United States, researchers are studying the factors that contribute to the development of resilience in beginning teachers during the induction process and examining its effects on their retention. Sixty-one (61) first- and second-year teachers received iPads at the beginning of the school year and professional development concerning iPad applications that foster resilience in addition to a district-assigned mentor. All participants completed a technology survey and a resilience survey at the beginning and the end of the academic school year. In addition, end-of-year interviews were conducted and analyzed. Findings indicate that mentors foster beginning teacher resilience and mobile technology can be a powerful tool for classroom instruction and reflection.

Authors

• Heather H. Lynn, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Irina Falls, University of North Carolina - Pembroke

• Rita Anne Hagevik, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke

• Sara Coble Simmons, University of North Carolina - Pembroke