Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2019

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed. D.

Department

Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development

Degree Program

Educational Leadership and Organizational Development, EDD

Committee Chair

Brydon-Miller, Mary

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Haselton, Blake

Committee Member

Haselton, Blake

Committee Member

Johnson, Detra

Committee Member

Muñoz, Marco

Author's Keywords

urban competence; teacher induction; new urban teachers; new urban teacher induction; urban-ready educators; refractive phenomenology

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of six first year urban educators who participated in a series of multi-stakeholder induction experiences during the first semester of their first year teaching in high-need urban elementary schools. This study underscores how participation in needs-based induction experiences nurture self-efficacy and encourage teacher retention through the challenging first semester of teaching. Data for this study was collected over a four-week period of new teacher participation in a system of support that included focus group conversations, professional development sessions, documentation of experiences using PhotoVoice, and participant reflective journal entries. The research methodology that structures the study is Abawi’s (2015) refractive phenomenology, a method that explores the data through multiple lenses to reach the essence of the participants’ lived experiences. This study elucidated the new teachers’ experiences prior to the study’s induction supports and documented how their perceptions changed over time. The study revealed that new teachers who felt they lacked urban competence benefited from the support of multiple stakeholders including university, school district, and the new teachers themselves. The study focused on the new teachers themselves as critical stakeholders in their development of success skills, such as urban competence. The study concluded that new teachers in high-need urban schools benefit from interactions with peers and other stakeholders as they engage in professional learning designed to increase their professional and urban competencies.

Download

Share

COinS