Examination of Administrative Support, instructional Preparation, and Collegial Support Met and Unmet Needs of First Year Teachers Participating in the Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program in Middle Georgia

The Georgia Teacher Alternative Placement Program (GTAPP) began placing teachers in the classroom in 2000. The participants of this study were nine first year teachers in an urban county in Middle Georgia currently enrolled in the Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program (GTAPP). The researcher conducted a qualitative study that began with identification of first year GTAPP teachers in the county. An invitation for participation was sent to all identified teachers through the county email system. Once a pool of volunteers was identified, a random sample of nine subjects was drawn. Upon selection of the nine first-year GTAPP teachers, one-hour semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. Once the interviews were transcribed, the researcher reviewed the transcripts for common themes in the areas of met and unmet needs in administrative support, instruction preparation, and collegial support. In the analysis of the data, six themes emerged in the areas of administrative support, instructional preparation, and collegial support. Those themes were: 2 1. The school administrators established positive relationships with TAPP teachers. 2. TAPP initial training provided multifaceted training that was inspirational and established a basis for building instructional knowledge. 3. Teachers located near the TAPP teachers provided the most beneficial collegial support. 4. School administrators failed to communicate information and provide resources that promote effective classroom instruction. 5. TAPP training was broad in scope, lacked practical, realistic strategies, and did not prepare teachers for diverse populations. 6. Formal mentors were not appropriately matched with TAPP teachers. Information presented in this study is intended to enlighten school leaders and policy makers on the first year GTAPP teacher experience. The goal of this research is to identify met and unmet needs in the areas of administrative support, instructional preparation, and collegial support. By illuminating met and unmet needs, supports may be constructed to aid in the transition through the first year teaching experience and thereby assist with teacher retention.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Education Administration (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development

Year dc:date.available

2007

Author dc:creator

• Scarborough, Jenny Ogden

Contributors dc:contributor

• Barbara J. Mallory
• Walter B. Crews

• ETD
• Alternative preparation program
• First year teachers
• Administrative support
• Instructional preparation
• Collegial support

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/191

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1191