Keywords

job satisfaction, principal, leadership, mentor

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if mentoring programs had an impact on job satisfaction for beginning elementary principals in the state of Florida. It also examined if the following factors impacted job satisfaction: (a) length of the mentoring program, (b) frequency of meetings, (c) selection process for the mentor, (d) the position of the mentor, or (e) age and gender of the beginning principal. The population for the study consisted of 108 elementary principals with more than six months and less than fours years of experience in the state of Florida. Twenty-four districts participated in the study, covering all five regional areas in Florida. An online questionnaire, consisting of Bowling Green State University's Job Description Index and Job in General, was administered. The Job Description Index contained five subcategories of Work, Pay, Opportunities for Promotion, Supervision, and People at Work. The instrument Job in General provided an overall job satisfaction rating. An analysis of the Pearson Correlation found there was no statistically significant relationship for those who were in a mentor program compared to those who were not in a mentor program as a beginning principal. However, a Pearson Correlation found a statistically significant relationship between the frequency a mentor met with the beginning principal and job satisfaction in four subcategories: (a) Supervision, (b) Promotion, (c) Pay and (d) People at Work. There was also a significant relationship between the frequency of meeting with a mentor and the Job in General score. Additional analysis showed no statistically significant difference based on the length of the mentoring program, age and gender of the beginning principal, and the position held by the mentor. Recommendations based on this study include providing a formal mentoring program with established guidelines for the frequency of meetings. A school district may design mentor programs to meet the needs of their beginning principals, but close attention should be given to guidelines ensuring regular contact between the mentors and beginning principals. Future studies may continue the research into other factors of mentoring, such as whether a reporting system is in place or follow-up is required by the mentor. Also, this study may be replicated with secondary principals or expanded beyond the state of Florida.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2006

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Pawlas, George

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Educational Research, Technology, and Leadership

Degree Program

Educational Leadership

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0001434

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0001434

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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