The purpose of this study is to analysis the structural relationship among the mentoring recognized by teachers, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment and to explore what functions of the mentoring could improve the teacher efficacy an...
The purpose of this study is to analysis the structural relationship among the mentoring recognized by teachers, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment and to explore what functions of the mentoring could improve the teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment. To achieve the purpose, the research questions are as followings. First, it is whether any differences of teacher's recognition on the mentoring, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment existed according to their background variables. Second, it is whether there was any statistically correlation among the mentoring, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment recognized by teachers. Third, it is whether the mentoring recognized by teachers affected any teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment. Fourth, it is whether the casual relationship models of the mentoring, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment, which were created through theoretical background, was coincident with experience.
In order to resolve the purpose and research questions of this study, this study conducted a survey targeting to the teachers of 26 elementary/middle/high schools located in the region of Gyeongsangnam-do. 606 data collected and adopted through the survey were dealt with SPSS statistics 20 for Window and SPSS AMOS 20 program. Independent Samples t-test & F-test, Scheffe test(p<.05), Correlation Analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis, Analysis of Covariance Structural and Maximum Likelihood Methods were utilized as the validation method.
The results of analyzing the survey data by utilizing the above measurement tools come to the major findings as follows.
First, the level of recognition on the mentoring, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment showed great difference depending on sex, education, teaching career, school grade and school establishment which were the teacher's background variables. Specially, the beginning teacher having not more than 5 years of the teaching career showed the largest recognition on the mentoring. This result suggests that the mentoring should be required in any school so as for the beginning teacher to overcome some difficulties, such as reality shock or transition shock, which may be undergone in its initial job accommodation. It means that the introduction of a beginning teacher mentoring system which is guided and supported by a fully experienced senior teacher should be reviewed such that the beginning teacher may accommodate itself to the culture and rule of a school organization in its early stage, which it is initiated into a teaching career after passing through a teacher training course, and may systematize, step by step, its teaching activities so as to grow into a professional teacher. Additionally, teachers who obtained teacher certification at the graduate level showed higher recognition in the aspects of all provided variables such as mentoring, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment, etc. than teachers who obtained teacher certification at the undergraduate level. Thus, it is found that teachers recognized positively their school achievement. In a field of teacher efficacy, a teacher having not less than 21 years of the teaching career showed the highest recognition on it. Thus, it is found that a teacher having more teaching career could deal smoothly with school situation and would accumulate its teaching experience to increase its confidence in a teaching strategy. This study suggests that teacher's specialties should be raised by providing it with an opportunity for the academic achievement and having it participated in various training programs and also teachers should make an effort to continue to study its learning.
Second, this study showed that a meaningful positive correlation among the mentoring, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment recognized by teachers was established. The correlation between all of their subordinate variables as well as the correlation between mentoring and teacher efficacy and the correlation between mentoring and school organizational commitment and the correlation between teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment was positively and meaningfully shown. Thus, it was shown that teachers recognized positively mentoring. Further it is shown that, if a mentoring program is strategically introduced into and utilized in a school, it may enhance the teacher efficacy and intensify the school organizational commitment.
Third, this study showed that the psychological stability function and career development function of the mentoring program affected meaningfully teacher efficacy. Thus, it was seen that the build-up of true human relation, in which the mentor-mentee of both psychological stability function and career development function respected and acknowledged mutually and supported each other's teaching activities, was more effective on raising teacher efficacy than that of a business relationship, in which a mentor teacher granted its mentee-teacher a challenging task as a function of role modeling presentation and gave a feedback of its task performance to the mentee teacher. Accordingly, in the event that a mentoring program is introduced into a school in order to raise teacher efficacy, it is advised that the introduction be made in the direction of intensifying the psychological stability function centered on the human relationship rather than the role modeling presentation function centered on the work.
Fourth, the role-modeling presentation function and career development function of the mentoring program affected the school organizational commitment and also the teacher efficacy affected the school organizational commitment. Accordingly, in order to enhance the mentoring effect on the school organizational commitment, the mentoring relationship shall be made in a direction different from that of teacher efficacy. That is, a task-oriented relationship to grant any task and present its driving method and provide any feedback shall be formed rather than a psychological stability function making much account of human relation. Additionally, it was shown with regard to the teacher efficacy that the classroom management efficacy among its subordinate variables had the largest effect on the school organizational commitment. It seems necessary to enhance the classroom management efficacy by reviewing the efficient control of student's action & class and the adaptable classroom operation plan, etc.
Two theoretical suggestions are largely drawn through the major findings.
First, since it was proved that the mentoring had an effect on teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment, it is necessary that a mentoring program staying at an initial stage be introduced and expanded into a school by a policy. For the purpose of such introduction and expansion, the policy to build the cooperative mentoring system between an experience teacher & a beginning teacher, peer teachers, and teacher & student shall be prepared first of all.
Second, it is necessary to develop and apply by a policy the customized mentoring program, of which organization is depending on both a teaching target and purpose. Like a case of a beginning teacher, teacher efficacy and school organizational commitment as mentioned above, the effect of the mentoring program can be maximized by utilizing it to be suitable for the target and purpose. For example, there are a mentoring system for a beginning teacher, a training mentoring system, a classroom mentoring system and a class & life guidance mentoring system, etc.
When the mentoring system is systematically and continuously operated based on the major findings and suggestions as mentioned above, a teacher itself can have a confidence on any school task to enhance its commitment even in a rapidly changing educational environment and further contribute to the qualitative enhancement of a school education.