‘The bread and butter of a difficult profession’: mentoring as a resource for teacher stress

ABSTRACT

Teacher stress continues to threaten the stability of the U.S. teaching workforce, but teacher mentoring, an increasingly prevalent type of teacher support, may uniquely support teachers with their risk-for-stress. The current study investigated how teacher mentoring experiences differ based on vulnerability to stress and teacher experience level. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted and analysed using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method. Results include five emergent domains indicating that teachers viewed mentoring as overwhelmingly supportive of their instructional needs, regardless of their stress risk or experience level. New and experienced teachers also shared similar experiences regarding the social emotional support that mentoring can provide. However, differing trends emerged between risk-for-stress groups in their reports of mentoring qualities and challenges, which may signal the need for differentiating mentoring supports based on teacher stress levels.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher mentoring
• teacher stress
• consensual qualitative research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Texas at Austin

Notes on contributors

Kristen C. Mosley

Kristen C. Mosley is a Planning and Evaluation Coordinator at Austin Independent School District where she conducts research and evaluation on grant-funded programs across the district. She is a former public school teacher and administrator, and her research interests include teacher stress and retention, particularly in under-resourced schools.

Emily C. Playfair

Emily C. Playfair is a doctoral candidate who is currently completing her 2000 hour generalist psychology doctoral internship training program at the Jefferson Center in Denver, Colorado. When not working as a community mental health provider, her research interests include coping, resiliency, and stress, as well as the impact of gratitude on teacher well-being.

Caroline H. Weppner

Caroline H. Weppner is a counseling psychology doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research background and interests include resiliency and well-being, and she is currently studying predictors of peak performance for teachers in the school setting, particularly coping skills related to stress

Abbie Balat

Abbie Balat works as a mental health therapist with school-aged children and their families. Her research experience on teaching and mentorship has informed her clinical work and helps her advocate for children and teachers alike in working towards receiving the support they deserve.

Christopher J. Mccarthy

Christopher J. McCarthy is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include stress and coping in educational contexts, group counseling, and career development. Dr. McCarthy’s current scholarly focus is on researching factors that cause stress for K – 12 teachers and developing interventions to help teachers thrive.