Non-Traditional Entrants to the Profession of Teaching: Motivations and Experiences of Second-Career Educators

Individuals entering the teaching profession from other fields have much to offer in terms of practical experience in fields such as business, private industry, law enforcement, and the military. The authors examine the phenomenon of second-career teachers with specific emphasis on the motivating factors, common experiences, and reflections concerning the decision to leave already established professions in order to pursue a career in teaching. This particular issue of life vocation has particular interest for the Christian, who wishes to discern and follow the call of God in their personal and professional commitments. The article surveys research into second-career teachers and explores the process of professional preparation of these newfound entrants in the world of education as well as their assimilation to the culture of schools. Themes emerge from the literature for further consideration, which the authors argue, must more intentionally-inform career preparation programs, trends of new teacher recruitment, and teacher shortages in American school districts

E-Mentoring in Higher Education: A Structured Literature Review and Implications for Future Research

[EN]Mentoring in higher education helps learners acclimate to a new academic topic, increases the likelihood of academic success, and reduces attrition. Learners rely on the expertise and experience of mentors to help them graduate in a timely manner and advance on to their career. As online and distance education becomes more pervasive, computer-mediated mentoring allows learners to connect with their mentors in new ways. Research about mentoring in higher education includes investigations into the e cacy of virtual or e-mentoring. We conducted a literature review of research from 2009 to 2019 to identify relevant elements for implementing e-mentoring programs in higher education. Our research revealed that there is a consistent interest in the subject matter within educational research; however, there is a gap on virtual mentoring in higher education for students conducting o site internships. Our research reviews e-mentoring programs, identifies how these programs are evaluated, identifies factors of successful programs, and establishes a research agenda in areas of e-mentoring programs for students in o site internships and how they can be structured to achieve the same level of success

An Emerging Profession: The Higher Education Philanthropy Workforce

In 2012 HEFCE published a review of philanthropy in UK higher education that showed what tremendous success there has been in growing philanthropic support to universities in the last 10 years. The report concluded that if the current rate of acceleration in philanthropic income continues, UK universities will attract gifts worth £2 billion a year from some 640,000 donors by 2022.The report showed that investment in fundraising brings results whatever the size or type of university. If this success is to continue we must have a strong and growing group of educational fundraisers who are skilled in leading development teams and working with academics and institutional leaders. At the moment the pool of professional fundraisers working in UK higher education is too small. In this review of the fundraising workforce many of those interviewed expressed anxieties about the vulnerabilities that come from the growing, sometimes fierce, competition between universities to attract the best from this restricted supply. As a newly appointed vice-chancellor in 2006, wanting to invest in a fundraising programme, I became acutely aware of the difficulties of recruiting a well-qualified team. There seemed to be an unnecessary vulnerability to us all in the competition that we engaged in to attract the best fundraisers. The limited pool was leading to escalation in salaries and over-rapid career progression for fundraising staff across the UK.In order to attract more people to become educational fundraisers, there needs to be an attractive career structure and a shared understanding of the skills and knowledge-base required to be effective at different stages of that career. This is the issue that guided this second report. What should a career path in educational fundraising look like and how can we retain the best people

Examination of How Attraction Dimensions Predict Collaborative Mentoring Relationships in College Students.

Research has identified that one limitation of traditional mentoring occurs when there is a mismatch between the mentor and the protégé in work styles and personalities. Further, most of the literature on mentoring has not examined the informal mentoring that occurs between college students. Recent research has identified this type of peer mentoring as collaborative mentoring. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of interpersonal attraction in the development and success of collaborative mentoring relationships and to further examine which attraction dimension was the best predictor of the success of the relationship. Multiple regression analysis showed task attraction was the best predictor of the overall success of a collaborative mentoring relationship. This work is significant because it shows a person\u27s perceived level of competence directly influences the success of a collaborative mentoring relationship more than likeability or physical appearance

Mentoring Relationships among Women Leaders

This qualitative research collective case study explored the mentoring relationships among veteran women leaders and novice women leaders in the nuclear vendor industry in Central Virginia. The general problem addressed in this study was the potential lack of mentoring relationships among women leaders despite the many advantages of mentoring. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to add to the body of knowledge of the lack of mentoring relationships among women leaders in a technical industry by exploring the mentoring experiences, or lack thereof, and the perception of women on mentoring who are or have been in leadership positions. Research questions explored the mentoring experiences and the perception of women on mentoring who are or have been in leadership positions. Twelve interviews were conducted using convenience sampling. Seven common themes emerged from the data analysis. The themes developed from this study are relevant and applicable to business because the advantages of mentoring relationships between women leaders include enhanced business and organizational success, and improved leadership competence. Based on the emergent themes and review of the academic literature, five recommendations for action were developed to aid in the assurance that businesses and organizational veteran leaders ascertain the importance of mentoring relationships among women leaders

Exploring doctoral students’ expectations of work-based skills training

Purpose - Doctoral students are expected to undertake work-based skills training within their doctoral studies in areas such as problem solving, leadership and team working. This study explores student expectations of doctoral training within a UK Higher Education context. Design - The data for the study was gathered via two focus groups conducted among doctoral students from different faculties in a post-92 UK University. Participants were selected using a snowball sampling approach. Findings - The findings suggest that the expectations of doctoral students are contingent upon their year of study, study mode, perceived fit between training goals and available training, peer recommendations, Word-of-Mouth (WoM) and the scholarly support they received from their supervisors. Practical Implications - The study suggests a better understanding of students’ segmentation can help Higher Education Institutions deliver training that meets the expectations of doctoral students in a way that result in zero or a positive disconfirmation. Originality/Value – This paper develops and deepens the understanding of the doctoral students’ expectations of work-based skills training and highlights the need for universities to adapt their doctoral training according to the expectations of different student segments

Conceptualizing a Personalized Identity-Focused Approach to Teacher Professional Development: Postulating the Realization of Reform

Identity structure analysis (ISA) reveals core and conflicted identity constructs, long-term aspirant goals for behaviours, behaviours one wishes to avoid, potential for behaviour change when moving from one life domain to another, and people that are the subject of identity conflicts. In this work, ISA is applied to a teacher’s identity to form a framework to guide professional development. A rationale for use of the ISA framework is developed that connects it to calls for reform in professional development. Keywords: teacher identity; identity structure analysis; professional development; mentoring; teacher education L’analyse de structure identitaire (ASI) révèle des constructions identitaires fondamentales et divergentes; des objectifs à long-terme relatifs au comportement; des comportements que l’individu désire éviter; le potentiel pour un changement comportemental lors du mouvement d’une sphère de la vie à une autre; et des gens qui vivent des conflits identitaires. Cet article porte sur l’application de l’ASI à l’identité d’un enseignant de sorte à fournir un cadre pour guider le développement professionnel. Nous développons un motif pour l’utilisation du cadre d’ASI qui le lie aux demandes pour des réformes dans le domaine du développement professionnel. Mots clés: identité d’enseignant; analyse de structure identitaire; développement professionnel; mentorat; formation des enseignant

The Perceptions of Participation in a Mentored Title I Elementary String Instrumental Music Program

When elementary school-aged students want to learn to play a string instrument, they have the option to rent or purchase one, take private lessons, practice at home, and participate in their school orchestra program. In order for students to accomplish this, parental economic support and involvement is essential. Underserved Title I elementary school students without this socioeconomic support are at a distinct disadvantage: They do not have the parental socioeconomic support necessary to acquire an instrument and pay for private lessons. A string instrumental mentoring program aims to provide private instruction with mentors, free of charge, to those Title I elementary school string players that otherwise could not afford it. There is a need for string instrumental programs in Title 1 elementary schools because it is the optimal time to learn to play an instrument (Cutietta, 2012). This study conducted an online focus group with string instrument mentors that visited two Title I elementary schools with string programs. The purpose of this focus group was to document the teachers’, administrators’, and parents’ perceptions of the musical, academic, and social benefits derived from participation in a mentored Title 1 elementary string instrumental music program. The focus group results provided significant validation for having free string mentoring programs in Title I elementary schools

The Impact of Authentic, Ethical, Transformational Leadership on Leader Effectiveness

Authentic, ethical and transformational leadership in 21st century business leaders is needed. This research posits that ethical, authentic and transformational leaders are more effective, that there are incremental improvements in a leader’s effectiveness for each of these leadership qualities, and that transformational leadership moderates the impact of the leader’s authentic and ethical leadership on the leader’s outcomes. Analysis shows that authentic, ethical and transformational leadership behaviors make incremental independent contributions to explain leader effectiveness. The study did not find support for transformational leadership as a moderator of the relationships between authentic and ethical leadership behaviors and a leader’s effectiveness

The role of human resource development practitioners in solving ethical concerns in mentoring

There are many benefits of mentoring relationships which were documented in previous researches. These mentoring relationships however, may become dysfunctional. In this paper, some of the common ethical issues in the mentoring process which are grouped into three related classes namely: power, access and cultural replication were considered. They are considered in terms of how human resource development (HRD) can take an interventionist position to address these ethical issues of concerns. Moreover, to promote healthy, productive relationships and to prevent the potential for these issues of concerns to arise, four initiatives are suggested. These include recruitment/selection, organizational analysis, training and follow-up / evaluation