An exploration of best practices in teaching assistant mentoring programs

Molly McInerny Lane, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify and compare best practices of three teaching assistant (TA) mentoring programs at research extensive universities that were in operation for at least five years. Many colleges and universities sponsor mentoring programs for TAs that focus on pedagogical skill development. There is a considerable amount of literature that reports on the earlier years of TA mentioning programs, but few studies have addressed established programs in their later years. Consequently, it was beneficial to determine why only a select number of TA mentoring programs work for long periods of time and what criteria makes them successful. This study explored the overall design and operation of the mentoring programs and identified commonalities, or “best practices,” and significant differences among those programs. The study was guided by four research questions (a) Who are the key stakeholders in TA mentoring programs? (b) What are stakeholders' perceptions of the program strategies and practices that contribute to the sustainability of TA mentioning programs? (c) What do stakeholders believe are the criteria for a successful TA mentoring program? What are their perspectives about how these criteria impact the program and its participants? and (d) How do stakeholders' defined criteria of success compare to what is reported in the literature? Interviews and program artifacts were the key data sources for this study. A non-probability, purposeful sampling technique was utilized to select twenty-nine participants from three different universities for this study. The constant comparative method was used to identify emerging themes and patterns in the data and to conduct within-case and cross-case analyses. Results indicated that sustainable TA mentoring programs are ones that focus on creating a community of support for new TAs and involve leaders who are committed to teaching. Stakeholders defined successful TA mentoring programs as ones in which TAs perceive growth in their pedagogical skills, mentors have the appropriate expertise to guide the mentoring efforts, and programs enjoy strong stakeholder and funding support. A model of best practices in TA mentoring was developed as a result of this study.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Ertmer, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Teacher education|Curricula|Teaching|Higher education

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