Early Career Special Education Teachers Perceived Value of Being Mentored By General Education Teachers

Authors

Kyena E. Cornelius ED.D., Minnesota State University, Mankato
Karin N. Sandmel Ph.D.

Abstract

Special education induction research has examined mentor support and working conditions of early career special education teachers (ECSETs) for over 20 years. Recently researchers provide specialized professional development to mentors based on suggestions of special education induction research. Drawing on quality indicators of single-subject research and the belief that social validity data is valuable, we used qualitative methods to discover ECSETs’ perceptions of the intervention and the helpfulness of the mentors. We then compared responses of the participants with the existing research in special education induction. Findings indicate the participants appreciated the specialized training for their mentors and perceived their mentors as helpful and affected their teaching experiences. However, similar to existing research, the participants had mixed feelings about their working conditions.

Recommended Citation

Cornelius, Kyena E. ED.D. and Sandmel, Karin N. Ph.D. (2018) "Early Career Special Education Teachers Perceived Value of Being Mentored By General Education Teachers," The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship: Vol. 7: No. 3, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58729/2167-3454.1077
Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/josea/vol7/iss3/3