How School Leaders Retain Experienced and Capable Teacher Mentors

Bibliographic Data

ID22045800
AuthorsQing Gu (0000-0002-5948-4690, UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK), Gu Qing (University College London, corresponding author), Kenneth Leithwood (0000-0002-8053-7347, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5R 2X2, Canada), Sofia Eleftheriadou (0000-0002-8490-1599, University College London), Lisa Baines (0000-0003-1851-3755, Cardiff University)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue1
Pages14
Publication date2025-12-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci16010014
OpenAlexW7117034188
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited75

Purposes: Teacher turnover has especially negative effects on schools and students when experienced and capable teachers leave. This loss is significant when those teachers also serve as mentors to their less experienced colleagues. This study aimed to advance understanding about how school leaders can positively influence the retention of their school’s teacher mentors. Methodology: The framework for the study reflects a longstanding line of research on successful leadership. Using a cross-sectional research design, evidence was provided by responses to the mentor survey component of a larger four-year study examining the effects on retention decisions of a national induction programme for early-career teachers and their mentors in England. Structural equation modelling was employed to test the direct and indirect effects of school leadership and selected school conditions on mentors’ self-efficacy, well-being and job satisfaction, and ultimately retention decisions. Findings: Developing and retaining teacher mentors was associated with a suite of leadership practices which encourage collaborative cultures, provide coherent high-quality learning opportunities, and ensure what they perceive to be manageable workloads. These organizational conditions nurture the job satisfaction and self-efficacy of experienced teachers enhancing their sense of well-being at work. Implications: Results suggest four sets of guidelines for senior school leaders

Educational leadership · Job satisfaction · Multimethodology · Nature versus nurture · Structural equation modeling · Teacher induction · Teacher Leadership · Turnover · Early Childhood Education and Development · Mentoring and Academic Development · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access