ERIC Number: EJ870249
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Sep
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0270-1367
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
E-Mentoring in Physical Education: Promises and Pitfalls
Cothran, Donetta; McCaughtry, Nate; Faust, Roberta; Garn, Alex; Kulinna, Pamela Hodges; Martin, Jeffrey
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, v80 n3 p552-562 Sep 2009
Mentoring can be a critical component of teachers' professional development and retention, yet logistical and fiscal challenges often limit the amount of contact a protege can have with a mentor teacher. This investigation explored a school district initiative to address this need for more mentor interaction by supplementing traditional face-to-face mentoring with electronic mentoring. Thirty elementary physical education teachers participated in a year-long program that involved workshops, school visits, videotaped lessons, and electronic mentoring via chat rooms. Data were collected from chat room postings and analyzed for frequency of response and quality. In addition, a series of interviews were analyzed via constant comparison process to further understand teachers' perceptions of electronic mentoring. In general, teacher postings were minimal in frequency and quality. The limited use of the chat rooms was likely linked to the teachers' perceptions of electronic mentoring, which included several concerns with the technical and human dimensions of the process. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Physical Education, Mentors, Physical Education Teachers, Faculty Development, Computer Uses in Education, Elementary School Teachers, Workshops, Computer Mediated Communication, Interviews, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Technology
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-213-7193; Fax: 703-476-9527; e-mail: info@aahperd.org; Web site: http://www.aahperd.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A