Beginning counselor educators’ experiences of doctoral teaching preparation and teaching mentoring

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Phillip L. Waalkes (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
James Benshoff

Abstract: Teaching is often an area of great challenge for counselor educators in their first two years of full-time employment, as many report feeling overwhelmed in adapting to the myriad of responsibilities of a counselor educator (Buller, 2013; Carter et al., 1994; Magnuson, 2002; Magnuson et al., 2004). Beginning counselor educators often struggle through an often frustrating, trial and error process of developing their teaching during the first few years of full-time employment (Buller, 2013; Castellano, 2002; Magnuson, 2002). They also find teaching to be a time and energy consuming process (Magnuson, 2002; Magnuson et al., 2004; Magnuson et al., 2009). Yet, beginning counselor educators report that they did not feel adequately trained in teaching by their counselor education programs (Buller, 2013; Hall & Hulse, 2009; Protivnak & Foss, 2009). Counselor educators also report wishing they had more mentoring in the development of their teaching, both in their doctoral programs and as a new faculty member (Hall & Hulse, 2009; Magnuson, 2002; Magnuson et al., 2004; Protivnak & Foss, 2009). Numerous researchers have argued for more extensive doctoral teaching preparation (Buller, 2013; Carter et al., 1994; Hall & Hulse, 2009; Heppner, 1994; Hunt & Gilmore, 2011; Lanning, 1990; Tollerud, 1990). Doctoral teaching preparation can help future counselor educators feel better prepared to teach (Hall & Hulse, 2009), increase their self-efficacy in teaching (Baltrinic, et al., 2016; Heppner, 1994; Tollerud, 1990), and increase their autonomy in teaching (Baltrinic, et al., 2016). However, few studies have examined teaching preparation practices of doctoral counselor education programs and the experiences of their students. Therefore, investigating beginning counselor educators’ experiences of their doctoral teaching preparation and teaching mentorship in this study using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology could be an important first step towards improving methods of training and mentoring for the development of teaching. Nine individual interviews were conducted with beginning counselor educators to better understand their experiences of doctoral teaching preparation and teaching mentorship. The CQR data analysis procedure helped the researchers identify eleven domains relating to participants’ experiences: (a) pre-doctoral experiences, (b) doctoral experiences, (c) shortcomings in training, (d) components of teaching, (e) feedback, (f) support, (g) emotions, (h) professional identity, (i) systemic factors, (j) reactions to the research, and (k) other. Research findings and implications of these findings for doctoral counselor education programs and teaching mentors are discussed.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2016
Keywords
Beginning college teachers, Counselor education, Doctoral teaching preparation, Graduate teaching, Teaching, Teaching mentoring
Subjects
Counseling $x Study and teaching (Graduate)
Counselors $x Training of
College teachers $x Training of
Counselor educators
First year teachers
Doctoral students
Mentoring in education
Counseling in higher education

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