Abstract
The purpose of the study is to determine whether the incentives of the California Mentor Teacher Program are providing the job satisfaction necessary to retain exemplary teachers in the classroom; and to determine which of the incentives offered in the program are most important in providing job satisfaction to mentor teachers. It is the assumption of the study that if teachers find increased job satisfaction as mentors, they will tend to remain in the classroom. The dependent variable of job satisfaction of mentor teachers is examined in terms of several independent variables, the various incentives of the mentor teacher program, i.e., support, recognition, assistance, and career opportunities, to determine the extent to which these independent variables provide job satisfaction to mentor teachers. The incentives of the program in terms of Fredrick Herzberg's theory of motivators and hygienes is also examined. Four hundred twenty-seven mentors serving in thirty-four school districts in Los Angeles County were surveyed. The mentors were identified in terms of age, gender, teaching level, years of service as mentor and years of service as a teacher. They were asked to rate seventeen incentives identified as part of the mentor program as to the importance of these incentives to their job satisfaction. Six of the incentives were selected as important to job satisfaction: the opportunity to develop as a professional; the opportunity for additional training; the challenge of new experiences; the expanded opportunity to influence the lives of children; the sense of achievement; and the work itself. Relationships were identified between the incentives selected as important and the age, gender, teaching level, years of service as mentor and years of teaching service of the mentors. The mentor teachers surveyed expressed overall job satisfaction in their role as mentor teachers and they indicated that they would still be in the classroom in three years. The study revealed that having a job promotion in mind was not the intent of these teachers when they applied to be a mentor. The incentives of most importance were the more intrinsic ones, called motivators by Herzberg. Incentives related to substantive rewards and career aspirations were less important. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).