Illinois New Teacher Collaborative

Yohon, T. (2005). Investigation of the challenges, mentoring needs, and support for business and marketing teachers. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 47, 53-66.

Empirical Research: Quantitative. This report focuses on the struggles of new business and marketing teachers. The findings urge new and experienced teachers in these areas to communicate about the challenges of teaching and to develop mutual support systems.

Recommended for Mentors, especially of business and marketing beginning teachers, Administrators, and Mentor Coordinators

Key Ideas
After citing attrition rates and possible attrition contributors, Yohon discussed the characteristics of a formal mentoring program.
After determining that few researchers study business and marketing teachers, Yohon developed a study to: 1) “determine the challenges of new business and marketing teachers, their current support structures, and the usefulness of these structures and 2) to determine experienced business and marketing teachers’ perceptions of the challenges faced by new business and marketing teachers and the types of support that they are willing to provide to new teachers” (p. 56).
The top five challenges of beginning business/marketing teachers were: “1) assessment tools; 2) student motivation; 3) curriculum development; 4) lesson planning; and 5) standards documentation” (p. 58).
“Experienced teachers were asked to select the five main challenges for new business/marketing teachers. They identified the following areas of concerns not listed by new teachers: 1) specific skill development; 2) student differential instruction techniques; 3) professionalism; 4) time management; and 5) program promotion.
Yohon found that experienced business teachers are interested in supporting new teachers, but their perceptions differ on what challenges beginning teachers face.
Yohon listed several conclusions and recommendations and made suggestions for future research.