The Academic-Support Group: Peer-Mentoring Experiences of Early-Career Music Teacher Educators

Abstract

The transition from doctoral student to higher education faculty member provides a unique set of challenges. Individuals attempt to balance research, service, and teaching requirements while also experiencing changes in their personal lives, such as geographical relocation. Peer-mentoring of early-career faculty may be used to support this challenging period and support the longevity of those who follow this career path. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the peer-mentoring experience of a group of early-career elementary general music teacher educators. Research questions were: (1) How did participants describe the experience of peer-mentoring? (2) How did participation impact participants personally, and; (3) How did participation impact participants professionally? We present our findings in four themes related to “finding our place” within our peer-mentoring group and the larger scope of higher education to share our experiences and encourage peer mentoring among earlycareer music teacher educators.