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Constantine, Frances E. "Adjusting personal expectations: An analysis of early-career teacher narratives." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2017. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/108052/1/Frances_Constantine_Thesis.pdf.
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This narrative inquiry of four early-career teachers examines their changing expectations of themselves as teachers as they shape their professional identities. Drawing upon Clarke and Hollingsworth's Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth (2002), the analysis highlights the essential role that feedback and supportive collegial relationships play in the shift from idealism to a more practical approach to teaching. Recommendations are made for teacher education and induction programs to prepare teachers to critically examine the validity of their explicit and implicit assumptions, beliefs and expectations about themselves as teachers in the early-career years.
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King, Sabrina Hope. "Exploring the early career experiences of African-American teachers /." Access Digital Full Text version, 1991. http://pocketknowledge.tc.columbia.edu/home.php/bybib/11042205.
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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1991.Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Karen Kepler Zumwalt. Dissertation Committee: Linda Darling-Hammond. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 312-319).
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Browne, Peters Lisa. "Early career transition among education graduates." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ64770.pdf.
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Scott, Donald G. "Retention of early career teachers engaged in Missouri's career education mentoring program." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/5541.
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Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on July 29, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.
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Webster, Simon James. "Early career ESOL teachers' practical knowledge of teaching speaking." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2015. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/9136/.
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This thesis presents the findings of qualitative multiple-case study research investigating ESOL teachers’ practical knowledge of teaching speaking. Although there has been increased recognition of the value of practical knowledge research in recent years, such research remains extremely limited and the practical knowledge and teachers in an ESOL context and in the curricular domain of teaching speaking skills were previously unexplored areas. The four research participants were all early career ESOL teachers in the United Kingdom. Classroom observation data and interview data were generated at multiple points over the course of an academic year. This methodological approach introduced a longitudinal dimension to the research enabling any possible practical knowledge growth to be investigated. The research identified the largely contemporary nature of the ESOL teachers’ practices in teaching speaking. However, the teachers’ practical knowledge was identified as being atheoretical: teachers did not refer to public theory in the explanations of their practices. Instead, the findings suggest that teachers may experience a process of socialisation (both institutional and sectorial) through which many practices are adopted without a theoretical basis. A significant degree of commonality was identified amongst the teachers’ practical knowledge. Individual differences appeared to be significant, however, and were identifiable both in teachers’ practices and the beliefs underlying them. Teachers’ exercising of significant agency in their practices meant that these differences were evident despite certain sectorial pressure on teachers, particularly through exam washback. There was very limited evidence of growth in the teachers’ practical knowledge of teaching speaking. The research indicated a number of factors which appeared to inhibit such growth. The study discusses the implications of these findings for ESOL teacher development programmes. Recommendations for teacher development programmes include constructivist approaches to teacher engagement with public theory and institutional mechanisms for a sharing of practices amongst teachers.
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Churchward, Peter. "Early career teachers' experiences in the pursuit of quality." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2020. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/205452/1/Peter_Churchward_Thesis.pdf.
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Early career teachers were asked to identify what impact policies for improving teacher quality had on their practice. Quality is hard to define, but can be understood by how it was talked about. In this qualitative study, 13 early career teachers from teacher education excellence programs in Queensland and Western Australia were interviewed. Discourse analysis, based on Archer’s theory of reflexivity and Bernstein’s concept of recontextualisation, highlighted that quality was recognised both individually and collectively, as being guided by relational knowledge of their students. A contribution of this study is an understanding of quality as a process of “always becoming”.
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French, Stephanie Jane. "Supporting early career teachers: mentoring in NSW government schools." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/18099.
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In Australia, the majority of teachers enter the profession with positive motivations to teach and a strong desire to be effective. Despite these positive intentions and expectations, Early Career Teacher (ECT) attrition rates continue to rise. Given the high rate of attrition and the related consequences, including the negative impact on student achievement, there is a significant need to examine how ECTs may be supported to remain in schools and succeed in the profession. This project was developed in response to the high attrition rates and focused on the experiences of ECTs working in one high need area of Sydney. Specifically, the project centred on the mentoring support ECTs received in one secondary school as a result of a recently implemented government initiative. Cultural Historical Activity Theory provided the framework for an in-depth, holistic examination of mentoring support for ECTs. Data was collected using a multi method exploratory case study approach comprising a questionnaire, interviews and document analysis. The range of data enabled exploration of systematic contradictions that arose within and between the identified activity systems. The findings highlight that all stakeholders had genuinely positive intentions for the ECTs. The quality of the overall mentoring support, however, was impacted significantly by the highly accountable, standardised and performance driven nature of the education system in NSW. In the absence of flexibility in other areas, it was apparent that the school needed greater support to utilise the flexibility they were afforded to design and implement a high quality mentoring program. This included support to: meet individualised needs; understand the benefits of different mentoring models; and appreciate the potential developmental benefits of the mandatory accreditation process in NSW schools. The need to push back against this accountability model and redevelop the professionalism of teaching was also apparent. In addition, the findings highlight the need for all ECTs to be supported at the individual school level, irrespective of their employment status as a permanent or non-permanent teacher. This project adds to the existing body of literature that seeks to understand how ECTs can be supported effectively during their transitional years and extends understanding of how policy requires systemic support to enable key stakeholders to work together to realise success.
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Ballantyne, Julie. "Effectiveness of Preservice Music Teacher Education Programs: Perceptions of Early-Career Music Teachers." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2005. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16074/1/Julie_Ballantyne_Thesis.pdf.
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The quality of teaching occurring in schools is directly linked to the quality of preservice preparation that teachers receive (Darling-Hammond, 2000). This is particularly important in the area of music teacher education, given the unique challenges that classroom music teachers commonly face (Ballantyne, 2001). This thesis explores early-career music teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their preservice teacher education programs in Queensland. It also explores influences impacting upon early-career music teachers' perceptions of effectiveness and early-career music teachers' perceived needs in relation to their preservice preparation.
The study addresses the research questions through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. In Stage 1 of the research, questionnaires were completed by 76 secondary classroom music teachers in their first four years of teaching in Queensland, Australia. In Stage 2 of the research, 15 of these teachers were interviewed to explore findings from the questionnaire in depth.
Findings suggest that preservice teachers perceive a need for teacher education courses to be contextualised, integrated and allow for the continual development of knowledge and skills throughout their early years in schools. This research provides an empirical basis for reconceptualising music teacher education courses and raises important issues that music teacher educators need to address in order to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for classroom music teaching.
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Ballantyne, Julie. "Effectiveness of Preservice Music Teacher Education Programs: Perceptions of Early-Career Music Teachers." Queensland University of Technology, 2005. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16074/.
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The quality of teaching occurring in schools is directly linked to the quality of preservice preparation that teachers receive (Darling-Hammond, 2000). This is particularly important in the area of music teacher education, given the unique challenges that classroom music teachers commonly face (Ballantyne, 2001). This thesis explores early-career music teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their preservice teacher education programs in Queensland. It also explores influences impacting upon early-career music teachers' perceptions of effectiveness and early-career music teachers' perceived needs in relation to their preservice preparation. The study addresses the research questions through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. In Stage 1 of the research, questionnaires were completed by 76 secondary classroom music teachers in their first four years of teaching in Queensland, Australia. In Stage 2 of the research, 15 of these teachers were interviewed to explore findings from the questionnaire in depth. Findings suggest that preservice teachers perceive a need for teacher education courses to be contextualised, integrated and allow for the continual development of knowledge and skills throughout their early years in schools. This research provides an empirical basis for reconceptualising music teacher education courses and raises important issues that music teacher educators need to address in order to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for classroom music teaching.
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Voris, Brenda C. "TEACHER EFFICACY, JOB SATISFACTION, AND ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION IN EARLY CAREER SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS." UKnowledge, 2011. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/159.
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The number of special education students continues to rise, creating the need for additional special education teachers. Alternative certification programs have dealt with the special education teacher shortage, but not the question of teacher quality. Most teachers entering classrooms from alternative certification programs have little or no formal education in methodology or behavior management, but have commensurate responsibilities as their more experienced colleagues.
The intent of this quantitative study was to examine 222 special education teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and job satisfaction in 21 central Kentucky school districts. The focus was the relation among special education teacher’s degree of efficacy in the early years of their careers (zero to five), degree of job satisfaction, and their certification type in special education (alternative vs. traditional).
The secondary purpose was to examine the interrelation among teacher efficacy, number of years in the profession, degree of job satisfaction, gender, type of classroom, and area of certification in special education. The degree of teacher self-efficacy is linked to increased student outcomes and achievement, extent of planning, implementation of new ideas, enthusiasm, commitment, and increased patience with struggling students.
The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale was utilized to measure teacher efficacy. The Brayfield Rothe Job Satisfaction Index (1951) as modified by Warner (1973) was employed to measure the affective factors of job satisfaction. A demographic questionnaire developed by the researcher gathered information from the respondents.
The study hypothesis assumed that teacher efficacy, specifically teacher self-efficacy, was lower in early career special education teachers who were pursuing or had recently completed certification through alternative programs. Analysis of the data indicates there is no significant difference between special education teachers who have completed alternative certification programs and their traditionally certified counterparts in terms of their degree of self-efficacy. Responses from the Job Satisfaction Survey indicated both groups of special education teachers are satisfied with their jobs.
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Thompson, Simon J. "Where do history teachers come from? Professional knowing among early career history teachers." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2010. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/6289/.
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The Training and Development Agency for Schools continue to set an official agenda for what constitutes professional knowledge for teachers in England. The Professional Standards for Teachers (TDA, 2007) set out expectations regarding attributes, knowledge and understanding and skills for teachers at different stages in their careers. Such prescriptions have been the subject of critique by the academic community (Furlong, 2001, Phillips, 2002, Ellis, 2007) for their implicit reductionist assumptions about professional knowledge. History teacher educators (John, 1991, Husbands et al, 2003) have long recognised the need to focus on what history teachers do know, rather than what they should know. However whilst scholarship offers us rich understandings of those considered experts (Turner-Bisset, 1999) or engaged in initial teacher education (Pendry, Husbands, Arthur and Davison, 1998), little is known about the professional knowledge of early career history teachers. This study explores professional knowing of early career history teachers working in secondary schools in South East England. Through presenting twelve case studies of teachers at the end of initial teacher education, induction, experiencing the first two to three years of teaching and more experienced practitioners the study analyses the nature of professional knowing as well as its interrelations, origins and development. Two research questions are addressed: • What do beginning history teachers know? How does this relate to existing models of professional knowledge? • Where does their professional knowledge come from? What are its origins? What factors influence its development? The study draws upon a constructivist interpretation of professional knowing (Cochran et al, 1993) rejecting the static nature of knowledge and instead presents knowing as a dynamic entity. The study also draws upon Eraut's (1996, 2007) epistemology of practice, specifically the interplay between context, time and modes of cognition and reflection as well as conceptions of teaching as a craft (Cooper and McIntyre, 1996). In addition, the study acknowledges the nature of situated learning and identifies how early career teachers develop within different communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991). Inspired by life history research, a mixed methodology is used to examine how childhood experiences, schooling and pre-professional education combine with formal and situated learning. Interviews exploring “critical incidents” (Tripp, 1994) are used to encourage participants to reflect and associated narratives are analysed using a constructivist conceptualisation of grounded theory (Charmaz, 2005), to reveal the temporal and spacial dimensions (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000) of professional knowing as well as broader “genealogies of context” (Goodson and Sykes, 2001) telling of changes in history education over the last three decades. The findings illustrate how early career history teachers draw upon their knowing of history, pedagogy, resources, learners and context as well as their beliefs and values. Whilst it will be shown that these areas of knowing can be described and illustrated discretely, they work in complex ways with each other and decisions, actions or reflections often necessarily draw upon complex inter- relationships. Whether intuitively or deliberatively, these ways of knowing are developed through interactions between personal historical forces, learning situations and shifting professional contexts. Drawing on these findings the thesis makes an original contribution in presenting a new model of professional knowing connecting historical, pedagogical, curriculum knowing, knowing about learners, the context, and ideological knowing with teacher reflectivity; all situated in an envelope that recognises the roots, complexity and fluidity of what history teachers know including personal histories, formal and informal learning experiences and their environments.
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Fall, Anna-Maria. "Early Career Special Education Teachers in High-and Low-Poverty Districts: A Comparison of their Qualifications, Work Conditions, and Career Commitments." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/30262.
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I used teacher data from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE) to compare the characteristics, qualifications (e.g., credentials, preservice preparation, self-efficacy, and induction) and work conditions (e.g., school support, work manageability and induction support) of early career special education teachers in high- and low-poverty districts and the effects of these variables on teacher commitment.
Organized as a set of thee articles, this research presents findings from a nationally representative sample of 935 early career special education teachers. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability analyses, and logistic regression.
Significant differences were found in the credentials and preparation of teachers working in high poverty vs. more affluent districts, with those in high poverty schools having fewer credentials and less preparation. In contrast, the two teacher groups reported similar induction opportunities and gave themselves comparable ratings on both self-efficacy and in skillfulness in various work tasks.
Teachers in high poverty districts also reported less desirable work conditions than their counterparts in more affluent districts. When compared to teachers in low poverty districts, those in less affluent districts viewed their principals and colleagues as less supportive, perceived less involvement in school decisions, reported having fewer materials, and indicated higher and more diverse caseloads. In contrast, the two teacher groups reported similar professional development and induction opportunities.
Finally, logistic regression results suggest that problems with work manageability were negatively related to teacher commitment, whereas positive school support and good match between preparation and assignment positively influenced teachersâ commitment. However, district level of poverty, district support, and perceived helpfulness of induction support were not significantly related to teachersâ commitment.
These studies draw attention to inequalities in the education of students with disabilities in high poverty districts; and emphasize the critical need not only to recruit and prepare qualified teachers for high poverty schools, but also to address disparities in work conditions. Policymakers and educational leaders concerned with fostering teachersâ commitment should consider developing supportive work environments, involving teachers in decision making, and creating manageable work assignments.Ph. D.
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Houghton, Vicky E. "Emotional intelligence and significant-other attachment transference : factors affecting early career teachers." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2010. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1848.
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This thesis develops an understanding of how the significant-other-attachment-history of ‘secure’, ‘preoccupied’, ‘dismissing-avoidant’ or ‘fearful-avoidant’ new teachers has an effect upon action-choices in the classroom. The motivation for the study is the daily challenge faced by new teachers, as evidenced by disturbing early-career retention statistics. The focus of the thesis is on the redefining of emotional intelligence (EQ) as a comprehensive ‘filtering’ and enabling application of attachment processing.
A ‘mixed-method’ analysis of quantitative and qualitative data was conducted, using data from pre-service and early career contexts, collected over a three-year period. In phase one, using the Bar-On EQ-i, and the ‘Experiences in Close Relationships (Revised) Questionnaire’, EQ indicators and the two attachment indicators were tested. In phase two, relevant codes were applied to the qualitative data; using a custom-designed method inspired by Grounded Theory.
Three fundamental aspects of the relationship between EQ and attachment were identified during the study, namely, the strength of the relationship, the nature of the relationship, and the effects of the relationship within a teacher-pupil negotiation context. The central argument of the thesis is that levels of attachment-related anxiety and/or attachment-related avoidance, in early-career teachers, inhibit specific EQ-functioning.
The relationship between EQ and attachment was found to weaken significantly when the EQ-elements, ‘empathy’ and ‘social responsibility’, revealed no significant correlation when tested against each attachment indicator ‘anxiety’ and ‘avoidance’. Further weakness in the relationship was revealed when the EQ-element ‘interpersonal relationship’ was tested against the attachment indicator ‘anxiety’. Four EQ-elements that do evidence a significant correlation with attachment are ‘reality-testing’, ‘self-regard’, ‘stress-tolerance’ and ‘self-awareness’.
The nature of the relationship emerged from qualitative analysis; explained by high levels of attachment-related anxiety or avoidance that inhibit the EQ-abilities of self-regard, reality-testing, stress-tolerance and self-awareness. There is a tri-partite relationship between the elements of attachment style, the above-noted elements of emotional intelligence, and a new
teacher’s significant-other attachment history (the summative experiential factor). The nature of the relationship between EQ and attachment is further evidenced by an inhibited EQ-ability for some new teachers. This inhibited ability has an impact upon action-choice, as the new teacher attempts to develop and manage the teacher-pupil relationship. Finally, the nature of the relationship can be seen in significant-other attachment transference-type processes which manifest as positive or negative action-choices by some new teachers.
Securely-attached new teachers, exhibiting enhanced self-awareness and self-regard, interpret the reality of the modern classroom differently to fearful, preoccupied and dismissing new teachers. New teachers with high levels of attachment-related anxiety or avoidance evidence diminished EQ-abilities and display action-choices that reflect an attempt to protect the teacher-self within challenging classroom contexts.
While this thesis contributes to an understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence and attachment, further research remains to be done in the field of ‘social and emotional intelligence’. In particular, future scientific research could focus on the brain activity of each of the four attachment styles, to better understand the notion of significant-other transference in educational settings. The finding, that not all elements of emotional intelligence are correlated to attachment processes, should be taken to other contexts. Such work would, in the fullness of time, inform best practice, as pre-service programmers continue to try to find a better way of supporting new teachers.
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Perez, Yvette. "Early Career Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions of School Site Induction Support." FIU Digital Commons, 2012. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/614.
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Research highlights teacher attrition as one of the biggest challenges facing public schools and their attempts to provide a quality teacher for every student (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003). The teacher shortage is particularly daunting in special education where teachers are over twice as likely to leave the field. The first few years of teaching are the most critical in determining whether or not a beginning teacher will stay in the teaching profession (Whitaker, 2000).
A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was utilized to examine research questions focused on the components of induction support that early career teachers received at their school site, including what they considered most valuable to their long-term retention in the classroom and their development as a quality teacher. Eighty seven early career special education teachers were surveyed during the first phase of the study and six participants were interviewed during the second phase. .
Data analysis of the Likert-scale survey used in the study revealed that the majority of the respondents received at least 21 of the 25 listed induction components. Moreover, early career special education teachers indicated that they valued all 25 induction components. In addition, findings revealed that over two thirds of the respondents indicated a desire to remain a special education teacher. Overall, early career special education teachers felt confident in their abilities to teach students with disabilities; however, nearly half of the respondents did not feel satisfied with the induction they received. Independent t-tests showed a statistically significant difference between teachers who indicated a desire to remain in special education and those that did not on the level of satisfaction with their induction experience.
The six interviews provided elaboration and clarification of the survey responses. The participants expressed their passion for the art of teaching, their dedication to students with disabilities, and their frustration with being a beginning teacher. Furthermore, it was reported that the overall school culture was not very supportive. Participants offered relevant ideas for additional or alternate induction components that would be more effective.
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Hale, Kimberly Danielle. "Identity Formation and the Development of Self in Early Career Teachers." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27273.
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Many aspects of teaching involve the personal dimension of teaching and yet this dimension is often neglected and overlooked as we prepare teachers and sustain teachers in their work. The personal beliefs, attitudes and emotions of teachers often determine the decisions that teachers make in their classrooms. Increasingly, educational researchers have found that effective teachers are aware of this dimension. The aim of this study was to better understand how teachers' self perceptions and understandings of teaching evolve and change across their professional lives and what events contribute to these understandings. A series of in-depth individual interviews were conducted with six early career public education teachers who were also alumni of the graduate teacher education program at Virginia Tech. Interview data were supplemented with a review of artifacts from preservice teacher education program, visual representations of teacher identity development at various stages over the career of teaching and a timeline of significant events encountered during the teaching career. Results of this research suggest that teachers' understandings of the multiple complexities of teaching deepen within the first years of teaching; teaching is emotional work; and the context of teaching heavily influences teachers' practice of teaching regardless of their beliefs about teaching. Suggestions for university teacher education programs and local school districts are discussed.Ph. D.
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Herbert, Liam P. "The Influence of Multi-Field Classroom Observations on Early Career Teachers." Thesis, Griffith University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/398876.
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Professional learning can provide many benefits for teachers, particularly those who are early in their career. The provision of professional learning opportunities, such as induction into the profession, mentoring, and collaboration with experienced teachers, can help nurture the professional needs of early career teachers. If these types of professional needs are neglected, early career teachers’ self-efficacy may decrease and their motivation to remain in the teaching profession can be challenged. One type of professional learning that has shown promise for early career teachers is participation in classroom observations. This study was motivated by the aim of exploring the perceived influence of multi-field classroom observations on early career teachers’ professional learning and sense of self-efficacy.
Traditionally, classroom observations have been used to appraise and evaluate teachers’ practice, especially that of early career teachers, and the emphasis has been placed on the learning of the observed teacher, mainly through feedback from the evaluating observer. More recently, there has been a growing movement towards using classroom observations as a structured professional learning activity that focuses on the learning of the observer. As part of this approach, rather than appraising the observed teacher, the observer focuses on viewing a classroom lesson with the aim to learn from the teaching experience. This approach can encourage collaboration and motivate the observer to later trial or experiment with teaching strategies or techniques they observed in the lesson. While previous research has been conducted on the affordances and constraints of classroom observations, studies focusing on multi-field classroom observations, where early career teachers observe experienced teachers from within their specialised teaching field, as well as outside their teaching field, are limited. What is also unknown is the influence of classroom observations on early career teachers’ professional learning and sense of self efficacy when they observe experienced teachers from multiple fields.
This study used an instrumental case study strategy of inquiry within a constructivist, qualitative research paradigm. The research site was an independent Catholic Boys High School located in Brisbane, Australia. Eight early career teachers and nine experienced teachers participated in this study. Data were collected across three phases via multiple data sources, including individual interviews, concept maps, reflective journals, an emergent model and a final group interview. The data were analysed using Creswell’s (2012) model of coding and interpreted using themes derived from the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework guiding this study is derived from Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory, which postulates that humans learn via the observation of others as well as from enacting behaviours, or learning from experience. The process of social cognitive learning is underpinned by three determinants: behavioural, personal and environmental (Bandura, 1986).
A number of findings arose from this study. First, early career teachers reported that they predominantly learnt pedagogical content knowledge when observing in-field experienced teachers, and classroom and behaviour management when observing out-of-field experienced teachers. Second, most early career teachers and experienced teachers reported they changed their teaching practice as a result of participating in multi-field classroom observations. This change in practice was perceived as teaching improvement. Third, the post-observation collaboration between early career teachers and experienced teachers was deemed important as it enabled early career teachers to ask information-gathering questions that enhanced their learning, as well as encouraged experienced teachers to reflect on their practice. Fourth, early career teachers perceived an increase in their self-efficacy as a result of observing and trialling successful teaching techniques.
The contributions of this study are fourfold. First, it provides insights into early career teacher professional learning in social contexts. Second, it contributes to the research on early career teacher self-efficacy. Third, the study addresses some of the factors that have been shown to cause early career teacher attrition. Fourth, it addresses the current research shortfall on the effects of multi-field classroom observations on early career teachers and experienced teachers. A further practical implication that emerged from the study was the development of a Multi-Field Classroom Observation Model.
This study argues that early career teachers can effectively learn by observing experienced teachers from multiple fields, which can result in enhanced self-efficacy and improved teaching practice. A significant implication of this study is that early career teachers can learn from observing and collaborating with experienced teachers from both within and outside their specialised teaching field, and be motivated to trial new ways of teaching, which can lead to teaching improvement and potentially to enhanced learning outcomes for students.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School Educ & Professional St
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Blackburn, John Joseph. "AN ASSESSMENT OF TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY AND JOB SATISFACTION OF EARLY CAREER KENTUCKY AGRICULTURE TEACHERS." UKnowledge, 2007. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/473.
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The United States is currently facing a shortage of qualified teachers; specifically, agricultural education has recorded shortages for several years. Many agriculture teachers will leave the profession well before retirement. Those teachers who leave the profession are often dissatisfied with their chosen career and exhibit low levels of teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction. The purpose of this census study was to describe the current level of teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction among all early career Kentucky agriculture teachers (N = 80). The study also sought to determine if a relationship existed between teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction among early career Kentucky agriculture teachers. Teacher self-efficacy was measured through three constructs: student engagement, instructional practices, and classroom management. It was concluded that early career agriculture teachers in Kentucky are efficacious and generally satisfied with teaching. A variety of relationships were found to exist between each construct and overall job satisfaction between each group of teachers.
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Ozel, Ozge. "An Exploration of Turkish Kindergarten Early Career Stage Teachers’ Technology Beliefs and Practices." Scholar Commons, 2019. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7883.
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The purpose of this study was to explore Turkish kindergarten early career stage teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs towards technology and their technology integration practices in their classrooms by answering: What are self-efficacy beliefs of Turkish kindergarten early career stage teachers towards technology? How do Turkish kindergarten early career teachers integrate technology into their classrooms’ instructions? The study was designed as a qualitative multiple case study and guided by Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK conceptual framework. I conducted this study in Istanbul, where is the most crowded and metropolitan city in Turkey. The schools were chosen by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) after the permissions were received from IRB and MoNE, and the participants were assigned by the directors of schools based on research criteria. Participants were chosen purposefully, and there were four female kindergarten teachers in their early career stages, which were identified based on Steffy, Wolfe, Pasch and Enz (2000)’ stages: novice teacher and apprentice teacher, teaching five-year-old students at technologically well-equipped classrooms, and who had a bachelor’s degree in preschool teaching. Data was collected from three sessions of semi-structured interviews and two sessions of observation based on TIM-O. Data was coded and analyzed based on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) to make sense teachers’ technology self-efficacy beliefs towards technology and Technology Integration Matrix (TIM)’s to understand their technology practice into classroom instructions.
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Hall, Kathleen Mary. "Early career teacher attrition: A case study of independent Catholic girls' schools in Queensland." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2013. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/63286/1/Kathleen_Hall_Thesis.pdf.
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This research study sought to understand why so many early career teachers in an Australian Religious Institute education sector were leaving teaching. Previous studies on early career teacher attrition across all sectors were based on supply and demand theory, as well as contemporary career theory, and identified various factors such as remuneration, student behaviour and school resourcing as influencing factors. These Australian Religious Institute education sector schools take pride in their good standing. The schools in this sector have worked at addressing many of the factors associated with early career teacher attrition yet despite their efforts they are also experiencing attrition of their early career teachers.
A case study of the Queensland independent Catholic girls' school sector explored firstly, the construct of being a teacher in these schools, and secondly, the sociocultural discourses giving rise to unique situations contributing to early career teachers making the decision to leave teaching. Eight early career teachers who had left the profession for which they had recently trained, and eight long standing teachers who were still employed in the sector were interviewed to yield a rich data set. The interviews were conducted within a theoretical framework of what it means to be a teacher by Graham and Phelps (2003) and pedagogic identity and pedagogic practice as noted by Bernstein (2000).
The distributive rules and the evaluative rules (Bernstein, 2000) provided the analytical framework to confirm that particular discourses, together with the ways in which the early career teachers realised being a teacher, were important factors in the decision not to remain in teaching. It emerged that being a teacher in the Queensland independent Catholic girls' school sector was complex and demanding. Being a teacher required long hours of personal time to realise the demands of teaching, a situation which did not fare well with the early career teachers who struggled to balance the requirements of teaching with their own personal time. Furthermore, evidence was found that the schools had multifaceted sociocultural discourses that the early career teacher research participants struggled to understand. In contrast, long standing teachers had, through time, experience and observation, developed skills that allowed them to navigate these complex discourses and thus remain long term in the sector.
Another finding revealed the considerable dichotomy in how the charism of the schools (the unique way Catholic institutions transmit the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church) unfolded for students and staff. While these schools transmit their charism effectively to the students, it is ineffectively transmitted to early career teachers.
In contemporary times when a majority of teachers in Australia are moving into their 50s and large numbers are retiring or resigning, (Australian Government, 2011; Australian Government Department of Education, 2007b) it is important for the long term viability of the independent Catholic school sector to retain a stable staff. This study demonstrates that if Catholic schools want to retain their unique identity in the education community and sustain their unique charisms, then they must adopt positive practices to support early career teachers.
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Brenner, Aimee Michelle. "Investigating the Practices in Teacher Education that Promote and Inhibit Technology Integration in Early Career Teachers." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/39472.
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In an attempt to promote the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills in preservice teachers, studies have attempted to identify effective instructional technology integration practices on the part of the teacher education program, as well as exemplary programs themselves (Hofer, 2005; Mergendoller et al., 1994; Strudler & Wetzler, 1999). A significant number of studies focus on examining various components of technology integration plans within teacher education programs, but few have extended this examination to determine if transfer is evidenced in the practices of graduates. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to identify instructional technology integration strategies and practices in preservice teacher education that contribute to the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills to the instructional practices of early career teachers.
This study employed a two-phase, sequential explanatory strategy, where quantitative data were collected via an online survey during the first phase and then interview data were collected during the second phase. The targeted sample population for this research study consisted of male and female early career teachers who had completed a graduate level teacher education program through the School of Education (SOE) at a large, research university located in the Southeast. Overall, these early career teachers assessed themselves as being proficient users of instructional technologies and feeling comfortable with their level of technology integration in the classroom. Out of nine qualities demonstrated in literature to promote learning transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills, the early career teachers reported the top three factors found in the study institution to be: the modeling of effective uses of technology integration by faculty in content-specific areas; opportunities to reflect upon technology integration practices in the classroom; and opportunities to practice and experiment with instructional technologies.
The early career teachers reported the three top barriers inhibiting technology integration in their classrooms as being: too much content to cover; lack of time to design and implement technology-enhanced lessons; and a lack of software resources. Although a majority of the early career teachers reported that the teacher education program overall prepared them to integrate technology into the classroom, they also reported that opportunities to practice technology integration and having access to expert guidance during their field experiences were lacking. Several suggestions were made by study respondents and these included: providing more opportunities to experiment and play with instructional technologies like SmartBoards; faculty support with regards to implementing and practicing with technology integration in field experiences; and technology courses that focus on up-to-date instructional technology tools within each of the content areas.
Findings from this study might be useful to teacher educators and researchers because it provides naturalistic recommendations (Stake, 1995) on how to improve their programs that are corroborated by the literature, and it offers an adapted survey that can be utilized to investigate technology integration transfer from the teacher education period to the early classroom practice period of new teachers.Ph. D.
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Gordon, A. L. "Exploring the resilience of early career teachers : engaging positively with the realities." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2015. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28137/.
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This thesis reflects on the perceptions of resilience of more than fifty early career secondary teachers and is intended as the initial stage of a longitudinal research inquiry. It focuses on how the resilience of new entrants to the teaching profession is challenged and eroded, but also sustained and nurtured, in the initial year of teacher training and as a newly qualified teacher. Drawing on bricolage, the inquiry is qualitative in approach, using a range of methods, including a resilience test, questionnaires, interviews and a range of creative writing approaches, to explore deeper insights into the experiences and perspectives of early career teachers. This thesis complements important work in the field, including Gu and Day (2013) and Johnson et al., (2015), by adopting a wide-ranging and creative approach to gathering evidence from a group of early career teachers. The honesty and vulnerability of the participants has inspired me to consider ways in which resilience may be fostered at the beginning of a career in teaching. Clear implications for a more holistic view of the individual teacher at the heart of initial teacher education are highlighted as a result. Recommendations are made for changes to provision in initial teacher education, including a stronger focus on the emotional aspects of the teacher’s role, and a re-thinking of reflective practice and mentoring as part of transformational learning in the teaching profession.
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Dempsey, Helen. "Early career casual teachers: Negotiating professional identity in multiple communities of practice." Thesis, Dempsey, Helen (2017) Early career casual teachers: Negotiating professional identity in multiple communities of practice. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2017. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/39397/.
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The aim of this research was to explore the experiences of Early Career Casual Teachers (ECCTs) and how their professional identities are negotiated and constructed in multiple communities of practice. Early career teachers are increasingly beginning their teaching careers in casual employment (Bita, 2015; Bryan, 2015; K. Jenkins, 2013) and despite the increasing number of ECCTs, there is limited research regarding their experiences. The fragmented nature of casual teaching may also constrain negotiation and construction of a professional identity (Pietsch & Williamson, 2007).
This qualitative study was longitudinal in design and used a case study method. Participants were early career teachers who had been employed as day-to-day casual teachers, commonly referred to as “relief teachers” in Australia. There were two phases of the research conducted over an eighteen-month period. The first exploratory phase consisted of focus group discussions with ECCTs, and the second phase followed the journeys of six early career casual teachers gathering data through interviews and reflective tasks. Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice framework was adapted and used to investigate ECCTs’ experiences and professional identity negotiation and construction.
Relationships and engagement were found to be critical in the complex negotiation and construction of professional identity. Access to both school and professional communities was a major challenge reported by ECCTs. For some, prior engagement with a school community provided brokerage into the school community, and for others sustained engagement with a school community provided access to formal professional communities. In addition, developing strong relationships with students, colleagues and parents assisted ECCTs to develop deep connections with a school community and contributed to a sense of belonging. Professional identity was constructed through integration of personal and professional identity and was negotiated through experiences in both school and professional communities.
The research findings provide new insights for universities, education departments, professional authorities and schools in their endeavours to assist ECCTs as they negotiate and construct their professional identity, potentially enhancing commitment to the teaching profession.
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Assaad, Elizabeth A. "Early Second-career Faculty: a Phenomenological Study of Their Transition Into a New Profession." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2015. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc804875/.
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In this phenomenological study I investigated the experiences of early second-career, tenure-track faculty members who entered academe after working in a position outside of higher education for at least five years. The purpose of this study was to learn about experiences and factors that contributed or impeded to the success of second-career faculty members. Eight early second-career faculty members, from a four-year university located in the Dallas Metroplex area, were interviewed. Participants demographics were ages 34 to 68 with the average age being 45; 50% male and 50% female; and one African American, six Caucasian, and one Hispanic and/or Latino. Participants’ previous professional experience was a benefit in teaching and relating to students, in understanding the complex university bureaucracy, and in setting goals. The participants reported that mentoring, whether formally assigned by the institution or through informal means such as departmental colleagues or professional organizations, was a benefit to all of the participants. A primary area of concern for the participants was collaboration and collegiality with other faculty members. Participants stated that traditional faculty members lack the skills and training to collaborate effectively in researching and in joint teaching endeavors. Participants reported that they had to monitor and restrain their opinions during interactions with departmental colleagues during the probationary period leading up to tenure decisions because the participants fear retaliation by co-faculty members who will vote on whether to grant them tenure. These participants bring a wealth of industry experience and knowledge to the university. Administrators, departmental chairs, and future early second-career faculty members will find that this research provides recommendations that, if heeded, will ensure a long and productive mutually beneficial affiliation.
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Madden, Brooke. "(Un)Becoming teacher of school-based Aboriginal education : early career teachers, teacher identity, and Aboriginal education across institutions." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/59260.
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This research explores the experiences and perceptions of nine Aboriginal and ally early career teachers (1-5 years experience) who have completed university coursework and/or extended professional development on the topic of Aboriginal education. The inquiry places focus on how targeted teacher education, and transitions into educational work settings, shape teacher identity and practice. Over an eight-month period, teachers participated in a series of three or four individual, semi-structured interviews on topics related to professional identity and engagement in Aboriginal education across institutions. Data fragments elicited from the research reveal ongoing, relational processes of momentarily occupying, exceeding, resisting, and/or reforming subject positions of teacher made available through discourse. The fragments are used to identify and trace significant forces that direct how participants become, and become undone as, teachers of school-based Aboriginal education. Analysis concentrates on four key relationships between teachers and sources of knowledge about Aboriginal education that formed, reinforced, and challenged teachers’ emerging professional identities and associated practices as they navigated Faculties of Education, schools, and areas between (e.g., teaching practicum). They include: (un)becoming teacher and a) school-based sources of Aboriginality, b) pedagogical pathways for Aboriginal education with/in teacher education, c) significant place, and d) supports used for engaging Aboriginal education. Contributions are made to the fields of teacher education, Aboriginal education, and decolonizing education and research. The research reveals the benefits and difficulties that coursework and professional development afford in preparing, and providing ongoing assistance to, teachers who foreground Aboriginal content and approaches. Learning from teachers’ processes, preparedness, and priorities enhances understanding about identity negotiation and movement of knowledge-practice across institutions. Further, theory building presents a decolonizing methodology for analyzing the construction of teacher identity that accounts for teachers’ complex and shifting positions beyond the binary opposition Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal. A decolonizing theory of (un)becoming teacher of Aboriginal education, alongside early career teachers’ recommendations to improve university and school-based Aboriginal education, hold potential to shift Aboriginal education research beyond a discourse of transformation/resistance. This opens space to reconfigure Aboriginal education and teacher education, as well as subject positions therein, to support the needs and prerogatives of Aboriginal students and communities.Education, Faculty of
Graduate
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Leugers, Lucinda Lett. "The Effects of Mentoring and Induction Programs and Personal Resiliency on the Retention of Early Career Teachers." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch154091272482252.
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Roosken, Barbara. "Stories of resilience : exploring resilience amongst part-time trainee teachers in the Netherlands." Thesis, University of Roehampton, 2017. https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/stories-of-resilience(ca107d4c-81bd-4a37-ae48-788dd2e1a594).html.
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This research investigates what teaching experiences, strategies and factors impact on early career teachers’ (ECTs’) resilience in secondary colleges in the south of the Netherlands. The ECTs are undergraduate trainee teachers who are enrolled as part-time English as a Foreign language students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve individual ECTs from three different cohorts, twice in the timespan of two years, in order to get access to the reality of everyday school life viewed through the ECTs’ lens. The three different cohorts consisted of four beginning ECTs, four regular ECTs and four long-term ECTs. Data was collected over a two-year period and included recorded interviews with ECTs, line drawings, relational maps, ECTs’ portfolios and the researcher’s memos. The participants recalled their teaching experiences by means of analysing critical incidents that occurred in their classrooms. The data collection, analysis and discussion were organised into twelve cases. A thematic data analysis was used (Guest et al., 2012; Braun & Clarke, 2013), with the help of ATLAS.ti 7 software. The findings show that the ECTs were often expected to take on the full range of teaching tasks in isolation, with little support to cope with all the demands of their new role. The ECTs found that personal factors, such as self-efficacy and a sense of agency, helped develop their resilience, as well as contextual resources provided in schools and by employing bodies. Although the development of resilience was different for every ECT, participants also shared common strategies that contributed to development of resilience, such as emotional regulation, seeking renewal, goal setting and help seeking, when overcoming the setbacks they experienced. By identifying strategies that impact on resilience, this research has strengthened the guidelines on which induction programmes at Teacher Education Colleges can be made. It is suggested that ECTs are mentored around developing resilience strategies, in order to increase their confidence to work and teach in a new school environment. It is argued that the critical incidents approach, designed to support ECTs in building stories about their teaching experiences, could be used as a teaching methodology for trainee teachers at Teaching Education Colleges.
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Kurniawan, D. (Dody). "Early career teacher resilience:a narrative inquiry into first year teaching experiences of high school teachers in Indonesia." Master's thesis, University of Oulu, 2019. http://jultika.oulu.fi/Record/nbnfioulu-201905252144.
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Abstract. Based on the teachers’ stories, this study focuses on lived experiences of early career teachers who teach at the high school level in Indonesia. It aims to understand what the teachers tell about their first-year teaching experiences, and to identify how resilience appears in their stories. Teacher resilience is related to the capacity to live through and surmount the inevitable challenges in the realities of teaching. It is understood that the development of teacher resilience is not only about the internal process, but also the teachers’ interaction with their social environment.
The methodology of this study employs the principles of narrative inquiry with four early career teachers from Indonesia as the participants. When this study was conducted, all of them were in their second year of teaching, and the stories of their first-year experiences were the subject of inquiry. The data collection methods included the line drawing to depict teachers’ chronological lived experiences, and the narrative interviews to get teachers’ stories. Afterward, the analysis of narrative was applied to the four stories which yielded themes that appeared across the stories.
The findings of this study consist of seven themes discussing the teachers’ stories that lead them to resilience. Those themes are: encountering inevitable circumstances; enduring physical and emotional pressure; interacting with empathetic and supportive relationships; undergoing self-reflection that uncovers value and purpose for being a teacher; formulating strategy to overcome adversity; experiencing stronger self after going through adversity; and receiving acknowledgement from students who conceded experiencing positive transformation upon interacting with the teachers. Also, the resilience of the teachers appeared in their stories as a process. This process was demonstrated in expressing emotions, self-reflection and formulating a strategy to overcome adversity. By going through this process, outcomes such as high self-efficacy, and a capacity to manage emotions and alternate their thoughts about adversity were seen in the teachers’ stories.
Teachers’ resilience is not static and fixed at a point. It develops over time as teachers surmount challenges. Thus, it is recommendable that teachers are aware of their values, thoughts, purpose, and connections with others, especially when they are in the face of adversities.
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Spears, Lachlan T. "Early career teachers’ experiences with assessment for learning in Western Australian secondary schools." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2022. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2608.
Full textAbstract:
International research suggests that when teachers enact Assessment for Learning (AfL) they can greatly improve student outcomes. In Australia, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s Professional Standards for Teachers mandates that teachers regularly engage with assessment, reporting and ongoing professional learning (PL). However, little is known about the perspectives and practices of early career teachers (ECTs) who are challenged to enact AfL and develop assessment literacy (AL) in complex policy and school contexts within Western Australia (WA). In this study, ECTs are defined as teachers within the initial four years of their teaching career.
This research project was an interpretive study that employed a case study methodology to generate in-depth understandings of how four ECTs in two WA independent secondary schools were engaging with AfL and developing it as a component of professional practice. The study was guided by four research questions: (1) How are ECTs in WA developing their knowledge and understanding of AfL? (2) What factors are influencing WA ECTs’ choices to variously engage with AfL and develop it as a component of their practice? (3) How are ECTs in WA using AfL in their teaching and assessment? (4) How do contextual dimensions affect early career teachers’ policy roles and enactment of AfL?
The policy enactment work of Braun et al. (2011) informed exploration of ECTs’ enactment of AfL in relation to the professional, situated, material and external contexts and the positioning of ECTs as policy actors (Ball et al., 2011) who were challenged, through various enabling and constraining contextual dimensions, to enact assessment policy in their classrooms. This enactment, and ECTs’ associated development of AL, were considered in terms of Marshall and Drummond’s (2006) guiding work on the ‘spirit and letter’ and analysed alongside a PL continuum in AfL (DeLuca et al., 2019).
Data collection for each teacher involved classroom observations, documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews over 15 months. As the study took place from 2019 to 2021, it also captured school responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ECTs’ reactions to the sudden policy shifts.
Results report the ways in which each of the contextual dimensions affected the teachers’ enactment of AfL. Findings reveal how various aspects of each dimension enabled or inhibited the ECTs’ enactment of AfL and the significance of interrelations between the contextual dimensions. Mapping the ECTs’ enactment of AfL to the PL continuum revealed that these ECTs were engaging with practices more closely aligned to the letter, than the spirit, of AfL. Factors limiting application of AfL, including the effect of COVID-19 in WA, are discussed.
The insights from this thesis contribute to the current understanding of AfL enactment and extend knowledge about the opportunities, benefits and values of an AfL approach, particularly in WA. It contributes to the existing literature on contemporary teaching and learning practices in AfL as well as initial responses and pedagogical approaches to COVID-19 school closures. A series of reflections and implications from this study will assist initial teacher education institutions, systems, schools and departments to support ECTs to enact AfL to improve teacher AL and, therefore, their use of AfL.
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Surrette, Timothy N. "Beyond Traditional School-Based Teacher Induction." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1479820825785625.
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Chandler, Michael (Michael Douglas). "It's the Kids!: Examining Early-Career Elementary General Music Teacher Longevity in Title I Settings." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2018. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1248427/.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate factors contributing to the longevity of four early-career (5 to 10 years of experience) K–5 elementary general music teachers in Title I schools situated in four regions of the United States. The central research question was: How did early-career elementary general music teachers in Title I schools describe the opportunities and challenges that contributed to their decisions to continue teaching? Using Deci and Ryan's theory of self-determination as a theoretical framework, I analyzed how the four teachers reflected on the degree to which they each possessed autonomy, competence, and relatedness through recounting their perspectives, stories, and experiences. Although the participants shared many commonalities, they also experienced challenges and opportunities unique to their teaching environments. Results were mixed regarding their levels of autonomy and relatedness, but all four teachers possessed a high level of competence, which was likely a contributing factor to their longevity and potential to continue teaching. Nurture and care for children also emerged as a prominent theme from the results, which required the application of a separate theoretical framework. Noddings's theory of the ethic of care served as a lens for examining the myriad ways each participant demonstrated love, care, and concern for her students. All four teachers strongly expressed the important role their love of working with children and seeing them grow, progress, and learn played in their desire to continue teaching. Of all the contributing factors, the participants' ethic of care seemed to be the most significant influence on their decisions to continue teaching. They also spoke extensively about the role of their love for music as a subject. Conclusions address implications for the field and recommendations for future research.
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Willis, Cassandra B. "EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ON EARLY CAREER SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ RETENTION DECISIONS." VCU Scholars Compass, 2019. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5751.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between administrative support and retention of early career special education teachers. Research has shown that there is a shortage of special education teachers; however, teachers leaving the field may be driving the shortages. Based on the work of Schein’s (2003) theory of organizational culture, this study identified how different types of support (i.e., emotional, instructional, technical, and environmental) can influence early career special education teachers’ decision to remain in their current position. Participants, including teachers and administrators from a suburban school division in Virginia, completed a modified version of the Administrative Support Survey. A correlational research design was used to answer research questions comparing support perceived by principals to support received by teachers and support perceived by teachers to support provided by administrators.
An analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent samples t-test, and descriptive statistics were conducted. Results revealed that the majority of teachers reported they received support and intended on returning to their position. However, the teachers who reported they were not returning to their position indicated receiving little support from their principals. Further, differences in support were also reported by race, grade level, disability taught, licensing status, and delivery model of instruction. Limitations and implications for practice, policy, and research are reported.
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Griffiths, Steven Robert. "EXPLORING AUSTRALIAN EARLY CAREER TEACHERS' IMPLEMENTATION OF FLIPPED LEARNING IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE." Thesis, Griffith University, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/388656.
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There is widespread support in the educational reform literature for learner-centred teaching practices and these practices are typically emphasised during teacher training. However, when faced with the myriad challenges of beginning to teach, the early career teacher will often avoid ambitious, learner-centred pedagogies and revert to less challenging, teacher-centred practices.
The aim of this study was to investigate how early career science teachers implemented flipped learning when supported with flipped learning curricular resources. Through a critical review of the learner-centred pedagogy literature, four key principles of learner-centred pedagogy were developed: (a) differentiated instruction, (b) positive relationships, (c) student choice and control, and (d) active learning. Flipped learning is one learner-centred pedagogy that has gained popularity over the last 10 years, and a critical review of the flipped learning research demonstrated flipped learning supports the four key learner-centred principles.
This study used a longitudinal, case study research design, guided by a constructivist research perspective, and explored how three early career science teachers utilised flipped learning curricular resources to implement flipped learning in Year 9 Science. Three data sources were used to provide evidence for analysis and interpretation. The data sources included semi-structured interviews, observations of teaching practices, and written and digital curricular artefacts. Data analysis involved evaluating the learner-centredness of the early career teachers’ practices and identifying the factors that influenced their practices. The study implemented a range of techniques to ensure the validity of data analysis in accordance with trustworthiness criteria.
Results indicate that the teachers were successful in implementing flipped learning and learner-centred practices in their first year of teaching. The extent to which flipped learning was implemented was influenced by two factors: (1) the nature of the flipped learning curricular resources, and (2) the teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning. The flipped learning curricular resources supported the professional learning and learner-centred teaching practices of all of the early career teachers. The teachers who held more constructivist beliefs about learning implemented the most learner-centred practices. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the flipped learning curricular resources has informed recommendations for future implementation of flipped learning curricular resources and for future research.Thesis (Masters)
Master of Education and Professional Studies Research (MEdProfStRes)
School Educ & Professional St
Arts, Education and Law
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Ryu, Jihee. "A critical analysis of early career teachers' intentions to engage with inclusive practice and their relationship to future career intentions." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19000.
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There is consensus that regular classroom teachers should accommodate every child in their classroom including students with disabilities, learning difficulties, and with challenging behaviour (i.e., students with special educational needs or SENs). When catering for every child in their classroom, teachers report they face issues such as insufficient support, student diversity, students’ challenging behaviour, and difficulties with classroom management, Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion and their self-efficacy towards inclusion are considered to be significant in catering for the needs of students with SENs in regular classrooms. Pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion have been reported in the literature to be generally positive, while in-service teachers attitudes are reported to be neutral or negative. However, there is limited literature specifically focusing on what influences early career teachers’ (i.e., first 5 years of teaching; ECTs) attitudes, and to what extent attitudes influence ECTs’ intentions to engage with inclusive practice. The literature on teachers’ self-efficacy mainly focuses on what influences teachers’ self-efficacy instead of to what extent teachers’ self-efficacy impacts their intentions to engage with inclusive practice. A number of issues that ECTs face, overlap with issues that are addressed within the context of inclusive practice. Again, very few studies have examined ECTs’ future career intentions and their relationship with ECTs’ intentions to engage with inclusive practice. A sequential mixed method design of survey and interviews was applied to examine the relationship between ETS’ intentions to engage with inclusive practice and their future career intentions in the Sydney metropolitan area. A total of 79 ECTs completed a survey developed based on the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Attitudes and perceived behavioural control positively influenced ECTs’ intentions to engage with inclusive practice. Support and perceived behavioural control had positive influence on ECTs’ future career intentions. The results indicated that there was very small correlation between ECTs’ intentions to engage with inclusive practice and their future career intentions. Six ECTs participated in the interviews. The results reported that attitudes towards inclusion, school support, and positive school culture had an impact on their intentions to engage with inclusive practice. School support, especially from school colleagues and a paraprofessional (or SLSO), were considered the most effective when engaging with inclusive practice. Despite participants reporting that differing types of and level of support were helpful, personal resilience emerged as a construct that contributed to ECTs’ intentions to stay in the teaching profession. Future studies should continue to examine the relationship between ECTs’ intentions to engaging with inclusive practice and their future career intentions to generalise the results of the study. Further, it is recommended they investigate how personal resilience influences ECTs’ intentions to stay in the teaching profession.
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Weishuk, Heidi. "Professional engagement, critical thinking, and self-efficacy beliefs among early career K-12 school teachers." Thesis, Capella University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10261102.
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An online study was conducted to ascertain the potential of two independent variables, teaching self-efficacy and critical thinking skill (via a self-efficacy survey and a critical thinking appraisal) to predict four aspects of professional engagement (via a teaching career aspirations survey) among 95 self-selected early-career K-12 teachers. A regression model was attempted across the four aspects of professional engagement surveyed: planned persistence (PP), professional development (PD), professional leadership (PL), and planned effort (PE). However the data violated regression assumptions, necessitating non-parametric analysis. Analyses using Kendall’s tau showed a significant correlation between teaching self-efficacy and all four dependent variables (τPD = .34, p < .01; τPL = .29, p < .01; τPP = -.09, p < .01; τ PE = .41, p < .01). Critical thinking did not show a significant relationship with professional engagement. Two post hoc studies investigated these results. Non-parametric analysis showed a significant relationship between critical thinking scores and the critical thinking appraisal completion time (τ = .15. p < .05). T tests showed no significant differences between a sample (n = 27) of the main group (N = 95) and a retained group of participants who completed the surveys but did not complete the critical thinking appraisal (survey only group, n = 27). The significant relationship between teaching self-efficacy and career engagement in this study warrants further attention.
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Vuilleumier, Caroline Elizabeth. "Should I Stay or Should I Go?: Exploring the Predictors of Beginning Teacher Turnover in Secondary Public Schools." Thesis, Boston College, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108369.
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Thesis advisor: Laura O'DwyerIn recent decades, the plight of early career teacher turnover has had significant financial ramifications for our nation’s schools and has posed a serious threat to achieving educational equity, with the most disadvantaged schools experiencing the highest rates of turnover. Using data collected from the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Survey, this study employed discrete-time competing risks survival analysis to explore the first-year experiences of public middle and high school teachers as predictors of their career decisions to stay in their current school, move to a new school, or leave the profession across the first five years of their career. Four facets were conceived as characterizing teachers’ first-year experiences: 1) policies and programs for first-year teachers provided by the administration including mentoring and induction, 2) perceptions of their preparedness to teach, 3) perceptions of school climate and workplace conditions, and 4) satisfaction with teaching. The research questions are: 1. What are the first-year experiences for teachers in the sample and how do they compare between teachers who are retained in their first school placements and teachers who voluntarily or involuntarily turn over in later years? 2. What first-year teacher experiences predict voluntary and involuntary turnover at the end of years 1, 2, 3, and 4? And, how does satisfaction with teaching in the first year interact with the three other facets of the first-year experience to predict voluntary and involuntary turnover across the early career window? Findings suggest there may be differences in the mechanisms that drive the moving and leaving phenomena, suggesting that policymakers treat the two turnover pathways as separate problems requiring separate solutions. Furthermore, findings suggest there may be more policy-amendable variables that can be manipulated in the first year of teaching to prevent leaving than there are to prevent moving, implying that curbing rates of moving to minimize the localized impacts of teacher migration to other schools may be more challenging than reducing rates of leaving the profession
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation
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Burgess, Catherine Maree. "Shifting sands: the narrative construction of early career aboriginal teachers' professional identities at the cultural interface." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/12068.
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This study explores issues facing early career Aboriginal teachers as they construct and enact their personal, professional and situated identities when learning to teach. Narrative constructions of identity simultaneously illuminate and challenge dominant discourses about Aboriginal teachers as they take up, resist and/or reject these discourses. The role of Aboriginality is mediated by factors such as lived experience, positioning of and by the teachers and school contexts. These issues are explored through the theoretical perspectives of Foucault, Bourdieu and Nakata. Like shifting sands, identity construction and teaching work can be unstable terrain, requiring complex contextualised understandings, skills and dispositions. Participants are pre-service Aboriginal teachers in an away-from-base secondary Aboriginal Studies teacher education program at the University of Sydney. They are mature-aged with varying levels of experience of formal education and living in Aboriginal communities. Using narrative methodology, eleven in-depth conversational interviews followed by two focus groups revealed emerging storylines and themes and four participants were identified for further interviews to collaboratively construct the final narratives. This approach privileged participant voices and created spaces to articulate the tacit knowledge and understandings that contribute to the development of a professional identity drawn from personal, professional, cultural and contextual sources. Three themes emerged: discourses of Aboriginality, narratives of belonging, and conceptualising a pedagogical cultural identity. The implications of these themes bring focus to pre-service and in-service teacher professional learning based on valuing Aboriginal community engagement. When nurtured early in a teacher’s career, relationships serve a socio-cultural and political role that contribute significantly to the development of agentic and resilient identities at the cultural interface.
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Grounds, I. "To explore outstanding teaching potential in early career teachers on their personal and professional journey to becoming newly qualified teachers." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2016. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28317/.
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This longitudinal study takes an interpretive approach to investigating the personal and professional journey of six outstanding early career teachers. Aspects which will be investigated include the ITT pre-selection procedure, an examination of the university based training programme, the contextual features of the trainees' school experience and the participants’ own beliefs that impact on their professional identity development through the training year and into their induction as newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The qualitative methodology used shares characteristics with a case study approach and utilises procedures associated with grounded theory. Data were systematically gathered over a three-year period including documentation collected at key transition points throughout the training year. A culminating semi-structured interview produced an illustrated timeline of the year charting participants’ increase or decrease in confidence in the training environment with time. A similar time-line was produced to summarise the NQT experience one year later. The collected data were analysed, coded and categorised, and the explanations and theory that emerged from this process were grounded in the data. Two principal investigations support the main thesis. The first is located at the beginning of the teaching journey and focuses on the importance of subject knowledge on trainees’ outcome achievement (DfE, 2011a). The second study follows trainees into their first teaching post and considers factors supporting or impeding successful transition into teaching. It acts as a pilot for the main investigation. This thesis provides a comprehensive and nuanced view of how beginning to teach is experienced and interpreted by potentially outstanding trainees. It paints a complex picture of the relationship between biography, beliefs, preparation and context in the process of learning to teach. The study contributes to the literature on the recruitment, education and retention of beginning teachers in the scarcely researched area of outstanding trainee achievement and its impact on transition into the workplace and early career progression and retention. It highlights the need to develop a shared understanding amongst policy makers, teacher educators and schools regarding the multiplicity of factors that influence and determine the development and transition of early career teachers giving an insight into the complexity of the 'outstanding teacher' achievement.
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Sumsion, Jenny. "Early childhood student teachers' reflection on their professional development and practice a longitudinal study /." Connect to full text, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/379.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 1997.Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 15, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Education. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.
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Turner, Fay Alison. "Using the Knowledge Quartet to develop early career primary teachers' mathematical content knowledge : a longitudinal study." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.608639.
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White, Catherine Mary. "An exploration of the factors that influence the career exit and early retirement of women teachers." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/dd8cceb6-3322-4cce-b5c0-60c974922058.
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Pace, John D. "Principal Support: Its Impact On Job Satisfaction And Early Career Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Teaching." W&M ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593091530.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.
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Crews, Tracey Daws. "Principal Support: Its Impact On Job Satisfaction And Early Career Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Teaching." W&M ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593091510.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.
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Fisher, Thomas Cornell. "Principal Support: Its Impact On Job Satisfaction And Early Career Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Teaching." W&M ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593091990.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.
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Diggs, Try K. "Principal Support: Its Impact On Job Satisfaction And Early Career Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Teaching." W&M ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593091719.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.
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Lewis, Michael Anthony. "Principal Support: Its Impact On Job Satisfaction And Early Career Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Teaching." W&M ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593091653.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.
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Gardiner, Veronica. "How primary early career teachers perceive and shape literacies teaching and learning: A comparative case study." Thesis, Gardiner, Veronica ORCID: 0000-0002-8638-5487 (2018) How primary early career teachers perceive and shape literacies teaching and learning: A comparative case study. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2018. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/45444/.
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What do we really know about the literacies teaching and learning experiences of early career teachers (ECTs)? In Western Australia, as in other Australian states, ECTs are impacted by neoliberal policy reforms pursuing standardised and didactic literacy teaching and learning. Many scholars argue that such reforms impoverish literacies learning for both teachers and students. To explore how ECTs perceive and shape literacies teaching and learning in these policy conditions, the present author facilitated a series of café based discussions. During interactions, ECTs reflected on their professional work over two calendar years, in metropolitan, regional and remote schools. Adopting a comparative case study approach, ECT meaning making was framed by interweaving the content and pedagogical Design focus of Multiliteracies Theory (Bull & Anstey, 2010; Cope & Kalantzis, 2013; Garcia, Luke & Seglem, 2018; New London Group, 2000), and the expansive learning schema derived from Cultural Historical Activity Theory (Engestrom, 2001, 2011). The interpretive approach integrated visual topic mapping, critical discourse analysis, and identification of emergent correspondences between pedagogical Design and expansive learning processes.
Key findings highlight, that across the groups, possibilities for ECTs' teaching and learning for literacies in schools were constrained by pervasive promotion of routinised and componential approaches to reading and writing, and commercially driven professional development and literacy resourcing. Becoming increasingly insightful about limitations in these policy aligned priorities and conditions, the ECTs responded over time by questioning, resisting and in some cases innovating Available Designs in lieu of contradictory professional goals. In the main, this innovation took place in the absence of systemic or school based support. Such results conflict with deficit readings of ECT learning articulated in current policies. Implications may be of interest to school leaders, policy writers, teacher educators and other teachers wishing to support participatory teaching and learning for literacies.
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Richardson, Tamilah W. "How Early Career Minority Teachers' Decisions to Remain Committed to the Profession Are Impacted by Individual Perceptions of Teacher Leadership Experiences." Thesis, The George Washington University, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13806850.
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Research shows minority teachers positively impact minority student achievement, yet these teachers (especially Blacks and Latina/os) account for the highest percentage of pre-retirement teacher attrition rates. The primary reasons for their premature departures are a lack of autonomy relating to classroom instruction; exclusion from the school-wide decision-making process; and school culture and climate issues. These concerns could be alleviated through the agency of teacher leadership, especially when considering the finding that leadership is second only to classroom instruction when it comes to student achievement. School leaders, therefore, who adopt a distributed leadership model and nurture a culture wherein teachers are empowered to lead reform efforts, could potentially help ameliorate achievement gaps and minority teacher shortages. This mixed-methods, qualitatively dominant study sought to fill the gap in knowledge on the benefits of early career teacher leadership development for minority teachers and its potential impact on teacher attrition rates. Participants were surveyed using the Teacher Leadership School Survey as a means to determine how conducive their individual school’s culture is/was to teacher leadership development and follow-up interviews were conducted to ascertain individual perceptions of teacher leadership and its impact on their decisions to commit to or exit the profession. Findings indicate teachers’ decisions to remain committed to the profession were largely influenced by their intrinsic motivation to teach and champion underserved students; their individual school culture’s conduciveness to teacher leadership development; and the provision of teacher leadership opportunities.
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Stacey, Meghan. "Early career teachers' negotiation of a marketised hierarchy of schools: From the safety net to the high wire." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17833.
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The secondary schooling market in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, is complex and diverse, with the encouragement and growth of ‘choice’ having a range of impacts for students, parents, and schools. This dissertation examines the experience of teachers, who enter into an increasingly differentiated system and must make choices about where and how they might work within it. Taking a qualitative multi-case approach, the thesis explores interviews with nine early career teachers as well as relevant figures surrounding them: a colleague; and a friend, partner, or family member. The coverage that this design enables has allowed the development of a more nuanced understanding of participants' perspectives on their work as well as the institutional contexts within which it takes place. Teacher participants were drawn from a range of contrasting schooling sites, from the high wire schools of the elite to those of the residualised safety net, the latter enrolling students who are often experiencing significant disadvantage; the study accordingly explores contexts within both public and private sectors. The work of Bourdieu, and in particular the concepts of habitus and field, are drawn upon to assist in understanding the work of these teachers across this market spectrum. It is argued that context is central to the experience and work of teachers, and yet more than this, that teachers’ own background will mediate either convergence or collision in the dynamic and ever-developing relationship between teacher and school. In doing so the study contributes new knowledge regarding the operation of dis/advantage in and through schools, and how the school system is currently structured to exacerbate such divisions. It also contributes a fresh and new perspective on the sustainability and efficacy of market-oriented schooling systems, such as that currently operating in NSW, Australia, through a thorough and nuanced exploration of teachers’ experiences within it.
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Hunter, Janet. "Knowing and teaching: the impact of teachers’ knowledge on students’ early literacy achievement." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2015. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1688.
Full textAbstract:
Children in rural and remote schools typically underperform in measures of literacy achievement (e.g., NAPLAN) from as early as year three. Data collected over time indicate that as children get older, the gap increases between those students who meet the national benchmarks and those who do not. Additionally, Indigenous children are overrepresented in this group of students who are underperforming in measures of literacy achievement. This study seeks to explore the conditions surrounding this phenomenon and to tease out the complexities present in rural and remote contexts that might contribute to this underachievement.
One remote and six remote‐rural schools in Western Australia were the focus of the study. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect data over three years. Qualitative data were collected using an ethnographic approach, through classroom observations and informal and formal interviews with students, teachers, school leaders, support staff and some parents. From these observations and interviews, teacher and student case studies were constructed. Quantitative data were collected from children through a range of early literacy assessment tasks. Around 60 children were assessed each year for three years. Approximately half of the children each year were Indigenous and half non‐Indigenous.
The notion of educational criticism and connoisseurship (Eisner, 1985) was used as a way to describe, interpret and evaluate the literacy teaching practices which occurred in schools and classrooms. Habermas's (1971) “knowledge constituent interests” were used as lenses through which to interrogate the data. The quantitative data informed the technical interest, while the qualitative data were interrogated using the practical and critical lenses.
The study indicated that barriers to children’s academic success may exist at a number of levels. First, many children enter such schools with limited knowledge to support the development of school English literacy, therefore particular attention needs to be paid to this during their first years of schooling. While all children are likely to make progress in developing school English literacy, for many children the extent and rate of progress is dependent on focussed and knowledgeable teaching.
Second, such schools are typically staffed by teachers in the early years of their career, who need support to develop their pedagogical, content and cultural knowledge to the degree necessary for successfully teaching early literacy in such contexts. Additionally, the relative remoteness of the context in which they are working often makes it difficult for them to access ongoing professional learning and support. Third, school leaders are typically in their first position in that role, with the consequence that they may be less able to support new teachers at the classroom level.
This study is significant because it seeks to unravel the complicated web of factors that impact on the quality of literacy instruction that is provided for children in in remote and remote‐rural schools in Western Australia. There needs to be available a range of measures at every level, that can be tailored to fit the needs of a particular school at any given time.
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Ellis, S. "The development of beginning and early career teachers' thinking and practice in relation to managing pupil behaviour." Thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University, 2015. http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/14182/.
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This thesis explores the development of the thinking and practice of beginning and early career teachers in relation to pupil behaviour through the examination of questionnaire data from two surveys conducted with a PGCE cohort and case study data gathered through a sequence of interviews with seven teachers from this group during their first three years as qualified teachers. It draws on literature to critically examine the established discourse of pupil behaviour as a problem in schools, the management of behaviour as a concern for beginning teachers and the preparation provided by Initial Teacher Training in this area as insufficient. Attention is also given to prevailing approaches to behaviour described in literature that might represent the knowledge base for improved training in relation to behaviour management. The questionnaire data presented a picture of the cohort as prepared in relation to pupil behaviour and realistic in their views on the types of behaviour that they would encounter most frequently. There was a clear perception that the most valuable learning about behaviour took place in schools. The data collected from the case study participants suggested that learning about behaviour continued to be based on their own direct experience of teaching, formal and informal advice from colleagues and formal and informal opportunities to observe others’ practice. The implication is that development in relation to behaviour is very parochial, with few influences external to the school. This, coupled with a general antipathy towards anything construed as theoretical, suggests the development of beginning teachers’ thinking and practice in relation to behaviour is based upon very few reference points beyond that which is available in the school and the individual’s general dispositions, preconceptions, concerns and perceptions. Attempts to address perceived issues regarding the preparation of beginning teachers has tended to focus on the content dimension, typically defined as knowledge, skills and understanding. This thesis puts forward the view that, whilst there is valuable work to be done in attempting to define what content represents a useful grounding for the beginning teacher, there needs to be greater attention paid to the influence of the individual and the context in which they are placed. This might be achieved by reconceptualising the development of the thinking and practice of beginning and early career teachers in relation to pupil behaviour as an interaction between the content dimension, the individual and the context.