Underwhelmed and playing it safe: newly qualified primary teachers’ mentoring and probationary-related experiences during induction

Framed within the burgeoning policy and research literature on teacher induction internationally, this paper focuses on the mentoring and probationary-related experiences of nine newly qualified primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland, during the course of their initial year of workplace practice, post-graduation. Gleaning newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs’) perspectives on these matters is opportune, as the Teaching Council’s new model of induction entitled Droichead (bridge in Irish) is envisaged to become the sole induction and probation route for all NQTs. Transacted during the 2010/2011 school year, when the induction and probationary arrangements in place were those that the Droichead initiative is intended to replace, a three-cycle, individual interview design facilitated continuing contact with each NQT. Selected, representative interview data are utilised to illustrate the dynamics of NQTs’ experiences of mentoring and probationary-related processes. Empirically based findings establish, firstly, beginner complicity in the transaction of narrowly conceived mentoring support; secondly, enamorment of the reifications of initial teacher education-phase teaching practice when negotiating probationary processes; thirdly, the valuing of techniques that respond to immediate, probationary-related requirements over more complex forms of practice; and fourthly, the inevitable and essential interconnectedness of mentoring and probationary processes. The paper concludes with implications for the design and implementation of induction programmes.     

Experience of Induction in One Local Education Authority

From September 1999 the UK government's arrangements for induction of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) would be supported formally by experienced colleagues throughout their first year in teaching. The competence and progress of new teachers was to be monitored, supported and assessed against induction standards, with reports being prepared and sent to the Local Education Authority (LEA) at three points during the year. Should an NQT fail to meet the expectations described in the induction standards at the end of their first year then these new colleagues would be unable to continue teaching. The Teacher Training Agency, following details supplied by the DfEE, offered guidance on the ways in which this process should be carried through. This article examines the support provided by experienced teachers in one local authority to consider if it offers an initiation into the teaching profession, a socialisation into the current practices of particular schools or a check on basic classroom competence. It raises issues about the current focus on the practicalities of teaching and suggests new recruits may need a more robust induction to their professional role.     

From university to working life: an analysis of field-based studies in early childhood teacher education and recently graduated kindergarten teachers’ transition to work

The aim of this article was to shed light on problematic issues related to the practical element in early childhood teacher education. We approach these questions mainly through scrutinizing and interpreting this part of kindergarten teachers’ university education in Finland. We then expand our analysis to include the broader issues of job commitment and the role of mentoring programmes among newly qualified kindergarten teachers. With the ‘kindergarten teacher as researcher’ as the chosen teacher model, our findings indicate that this aim can only be realistically achieved if all stages of the teacher education process are effectively linked. Key elements begin with the entry requirements for students and include productively connecting practicum experiences with on-campus courses, establishing a ‘double supervision model’, and cooperating with a stable network of early childhood centres for field studies. A further finding is that, despite a successfully completed professional education, the induction phase in the workplace can be a vulnerable time for novice teachers, suggesting an urgent need for mentoring programmes.     

Induction: the experiences of newly qualified science teachers

This research focused on the induction year entitlement in England, with particular reference to timetable, formal assessment meetings, lesson observations and provision of an induction tutor and a named external contact. Pooled data from a postal questionnaire, with a 60% response rate (n = 92), were analysed from three consecutive cohorts of newly qualified science teachers (2003–2006). Focus group interviews and telephone interviews with 20 newly qualified teachers and 20 induction tutors were also used to collect data. The majority of the sample of newly qualified teachers received the main entitlements in their induction year but serious concerns persist for a significant minority. Implications for the induction of all newly qualified teachers, irrespective of their subject area, school and policy‐makers, are identified.     

Don’t let me forget the teacher I wanted to become

This article reports findings from a study of 14 beginning teachers in their first year of teaching in primary schools. By the end of the first year, half were reconsidering their long-term commitment to teaching. The study found they were considering leaving because they were struggling to be the teachers they had envisaged being. One reason for this was the lack of alignment between the supports offered to them, and their own visions of good teaching. The consequences of misaligned supports for beginning teachers are discussed, along with suggestions for the ways in which mentoring and induction programs can better support beginning teachers to be the teachers they wish to be.     

Newly Qualified Teachers in Post-primary Schools in Northern Ireland: the support provided for their needs and their own vision for induction

This paper reports research on the needs of newly qualified teachers in post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. The views and experiences of newly qualified teachers who were awarded qualified teacher status in 1997 were sought on the effectiveness of their Initial Teacher Education programme, and on teaching and support in their induction year. The results showed that they were generally satisfied with initial training and enjoyed the rewards of seeing pupils learn, but they had concerns about discipline and the pressure of time. The Head of Department emerged as a crucial figure and the role of teacher tutor was important. The Career Entry Profile was not extensively used by either the newly qualified teachers or members of senior management to set targets. An ideal induction programme should include greater internal and external support tailored closely to newly qualified teachers.     

Strengthening and sustaining professional learning in the second year of teaching

The data discussed in this paper derive from post‐lesson and end‐of‐year interviews with 17 teachers in their second year of teaching. They form part of a longitudinal study which first tracked these teachers through their initial postgraduate teacher education programme and induction year. In the light of earlier analysis, which had highlighted both the enduring importance of individuals’ dispositions towards their own learning and the profound sense of professional isolation that some teachers experience once the support of their induction year is withdrawn, this paper focuses specifically on the interplay between teachers’ orientations towards their own professional learning and the nature of the learning environments in which they are working. The complex interrelationships between these two dimensions are illuminated by six case studies, which offer strong support to those who have challenged exclusive conceptualisations of ‘learning’ as either ‘construction’ or ‘participation’. The findings have important implications for all those responsible for the professional education of beginning and early career teachers, especially as they respond to the government launch in England of a new ‘national framework’ intended (eventually) to offer opportunities for Masters level professional learning to all newly qualified teachers.     

Becoming a teacher of early reading: charting the knowledge and practices of pre‐service and newly qualified teachers

Education policy in England requires student teachers to demonstrate effective teaching of early reading, including systematic synthetic phonics, in order to qualify to teach. Although there is a range of literature about initial teacher education, little is documented about how pre‐service or ‘student' teachers develop specific knowledge and practices for teaching early reading and how they apply these in their first term as newly qualified teachers (NQTs). This research used a primarily qualitative longitudinal, collective case study design involving seven lower primary (3–7 years) postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) students enrolled at one university in the East Midlands of England. Semi‐structured interviews, classroom observations and documentary analysis with the students and their teacher mentors were used to gather data from entry onto the course to the participants' first term as qualified teachers. A thematic analysis was applied in conjunction with deductive observation codes developed from a previous study. Findings indicate a broad continuum of progression in student and newly qualified teacher knowledge and practice for teaching early reading which could be used to inform university organisation, mentoring and school participation. They highlight the influence of school cultures on the experiences of student and pre‐service teachers.     

Novice teachers' perspectives on mentoring: The case of the Estonian induction year

This study explores Estonian novice teachers' perspectives on relationships with mentors and experiences of mentoring and mentors' tasks during their first year of teaching. The induction year with mentoring as one of the support structures was introduced into Estonian teacher education a few years ago. Experiences indicate that this is a valuable support, but there are areas of mentoring that need to be developed. The data are based on thematic interviews with sixteen novice teachers in the second half of their first year of teaching, i.e. the induction year. A content analysis revealed that the novice teachers experienced support for personal development and professional knowledge development, feedback, collegiality, reciprocity of the relationship, mentor availability and mutual trust as components of the mentor–mentee relationship. The study identified undeveloped potential in mentoring related to three main areas: 1) facilitation of reflection, 2) mentor training, and 3) integration of mentoring into the school community as a whole. The last area also includes matters pertaining to socialization and school leadership.     

Beginning teachers’ perceptions of their levels of pedagogical knowledge and skills: did they change since their graduation from initial teacher preparation?

This study investigated changes in beginning teachers’ self-perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge and skills after their first year of teaching. Surveys were administered to 322 graduating student teachers at the end of the initial teacher preparation programme and at the end of their first year of teaching to compare if there were any differences in their self-perceptions. The results of the study showed significant increases in beginning teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical knowledge and skills in three factors: Instructional Support, Accommodating Diversity and Classroom Management. Results established the development of teachers to be an ongoing process that is initiated but not completed in initial teacher preparation. Implications of findings for induction and mentoring of beginning teachers are discussed.     

Cascading the use of Web 2.0 technology in secondary schools in the United Kingdom: identifying the barriers beyond pre-service training

This paper reports on research that took place at two universities in the United Kingdom, over two years. The research focuses on the use of Web 2.0 technology, specifically blogs, with pre-service teachers, both during their university programme and the first year of teaching as full-time newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The purpose of this research was to add to a developing body of knowledge by identifying whether technology used by pre-service teachers during their training course can be cascaded into their practice once qualified. Key findings identify a number of enablers and barriers to cascading technology in the classroom; these include curriculum time, pupil skills and support. The research concludes that early professional support and development should continue during the early years of teaching and assumptions about new teachers as champions of cascading innovative use of Web 2.0 technologies into their practice as NQTs may be over-optimistic.     

Principles of Classroom Discipline: Toward a Pragmatic Synthesis

Individuals who change careers to assume teaching roles in secondary schools are more likely to struggle in the classroom than those without such backgrounds. In this investigation, we identified three such career-changing teachers who were beginning their education careers in rural schools, and observed and interviewed them throughout their first year of teaching to understand their unique challenges and to identify the types of supports that they found to be most helpful. Three primary themes emerged: (1) adjustment to the unique culture of a school, (2) the importance of mentoring, and (3) adaptation of previous work experiences to teaching. Recommendations included more emphasis in teacher preparation programs of awareness of the uniqueness of every school's particular culture and the critical nature of effective mentoring in the success and happiness of these career-changing teachers.     

Supporting newly recruited teachers in a unique area,the Northwest Territories in Canada

Formal and mandatory induction programmes have been widely implemented in many countries to support newly qualified teachers as they cope with the stress and professional demands of their first year in the profession of teaching. This article presents the results of a quantitative and qualitative research study which examined the context of a mandatory induction programme of four phases in a unique place, the Northwest Territories in Canada, where new (experienced) and beginning (inexperienced) teachers are recruited to teach in urban towns as well as in local communities. The paper also sheds light on the need to develop cultural competence to help the new teachers to deal successfully with the pupils and empower them in promoting multiculturalism.     

Induction and Efficacy: A Case Study of New Zealand Newly Qualified Secondary Science Teachers

This paper reports on 20 newly qualified secondary science teachers (NQSSTs) participating in a New Zealand study on teachers?? early professional learning. The focus of our study is how these new teachers were nurtured to become competent science teachers, confident of their ability to positively influence student learning. Based on responses to a graduating questionnaire and three interviews across their first 18?months of teaching, we look at the effect of induction and contextual factors on the teachers?? efficacy. While the NQSSTs overall reported relatively constant ratings of self-efficacy, they demonstrated different patterns of declared efficacy across this 18-month period. Findings regarding the influence of induction practices and contextual factors on the efficacy of these teachers are mixed.     

Mentoring support and the professional development of beginning teachers: a Chinese perspective

For a long time, there has been a tradition in China of experienced teachers helping beginning teachers. This empirical school study investigates the kinds of support that are provided by eight dyads of mentoring teacher and first‐year secondary school teachers in Guangzhou of southern China and the major factors affecting mentoring support. In addition, this research focuses on the professional development of first‐year teachers in areas of subject knowledge, student, teaching and classroom management. The findings reveal that mentors provide four forms of support: provision of information, mutual lesson observation, collaborative lesson preparation and discussion in the office. Factors affecting mentoring support include teaching workload, grade and subject, style of mentor–protégé interactions, relationships between mentor and mentee, incentives for the mentors, and collegial culture in the case study schools. It is notable that there are positive and negative developments perceived by the protégé and the foci of mentoring tend to be the teaching of content rather than curriculum and pedagogy.     

Even while they teach, newly-qualified teachers learn

The Training and Development Agency sets national standards in the UK for qualified teacher status. These standards set out the areas of knowledge and skills that aspiring teachers should acquire during their training. One of these areas of knowledge and skills concerns the identification and teaching of pupils with special educational needs yet the effectiveness of current training routes for teachers in this area remains a matter of ongoing debate. In this article, Nicola Barber, a senior educational psychologist working in Medway, and Mark Turner, who runs an online training company and is a part-time tutor at the University of East London and senior educational psychologist in Medway, focus on the experiences of newly-qualified teachers during their induction and first year of teaching. These authors sent out questionnaires to newly-qualified teachers working in primary schools in two local authorities and received 60 responses. Their results suggest that these teachers, during this opening phase of their careers, experienced an increase in confidence in relation to special educational needs and report that they feel more skilled in this area at the end of their first year of teaching. Nicola Barber and Mark Turner analyse the factors that contribute to this scenario and begin to draw out implications for future approaches to the training and induction of teachers with regard to special educational needs and inclusion.     

Changing schools: still trying after all these years

The present study focuses on the way novice teachers, who are part of a one-year postgraduate diploma in post-primary teaching, have opted to negotiate their status as school teachers. In particular, it asks why novice teachers prefer to hide as they scramble to learn how to teach. On the basis of three separate interviews spaced out though the teaching year 2009 (January, March, May), a team of university-based tutors probed for student reactions to competence-based issues. Adopting a sociocultural perspective, this study drew upon roughly 10% of the pre-service student cohort (n?=?17), each in a different placement location. The study looked, in particular, at their negotiating power, particularly the effect of school supports for their reality as learners. Findings suggest that without quality mentoring support, our pre-service teachers prefer to become ‘invisible’ as learners. Three pre-professional stances are identified: fragile, robust and competitive. The key finding is that none of these pre-professional stances mitigate pre-service students’ lack of negotiating power. On the other hand, informal school-based supports can help students considerably.     

Reading a mentoring situation: one aspect of learning to mentor

This paper describes and interprets the meanings that one novice mentor attributes to ‘reading a mentoring situation’, an organizing metaphor for describing how one experienced teacher of English learns to analyze one aspect of her learning in talking to mentor teachers of English throughout her first year of induction into mentoring. The study revealed that learning to become a mentor is a conscious process of induction into a different teaching context and does not ‘emerge’ naturally from being a good teacher of children. Thus, at an operational level, teacher education programs should prepare teachers for this passage by encouraging the dissemination of in-service courses that allow novice mentors the opportunity to articulate the construction of their new role. Such courses can be structured as ‘learning conversations’ whereby mentors are encouraged to reflect on their roles in the company of fellow mentors, mediated by an experienced mentor of mentors.     

Experiences of beginning teachers in a school‐based mentoring program in Sweden

Even though teacher education has been successful in preparing students for their future profession, the classroom reality can differ greatly from the inservice training. Many novice teachers therefore find the transition from student teacher to inservice teacher overwhelming To support beginning teachers, mentoring programs—where more experienced teachers support novice teachers—have become commonplace in many schools worldwide. In Sweden, mentoring for beginning teachers has been a frequent feature of support since 2001. This study, conducted in Sweden, examines seven novice teachers and the impact the mentoring process had upon them during their first‐year teaching. Based on interviews, it was found that these experienced both professional and personal support from their mentors. The study also showed the significance of observant leaders within the mentorship program following up on the development of the mentor–mentee relationship.