Mentoring and the Retention of Newly Qualified Language Teachers

Much of the recent literature on mentoring has focused on generic issues. This paper looks at subject-specific issues in mentoring from the perspective of newly qualified modern language teachers in their first year of teaching. While the majority of teachers in the sample expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the mentoring they received, most progressed successfully into their second year of teaching. The findings suggest that conventional conceptions of mentoring may only be a marginal factor in the survival of these teachers in their first year. Conflicts over language teaching methodology, in particular, emerge as a contributory factor in the breakdown of relationships between these teachers and their mentors. Equally, it is in terms of their own pedagogical skills and of a clearly established rationale for their practice in the language classroom that these newly qualified teachers express their confidence and their ability to survive without formal support. The implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the introduction of new requirements for induction of newly qualified teachers and in particular with reference to the selection of induction tutors in school.     

Conditions for Boundary Crossing: Social Practices of Newly Qualified Swedish Teachers

The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge about conditions for boundary crossing between academic and vocational practices and to identify dimensions of social practice within workplaces. The data consist of 28 questionnaires and 14 in‐depth interviews with newly qualified secondary school teachers in their first year of teaching. We use the lens of sociocultural theory to analyse qualitatively what we can learn from newcomers' talk about their experiences and whether theories provided during their teacher education helped them to meet challenges in their new workplaces. Theoretically, notions of participation in social practices in terms of social space are in focus. In the findings, such space is identified as social adjustment, social distance, social inclusion and social expansion. Drawing on these concepts, we suggest that professional development depends strongly on the way new teachers' boundary crossing is supported by collaboration and to what extent they belong to professional dialogues in settings with inclusive and expansive relationships.     

英格兰新教师入职教育制度:发展历程、运行环节与特点分析

新教师从学生到教师的角色转变,需要在教育教学工作情境中完成,新教师入职教育的价值也由此彰显.英国政府重视教师教育的专业性与连贯性,英格兰新教师入职教育制度的发展经历了意识萌芽、制度探索、制度确立、完善与巩固等四个阶段.该制度涉及前期准备、正式开展以及正式评估等三个环节,以教师教育连贯性、持续性为理念内核,以高质量的入职教育为追求目标,依靠法定权威推进落实,注重权责分担与协作配合,并不断回应现实,最终形成了颇具特色的入职教育实践.     

Religious Segregation and the Emergence of Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland

A distinctive characteristic of the education system in Northern Ireland is that most Protestant and Catholic children attend separate schools. Following the partition of Ireland the Protestant Churches transferred their schools to the new state in return for full funding and representation in the management of state controlled schools and non-denominational religious instruction was given a statutory place within such schools. The Catholic Church retained control over its own system of voluntary maintained schools, initially receiving only 65% of capital funding; however all grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland are now eligible for full funding of running costs and capital development. This paper highlights the emergence of a small number of integrated schools since the 1980s. Catholic and Protestant parents have come together as the impetus for these schools and this presents an implicit challenge to the status quo of church involvement in the management and control of schools. In practical terms the integrated schools have had to develop more inclusive arrangements for religious education, and legislation that permits existing schools to 'transform' into integrated schools also presents new challenges for the society as a whole.     

Healthcare needs of older adults: in their own words

Community-based health and human services professionals can play an important role in bolstering wellness through offering education to elderly residents and healthcare providers on how to address the unique needs of this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the healthcare needs of the elderly living in two metropolitan counties in Georgia that have experienced an increase in the number of elderly residents. Utilizing qualitative data garnered through focus groups, two main themes were identified: the role of exercise as a means of personal power and feelings of powerlessness. Participants’ narratives reflected opportunities and situations fostering good health through exerting their personal power to alter or improve individual health. On the other hand, negative pathways leading away from optimal health were realized when participants felt powerless to change their health status. For health and human services professionals working with the elderly, these findings should be considered as population, personal well-being, and power changes overtime.     

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.     

More than Just Worksheets?: A Study of the Confidence of Newly Qualified Teachers of English in Teaching Personal, Social and Health Education in Secondary Schools

This paper addresses concerns regarding the preparedness of newly qualified teachers to deliver Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in the United Kingdom in relation to the training received during Initial Teacher Education and through early Continuing Professional Development. The paper is situated not only within a context where OfSTED has questioned the adequacy of some non-specialist PSHE teachers but also one where, due to a range of social and health concerns centred on young people, schools and teachers are being expected to play an increasingly important role in the social and health education of their pupils. As such, PSHE is increasingly seen as important across all curriculum areas. This paper relates specifically to the confidence of trainee and newly qualified teachers of English in teaching PSHE in secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Drawing on questionnaire data collected from recent Professional Graduate Certificate in Education graduates, the paper suggests that trainee and newly qualified teachers have the skills and knowledge drawn from their main subject (English) to deliver PSHE; however, many lack confidence and awareness to acknowledge these skills. The paper suggests that this situation may be addressed through increased opportunity to deliver and receive feedback on PSHE teaching during initial teacher training.     

Newly Qualified Primary Teachers: a comparative analysis of perceptions held by B.Ed. and PGCE trained teachers of their training routes

Two cohorts of newly qualified primary teachers (NQTs) beginning their careers in one LEA in England responded to two questionnaires which were designed to elicit their views about their preparation to meet the demands of their first post, their concerns about doing so and, 20 weeks into post, the nature of the demands they had experienced. The structure of the research sample allowed detailed comparative analyses to be made of the perceptions held by B.Ed. and PGCE trained teachers of their training routes and early experiences. Aspects of the training are identified which fall within the competency demands of Circular 14/93 on which NQTs feel underprepared. These represent areas where career entry support is required. Overall, students following the B.Ed. programme felt that they were better prepared than their PGCE counterparts. They also reported experiencing lower levels of stress.     

湖北省农村中小学体育资教教师从业状况研究

文章以湖北省农村中小学2009、2010届体育资教教师作为研究对象,从社会、学校和个人三个方面对湖北省农村中小学体育资教教师从业状况中存在的问题进行调查研究,并提出倡导社会新观念、完善资教生遴选机制、优化师资结构、完善激励机制、加强继续教育质量、解决好再就业等建议,试图为改善农村体育资教教师的生活工作环境,促进“农村教师资助行动计划”保质保量的顺利开展,以及改进农村体育教学质量提供理论依据.     

我国城乡中小学卫生健康教育及师资的现状分析与对策研究

通过对我国不同地区城乡中小学卫生健康教育现状分析,从加强健康教育的分级培训网络建设、信息网络建设、机构建设、评估制度和法制建设,强化学校系统的示范效应,设置继续教育专职机构等方面对我国发展卫生健康教育提出了几点对策建议.     

Children's rights and special educational needs: findings from research conducted for the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People

This article describes recent research conducted on behalf of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. The study highlights a number of emerging issues including: limited decision‐making opportunities for children; statementing and assessment; and other issues specific to mainstream and special schools. The article concludes with an assessment of recent developments and future prospects for children and young people who experience learning difficulties.     

Gaining access to support for children with special educational needs in the early years in Ireland: parental perspectives

Ireland has a policy of inclusive education to enable children with special educational needs to access education alongside their peers. The introduction of early assessment procedures to ensure that children receive support and resources on entering formal education has been an important strategy for delivery of this policy. This paper uses data from interviews with parents and from focus groups with professionals involved in assessment to discuss the efficacy of this procedure. The findings suggest that whilst a policy has been adopted, much remains to be done to ensure that provision of assessment and adequate resources is achieved.     

Differentiation and its Problems: the views of primary teachers and curriculum support staff in Northern Ireland

This paper identifies a range of problems associated with putting differentiation into practice. The opinions of head teachers, subject co‐ordinators, and teachers were sought, as well as those of the curriculum support staff in the Education and Library Boards on the extent to which these problems affected primary schools in Northern Ireland, and case‐studies illuminated these views. The results showed that the curriculum support staff regarded most problems in differentiation in a more serious light than the schools themselves did, but there was agreement on the acute lack of time to deliver a differentiated curriculum, on the shortage of human resources and on the difficulties with new assessment methods.     

Mentor,colleague, co-learner and judge: using Bourdieu to evaluate the motivations of mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers

This study uses Bourdieu’s interconnected notions of fields, habitus and capital as a theoretical template to analyse the responses of eight mentors of Newly Qualified Teachers with regard to the motivations and challenges of their role. The data reveal that each mentor was a highly committed re-creator of the fields and habitus in which they operated, although this was not consciously done. They were each also committed to helping the NQTs develop professional cultural capital. Although Bourdieu famously referred to education as ‘symbolic violence’ the data from this study give no indication that the recreation of fields through the mentoring of professional practice was viewed as an act of dominion on the part of the mentors. Rather, these mentors saw their role as an empowering aspect of professional agency in which both parties shared in a co-authoring of a (usually) positive and mutually-affirming outcome.     

The impact of Science provision on the career prospects of pupils in Northern Ireland Schools

Abstract

The 1992 Education Project Report of the Standing Advisory Committee on Human Rights draws attention to the imbalance in science and technology provision between Catholic and Protestant schools in Northern Ireland and to differences in the science curriculum experienced by boys and girls. The concern of the Commission is that differences in science provision may adversely impact upon the employment prospects of Catholics and girls in careers which require scientific skills and knowledge. This article argues that poor science provision adversely impacts upon a much wider range of careers, namely, all careers where entry is regulated through cognitive tests. The widely‐employed AH5 test is used to represent the selection test component of the selection procedure. For a representative 1‐in‐4 sample of all Northern Ireland lower sixth form pupils, and all sub‐samples thereof, it is demonstrated that, in a selection procedure involving the AH5 test, Catholic girls are most likely to be deselected.     

Charter Schools: Implications for Teachers and Administrators

Young adolescents’ low scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) force the question of whether these students will be ready for college in four years. Our efforts to build a college-going culture emphasize strengthening students’ writing skills by using preservice teachers to lead writing marathons for at-risk middle school students on university visits. Structured interviews, surveys, and written reflections reveal that what students write about changes with age, their motivation to write varies, and their college aspirations and perceptions become more positive after completing several annual writing marathons on a college campus. The writing marathon structure makes the college visit truly meaningful to students, and it provides a compelling incentive to write by supporting characteristics of middle school students, as defined by the National Middle School Association (National Middle School Association [NMSA] 2003 National Middle School Association (NMSA). 2003. This we believe. Successful schools for young adolescents, Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association.  [Google Scholar]). The marathon model focuses on four key elements: setting, timing, small groups, and writers’ level of commitment.