The National Reading Panel (2000) asserts that there is a lack of research related to beginning teachers once they enter the classroom for the first time. The purpose of this study was to understand how a first year teacher, who was a student in the researcher’s reading and language arts courses, used the knowledge she gained in her undergraduate program during her first year of teaching reading. Five research questions were posed for this study: (a) How did a first year teacher implement components associated with balanced literacy instruction, which she was taught in her undergraduate coursework? (b) How well prepared for teaching reading did a first year teacher perceive herself to be? (c) In what aspects of reading instruction did a first year teacher believe she needed support? (d) As the year progressed, how did the first year teacher’s implementation of balanced literacy instruction change? (e) How did the school context influence how the first year teacher taught reading? A qualitative case study design was used in this research study. The researcher was the instrument for data collection. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and teacher artifacts. One first year teacher participated in this study who was teaching for the first time during the 2006-2007 school year. Constant comparative analysis yielded five themes. The themes were balanced literacy instruction, preparedness, concerns, change, and enhancers. Balanced literacy instruction was implemented similar to the way the first year teacher was taught in her undergraduate coursework. The first year teacher believed she was prepared to teach reading, although she demonstrated personal initiative and desired to learn more during her first year. The areas of concern for the first year teacher were related to reading instruction and general concerns. Although her classroom instruction did not change, she did change her schedule. School-related contextual features such as coaching, mentor teacher, district workshops, and collegial peers supported teacher’s reading instruction. Recommendations for teacher educators and school administrators are described.

High attrition during the first few years of teaching is a long-standing dilemma. Research findings vary somewhat according to specific studies, but it is estimated that about 30% of new teachers do not teach beyond two years, and within the first five years of teaching 40-50% leave the profession.Traditionally, discussions of new teacher induction have not considered the role of the school principal as significant (Carver, 2003). However, Brock & Grady (2001) found that beginning teachers identified the school principal as the most significant person in the school, as well as a key source of support and guidance. A recent exploratory case study of the supportive behaviors of four principals resulted in a structural framework of recommended practices (Carver, 2002); however, the importance of those behaviors in the retention of first-year teachers has not been studied.This mixed methods research study examined the relationship between principal support behaviors and the likelihood of first-year teachers remaining in the teaching profession. Q sorts, detailed questionnaires, and follow-up interviews were conducted with first-year and fifth-year teachers.Findings indicated that principal support was important to some first-year teachers in making retention decisions; additionally, specific principal behaviors that have the most influence on the likelihood of first-year teachers remaining in the profession were identified. Analysis resulted in the development of a list of 10 principal support behaviors that are most likely to influence first-year teachers to remain in teaching. These findings could prove beneficial in stemming the attrition rate of new teachers.

The purpose of this study was to identify beginning teachers' perceptions of how colleges and universities can improve their teacher preparation programs and what school systems can do to ensure that first-year teachers have a successful and satisfying experience in the classroom. A total of 20 first and second-year elementary teachers participated in 20 separate, qualitative interviews. The information collected from the interviews was inductively analyzed. Several themes reflecting the perceptions of study participants emerged during the data analysis process: (1) a belief that college classes did not reflect or prepare new teachers for the "real world" of teaching. (2) feeling overwhelmed by teaching duties and expectations; (3) positive benefits of mentoring; (4) a desire for more interactive field experience; and (4) the need for classroom management skills. From the findings, the investigator presented the following suggestions for improving the teacher education program at colleges: (1) provide additional opportunities for more interactive field experience, not just observing; (2) eliminate many of the philosophy classes and research requirements; (3) include more instruction in dealing with classroom management, including discipline strategies and effective means of interacting with parents; (4) intensify reading instruction; and (5) provide more course work in special education issues. The following suggestions were presented for improving the induction program at the school level: (1) formally assign a mentor; (2) schedule a time for the principal to meet with new teachers individually to fully explain school procedures and expectations; (3) hire beginning teachers earlier in the summer to provide them with more preparation time; (4) furnish teachers with adequate funds to purchase school materials; and (5) provide release time to observe veteran teachers. This study provides valuable information for university departments of education to improve their teacher preparation program to reflect the needs of today's new teachers. These findings will assist school systems in developing more appropriate induction programs for new teachers.

This paper details the journey of a first-year teacher. It is a highly reflective exploration of their inner landscape – one that documents the development of the teaching self in relation to students and society at large. Separated into four distinct sections, this work serves as an account of personal motivation to teach, getting to know students beyond the classroom walls, immersion in the community to situate educational work, and a comprehensive reflection upon teaching effectiveness and the evolution of the educating self. Development as a professional educator as stated in Teacher Performance Expectation (TPE) 6 demands continual introspection and proactive adjustments to our practice. The first year of teaching – a stage of initial and potentially immense growth – is especially critical as it sets the tone for the next and many years after. This ethnography interweaves objective analysis and studies internal and external factors and how they influence one another, and honest perceptions, struggles, and realizations as an individual embarks on the journey to becoming a teacher. By documenting my personal experience and performing higher-level analysis, we unveil the varied intricacies, competing demands, and trying moments that constitute the teaching experience. As the year (and, consequently, the ethnography) unfolds, one thing remains clear – teaching is a work of the heart.

Educators have a moral imperative and job-embedded expectation to effectively teach all students, which requires a commitment to continued personal growth. The purpose of this instrumental project study was to explore the lived experiences of first-year teachers and their mentors who teach in a culturally-diverse school district. The conceptual framework was based on supporting adult learning methods through the theories of critical thinking, constructivist perspective, the theory of mentoring, and culturally-instructional teaching. The guiding research questions addressed the perceptions of 5 first-year teachers and 5 mentors regarding individual and shared learning as a result of mentor-mentee relationship. A constant comparison method provided a process for analyzing the semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes to determine a unit of data. Triangulation of the units of data then informed possible categories that were noted in words and statements. This process continued until saturation of categories was reached. Spreadsheets provided a structure to organize the data along the way and chart tables and taxonomic representation were used to display results. The mentees' results encompassed 19 themes such as feeling valued, safe, supported, trusted, and believed. The recommendations include the development of long-term solutions for supporting beginning teachers during the first 3 years of their profession with mentoring as an essential component. These findings illustrate that formal and informal beginning teacher professional learning is critical to produce high quality instruction, and to ensure that students graduate with globally competitive skills.

A variety of lenses were used to examine the world of the novice science teacher. A degree of agency was provided by looking through the eyes of the beginning teacher. Previous studies focused on researcher or program’s orientation, the successes of various educator preparation programs, or were limited in scope to elementary teachers of science. This study was conducted to better understand and appreciate the high school novice science teacher’s view of science, teaching, and teaching science in the today’s contextual setting. Experiences encountered during the initial year of teaching high school science and as perceived by teachers without previous professional teaching experience presents are presented. A multiple case study was built around four individual novice cases from one of the largest school districts in the state of Florida. Of the four cases, three participants were rehired for the following year. The fourth left teaching after nine weeks. The research questions are: How do today’s novice science teachers describe their first year’s teaching experiences? How do novice teacher’s feelings about being science teachers change during their first year of teaching? How do beginning science teachers describe their successes? And, what challenges do today’s beginning science teachers face? These research questions were asked to relate the novice experiences and perceptions associated with the initial year of teaching high school science. Emergent themes included concerns for questionable ethical administrative actions and poor administrative decisions as they are perceived by the novice science teacher. Findings of the multiple case study relate experiences perceived as positive, bureaucratic, involving student and parent apathy, local administration, and missed communications. Beliefs changed about student needs, mandated science exams, district micromanagement, confidence, and unique personal changes. Descriptions provided of success involved mentoring, students, lesson planning, confidence, and retention. Perceived challenges were parent and student apathy, mandated science exam validity, student needs, micromanagement of science lessons, discipline, abandonment, and development. The researcher was employed as a science teacher in the same district as the participants, but at a separate high school.