Many novice teachers are leaving the teaching profession at alarming numbers creating teacher turnover rates that may be difficult for educational administrators to combat. Novice teachers have a variety of needs and if those needs are not met, these teachers may not return for another year in the classroom. Teacher induction programs are designed to help meet the needs of novice teachers, but they must be structured appropriately and must use trained personnel who will be able to provide support for the novice teachers. The purpose of this study is to determine to what degree school counselors could be used as an additional source of support to help meet the needs of novice teachers by providing preparation and support to assist their transition into the classroom in order to improve retention rates among novice teachers. The review of literature examined teacher induction programs and the professional, developmental, and social needs of novice teachers. It also examined the role of school counselors to assess the skills and training they have that may be used to support novice teachers. This study asked school counselors to indicate the type and amount of support they currently provide to novice teachers and to provide their perception on serving as a source of support for novice teachers. The results of this study indicate that school counselors have several skills that could be used to support novice teachers. However, because they lack skills in certain areas where novice teachers have need, school counselors should not be used as a sole source of support for novice teachers. The results of this study suggest that school counselors should be used in conjunction with other campus personnel to most effectively meet the needs of novice teachers.

The focus of this study is the development of an ICT training package for novice female primary teachers in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia has placed a lot of importance on increasing the use of ICT within schools. Evidence suggests however that little attention has been paid to the provision of ICT training, particularly in primary education. Furthermore, in the general research literature; whilst there is much talk about the need for training, very little evidence is provided regarding what kind of training is effective. The purpose of this study therefore was to systematically design and evaluate an ICT training package that was informed by learning theory, research evidence and user needs. The study was conducted in two phases: 1) determining the ICT training needs of novice female primary teachers in Saudi Arabia; 2) designing, piloting and evaluating a training package based on identified needs and preferences, in-service teacher training literature and common learning theories in the field. In phase one, a qualitative survey that employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews was conducted. There were 135 participants in the questionnaire and 20 interviewees. The survey findings of revealed a great gap in both the technical and pedagogical skills of teachers. Furthermore, the data identified some factors that either limit or motivate teachers’ use of ICT. The participants’ preferences for their future ICT training were also determined. These results were used to inform the design of a training package. Key design features of the training package included: covering both technical and pedagogical content; using a blended approach that combined face-to-face and online delivery and using iv social constructivism and experiential learning to underpin its pedagogy. Twenty-two teachers participated in the pilot training. Evaluation data collected from a range of sources suggest that the teachers responded well to the design features of the training package and that the training had some positive influence on their practice. Using the literature review and the training needs data as well as the data generated from my own study I have identified five key design criteria that I believe can be applied to designing similar training packages in the future: Ownership; Shared learning; Contextualisation; Transformational potential and Evidence-based.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / This qualitative case study examined the perceived influence of school culture on the job satisfaction of novice teachers in one Massachusetts school district. Dinham and Scott’s “Three Factor Theory” of job satisfaction (1998) was utilized as a conceptual framework to guide the study. Data were gathered from interviews with novice teachers, school leaders, and district leaders as well as a document review. The results of the study found the job satisfaction of novice teachers was influenced by school culture, particularly collaborative practices and administrator visibility. Novice teachers reported that having either scheduled or spontaneous, to connect with colleagues assisted with building strong interpersonal relationships and enhanced job satisfaction as well as contributed to their growth as teachers. The school district appeared to have a strong culture of supportive relationships that contributed to high levels of job satisfaction for novice teachers. Thus continually examining the support of school leaders is recommended to sustain high job satisfaction. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / This qualitative case study examined the perceived influence of distributed leadership on the job satisfaction of novice teachers in one Massachusetts school district. Dinham and Scott’s “Three Factor Theory” (1998), which emphasizes the role of school-based factors on job satisfaction, was utilized as a conceptual framework to guide the study. Data were gathered from interviews with novice teachers, school leaders, and district leaders and document review. The results of the study found that novice teachers involved in leadership activities via a distributed model perceived increased job satisfaction. Novice teachers who did not participate in leadership activities expressed a neutral or negative feeling towards their lack of involvement. A key determining factor in whether novice teachers participated in leadership activities was having a principal who encouraged this practice. However, all novice teachers interviewed reported that collegial staff relationships, regardless of their direct participation in leadership activities, positively influenced their job satisfaction. This study confirmed many of Dinham and Scott’s findings about the influence of school-based factors on job satisfaction; however, a conflicting finding about the relationship between school-based factors and intrinsic factors was identified. Recommendations include aligning school leaders’ practices in supporting the participation of novice teachers in leadership activities and mapping distributed leadership structures using a tool such as social network analysis. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

This study sought to further understanding of EFL teachers’ knowledge of speaking assessment and how their knowledge informs their speaking assessment practices in classrooms. Based on a socio-cultural perspective, the present study aimed at investigating EFL novice teachers’ current knowledge and practice of speaking assessment in a Libyan secondary school context. The study is based on the interpretive paradigm and adopted social constructionism as a philosophical stance. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were employed in two sequential phases. The findings of this study indicated that EFL novice teachers’ current knowledge of speaking assessment is complex and that was reflected in the different ways these teachers interpreted the concept of speaking assessment and in the ways they expressed their beliefs and values regarding how speaking assessment needs to be or is implemented in the classroom settings. Three main issues regarding teachers’ knowledge of speaking assessment emerged from the data. The first issue is that these teachers, although showing some variability in their knowledge and practice, seem to base their assessment practice on a view of spoken language being more about linguistic content than communicative effect. Secondly, that they mostly seem to afford more importance to summative assessment than to formative assessment. Thirdly, they have a view of assessment that focuses on the content to be assessed rather than on the process of assessment. The findings also indicated that while teachers refer to contextual factors that influence how they implement their knowledge into practice, their understanding of the notion of assessment seems to have more influence on their implementation of speaking assessment as process than that of the context. That is, their current understandings of the notion of spoken language seem to contribute to their current practice of speaking assessment. Also of significance are the participants’ views of the role of context. The results showed that although contexts are similar in some aspects, especially those related to institutional factors, teachers’ views show the uniqueness of the context, especially in the light of the unanticipated social, political and institutional changes. The implications of this study suggest that these EFL novice teachers’ current knowledge of language and of assessment goes beyond factual knowledge to their perceptions of language and their understandings of the purpose of assessment. They also suggest that context plays a role on their current knowledge and practice of speaking assessment. Thus, this study provides further understanding that what these teachers know and how they use their knowledge in practice arises from a complex interweaving of context and individual understandings.

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence that social class identity has on the emerging professional identities of novice teachers. The study argues that schooling in the UK is classed in terms of its history, outcomes and processes, and as a result, situates teaching as a form of ‘class work’. Given the strong arguments for situating teaching in this way, this thesis seeks to increase our understanding about the way class actually works in relation to teachers’ identities and the impact this has on their work as teachers. This study was qualitative and longitudinal in nature and used semi-structured interviews as the main method of data collection. A group of eleven novice teachers were followed over a two year period as they both learnt to become teachers on a postgraduate initial teacher education programme and then one year later after most had started teaching in secondary schools. The thesis begins by examining the complexities of the heightened, emotive and fiercely debated issue of class and draws strongly on understandings that locate class in contemporary Britain as being about culture as well as social structures. It recognises that whilst the emerging professional identities of teachers are heavily shaped by life experiences prior to becoming a teacher, new and varied teaching experiences have the capacity to impact on the way teachers see themselves and their understandings of their work in schools. Using data rich stories of six of the novice teachers to exemplify the wider sample, this thesis illustrates the ways in which classed identity shapes novice teachers’ early understandings of schooling and becoming a teacher. It demonstrates that class really does matter for novice teachers but that it plays out in complex and sometimes contradictory ways. In particular, the thesis draws on the notion of social class boundaries and the way in which teaching often involves the crossing of these. The crossing of class boundaries is identified as being a central feature of the novice teacher experience. It is argued that class boundary crossing creates tensions for novice teachers not least because their own class identities are called into question and troubled by this process. One feature of this process is that many novice teachers recognise teaching as ‘class work’ and additionally understand that the cultural capital they bring to this context may not be equally valued in all educational settings. This can result in a class identity acting in restrictive and constraining ways. Whilst some novice teachers are bound by their class identities, others are able to play strategically with their class minimising the disadvantages of a perceived lack of appropriate cultural capital. This study suggests that the ability to know how and when to strategise is itself classed, a coping mechanism employed by middle rather than working class novice teachers. The study concludes by examining the implications of these findings for novice teachers and their preparation for work in schools. It argues that the classed identities of teachers need to be explicitly examined in a supportive and reflexive manner within initial teacher education.

New teachers begin the school year with optimism and enthusiasm, but their excitement quickly wanes as they encounter the realities of the everyday life of a teacher. When they do not experience the successes they predicted, many begin to doubt their capabilities, which results in a lowered sense of teaching efficacy. This descriptive study was designed to identify the contextual factors novice teachers perceive as influences on personal teaching efficacy and to examine the relationships between the factors. Two groups of novice teachers who were concurrently enrolled in a post-baccalaureate accelerated educator preparation program and working as first-year teachers were the participants in the study. Data were gathered for the study through focus group activities, twice weekly journal entries completed during the teaching year, and a culminating “lessons learned” paper written during the last month of the first year of teaching. Each of the two focus groups identified nine contextual factors they perceived to affect personal teaching efficacy. Six factors were identified by both groups: parental involvement, support from administrators and colleagues, classroom discipline, testing results, teaching strategies and outcomes, and relationships with administrators and colleagues. The groups, however, perceived the relationships between the contextual factors differently. The generalists perceived recursive relationships between the factors, while the content group perceived a linear relationship.

Novice teachers need support as they enter their career in education. Supports can be given through various forms including mentoring and instructional coaching. The supports are put into place by school districts to assist with student achievement as well as teacher retention. This case study examines a school districts elementary schools and the supports put into place for novice teachers, with a particular focus on mentoring and instructional coaching. The case study drew from interviews, observations, and document reviews from four different elementary schools and eight individuals, including novice teachers, mentors, and instructional coaches. Coding took place and a thematic analysis took place. Triangulation of all three data points kept this qualitative study reliable and accurate. The three findings include: 1) Perceptions of mentoring and instructional coaching program components, 2) Novice teachers perceptions of mentoring and instructional coaching support, and 3) Mentors and instructional coaches perceptions of their roles in supporting novice teachers. The findings focus on recognizing the perceptions of those involved in induction programs for novice teachers and how those supports provide the necessary needs for new teachers to stay in the field of education. Specifically, perceptions were identified to indicate if one program served a better purpose for what novice teachers want and need to be successful. The purpose of the research was to understand how novice teachers perceive types of support and how the supports effect their retention and performance. The results of the study would assist a school system in terms of where to invest funds to provide the most needed support for novice teachers. / Ed. D.

A team of graduate students from Brigham Young University under the supervision of the main author Dr. Lynn Henrichsen collaborated on creating a book, as well as a website, Basic Training and Resources for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BTR TESOL). The entire project consists of 10 sections with nearly 50 units addressing topics that novice teachers should know before teaching English to non-native speakers. The BTR TESOL program provides basic material for untrained novice teachers that will help them to be better prepared to face the challenges and responsibilities of teaching English. This write-up describes the creation of two units titled "Basic Principles of Second Language Acquisition" and "Communicative Language Teaching and Information Gap Exercises." The first unit, "Basic Principles of Second Language Acquisition," educates novice teachers about some of the basic theoretical concepts of second language acquisition that can be applied directly to teaching. It also includes a discussion of variables that can affect second language acquisition. The second unit, "Communicative Language Teaching and Information Gap Exercises," introduces novice teachers to basic principles of the communicative approach and the steps involved in the creation and implementation of information gap exercises. Both units include an opening scenario and a list of the objectives of the unit. Following the main content, there is an audio or video segment related to the theme of each unit as well as reflection questions. The final section directs readers to resources where they can go to learn more about the subject.

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / This qualitative case study examined the perceived influence of servant leadership on the job satisfaction of novice teachers in one Massachusetts school district. Servant leadership was defined as “an understanding and practice of leadership that places the good of those led over the self-interest of the leader” (Laub, 1999, p. 81). Data were gathered from interviews with school and district leaders and novice teachers as well as through the analysis of school and district documents. The results of the study found the job satisfaction of novice teachers was positively influenced by servant leadership. In particular, both school leaders and novice teachers perceived leaders who valued novice teachers, behaved ethically, and empowered others to have a positive influence on the job satisfaction of novice teachers. While the research literature also highlights humility as an important element of servant leadership, the majority of novice teachers did not perceive it to have a positive influence on their job satisfaction. The results of this study substantiate prior research suggesting servant leadership plays a positive role in the job satisfaction of teachers. Recommendations include additional psychological empowerment of novice teachers and a continued emphasis on the practice of behaving ethically and valuing others. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.