The first years in the teaching profession are challenging, unforgettable, and shape the professional development of novice teachers. This study aimed at exploring the participation experiences of novice teachers in English teaching communities of practice and examining if this participation influenced their reported approaches to teaching English. Wenger, McDermott and Snyder’s theory of communities of practice was used and data was collected from online close and open-ended surveys, interviews, and staff meeting observations. The findings show that, independently of the social background of students and the financial resources of different school contexts, community support has a direct impact on the quality of the practices of novice teachers in CoPs, their participation and integration in the communities, and their reported approaches to teaching English. Moreover, in supportive contexts, NTEs’ approach to teaching was communicative-focused because their communities allowed them to experiment with language and try new ideas. This study extends the work of Wenger, McDermott and Snyder on organisational and managerial communities by providing insights into the field of second language education. Furthermore, it extends the work of scholars with novice teachers in English language teaching by addressing the socioeconomic aspect of their experiences and by connecting community support directly to the approaches to teaching of novice teachers. This research offers insights to novice teachers on the practices carried out in English teaching communities in the Chilean context and offers experienced teachers the opportunity to reflect on how they treat and work with novice teachers.

There is a gap in the literature concerning workplace emotional distress (WED) in novice counsellors. This study explored the lived experience of this phenomenon, as well as common responses used to mitigate it. Three research questions guided this research: (a) what do novice counsellors identify as triggers and predispositions to experiencing emotional distress, (b) what are the perceived consequences of emotional distress on novice counsellors’ clinical work and their work relationships, and (c) what self-care practices do novice counsellors use as protective strategies against emotional distress? Five themes, each with several subthemes, emerged: (a) experiences and feelings associated with client work, which contained four codes; (b) clinician-specific characteristics contributing to WED, which contained three codes; (c) workplace-specific characteristics contributing to WED, which contained five codes; (d) individual actions taken to combat WED, which contained four codes; and (e) policy and training recommendations, which contained three codes. As counsellor distress may cause harm to clients, findings of this research have implications for (a) enhancing the understanding of professional accountability and concerns for public safety, (b) informing decisions of future policy makers, (c) encouraging valuable help seeking or consultation, and (d) de-stigmatize issues of clinician well-being.

Caregiver burnout is an issue for health care organizations, negatively influencing cost, engagement, and workforce stability. Nurse residency programs are intended to address the gap in practice between academia and clinical practice and provide social support during this transitional time. Self-care education can positively affect novice acute care nurses' transition into their new professional role while building connections with the health care organization during the first year of employment. The purpose of this project was to develop a staff educational module to address the nursing practice problem of evidence-based self-care education within a nurse residency curriculum at the doctoral site. The practice focus question for this project was can evidence-based staff development project be developed identifying self-care strategies for novice acute care nurses within a nurse residency program. Orem's theory of self-care, which highlights the importance of taking time to care for self as integral to human functioning, and Watson's caring theory, which emphasizes the loving care of self as a vital prerequisite for caring for others, were the theoretical frameworks. This module was developed based on existing peer-reviewed journals, national organizations' position statements, white papers, and expert opinion and was synthesized using Melynk's hierarchy of evidence for intervention studies tool. This module was developed and shared with doctoral site stakeholders. The recommendation was to integrate this educational product into the existing nurse residency program. The positive implications this project has for the nursing profession include improved well-being and job satisfaction for the novice acute care nurses and potential long-term effects on organizational cost related to turnover

The purpose of this study is to identify novice teachers’ perception of their preparedness to teach a class designed for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) after graduation from a traditional university-based special education program or from a special education alternative certification program. Teacher preparedness and the need for highly qualified teachers of students with ASD are relevant topics, as the prevalence rate of ASD continues to increase. This phenomenological qualitative study explores novice teachers’ perceptions of preparedness to teach students with ASD and their knowledge about teaching students with ASD. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with six novice special education teachers of students with ASD. Results indicated that novice teachers of students with ASD have knowledge of autism and evidence-based practices (EBP), which they ascertained primarily through experiences such as; working directly with students with ASD, however, preservice education programs provided the participants with cursory information related to knowledge of ASD and EBP.

La charge de travail élevée et le manque de temps pour répondre aux besoins des patients peuvent engendrer un certain stress chez les infirmières novices, stress qui peut affecter négativement la prestation des soins. De plus, ces infirmières novices expérimentent un niveau de stress élevé dans les six premiers mois d’embauche. Toutefois, très peu d’études ont exploré la perception du stress et la perception de la qualité des soins dispensés aux patients chez les infirmières novices. L’objectif principal de la présente étude consiste à décrire la relation entre la perception d’infirmières novices du stress vécu et la perception de la qualité des soins. Un devis descriptif corrélationnel exploratoire à l’aide d’une enquête a été retenu. Cette étude s’appuie sur le cadre conceptuel de Firth-Cozens (2001). Les données sur la perception du stress ont été recueillies par le biais de l’échelle de stress perçu Perceived Stress Scale 10 version française de Belllinghausen et al. (2009) ainsi que par la dimension reconnaissance du stress du Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Quant aux données sur la perception de la qualité des soins, elles ont été obtenues par le biais de l’instrument de mesure le Victorian Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire version infirmière (Leggat et al., 2010) et par la dimension climat de sécurité du Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Les résultats révèlent que les infirmières novices reconnaissent qu’elles sont stressées. Elles ont conscience qu’une charge de travail excessive peut nuire à leur performance. Toutefois, elles minimisent l’impact du stress et de la fatigue sur la qualité de leurs soins. Elles ont aussi le sentiment qu’elles ne peuvent pas discuter des erreurs commises. De plus, il y a une faible corrélation négative non significative entre la perception du stress et la perception de la qualité des soins (r=-0,183 p=0,067). Cependant, un lien théorique subsiste entre les deux variables (Firth-Cozens, 2001). D’autres études sont nécessaires afin de démontrer un lien empirique entre la perception du stress et la perception de la qualité des soins chez les infirmières novices.

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.

This study looked at the transition from preservice teacher to teacher by considering novice teacher success stories. This investigation rested on the presumption that the first year of teaching may be a struggle for some. This claim was underscored by the prevalence of the sink or swim metaphor in discourse related to induction. To understand how novice teacher success stories can inform teacher education, narratives were captured using task-oriented, semi-structured interviews deliberately designed to elicit authentic responses. Iterative analysis of the narratives yielded two profiles and 10 stories that are presented in a combination of vignettes written in the voice of the participant and expository comments. Iterative analysis of the 10 stories using the features or elements of story (setting, character, tone, and theme) yielded a number of patterns. In sum, consideration of these findings informs a deeper and richer understanding of induction through the experiences and perspectives of the purposively and conveniently selected participant in this study. Her case supports the rationale for this inquiry. She demonstrated a keen awareness of the struggles novices face. Yet, she self-identified as successful and her administration concurred. The overarching finding is deep insight into the persona of the participant--a survivor that understood successes as a novice teacher to be occurrences marked in sometimes minimal relief upon a context of struggle.

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.