This research investigates what teaching experiences, strategies and factors impact on early career teachers’ (ECTs’) resilience in secondary colleges in the south of the Netherlands. The ECTs are undergraduate trainee teachers who are enrolled as part-time English as a Foreign language students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve individual ECTs from three different cohorts, twice in the timespan of two years, in order to get access to the reality of everyday school life viewed through the ECTs’ lens. The three different cohorts consisted of four beginning ECTs, four regular ECTs and four long-term ECTs. Data was collected over a two-year period and included recorded interviews with ECTs, line drawings, relational maps, ECTs’ portfolios and the researcher’s memos. The participants recalled their teaching experiences by means of analysing critical incidents that occurred in their classrooms. The data collection, analysis and discussion were organised into twelve cases. A thematic data analysis was used (Guest et al., 2012; Braun & Clarke, 2013), with the help of ATLAS.ti 7 software. The findings show that the ECTs were often expected to take on the full range of teaching tasks in isolation, with little support to cope with all the demands of their new role. The ECTs found that personal factors, such as self-efficacy and a sense of agency, helped develop their resilience, as well as contextual resources provided in schools and by employing bodies. Although the development of resilience was different for every ECT, participants also shared common strategies that contributed to development of resilience, such as emotional regulation, seeking renewal, goal setting and help seeking, when overcoming the setbacks they experienced. By identifying strategies that impact on resilience, this research has strengthened the guidelines on which induction programmes at Teacher Education Colleges can be made. It is suggested that ECTs are mentored around developing resilience strategies, in order to increase their confidence to work and teach in a new school environment. It is argued that the critical incidents approach, designed to support ECTs in building stories about their teaching experiences, could be used as a teaching methodology for trainee teachers at Teaching Education Colleges.

abstract: As newcomers to schools in the last thirty years, second career teachers, were studied to better understand this group of teachers within schools. Second career teachers bring professional knowledge that did not originate in the field of teaching to their teaching career such as relationship building and collaboration. The professional perspectives of second career teachers were assessed and analyzed in relation with current professional expectations in schools utilizing an analytical framework built from Pierre Bourdieu's reflexive sociology. Second career teachers and their supervisors were interviewed and their responses were reviewed in relation to the districts' defined professional habitus and the professional cultural capital developed by second career teachers. The results from this study indicate that Second career teachers did have professional perspectives that aligned with the current professional expectations valued within the schools they worked. In addition, their presence in schools revealed alternative viewpoints that were highly valued and sought by others. This study goes beyond Bourdieu's theoretical definitions of capitals to explore specific relationships between embodied and institutionalized capitals that were valued in school settings. The knowledge gained from this study provided insight into the professional habitus defined by teachers within a school district and the relationship of second career teachers to this habitus. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2014

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Teachers all over the country are leaving the profession at an alarming rate and by understanding the attitudes and perceptions of both first- and second-career teachers as well as novice and veteran teachers on various areas of teaching, we can begin to identify better and more specific ways to mentor and support all teachers regardless of their age, stage, and life experiences when they enter the profession. The population of the study was limited to 677 kindergarten- through eighth-grade teachers in Sevier County, Tennessee. The study revealed that whether a teacher is novice, veteran, first-career, or second-career, there is no difference in their perceptions concerning the teaching career, no difference in their perceptions regarding the various aspects and challenges of teaching and no difference in their perceptions of how teachers are perceived by colleagues. One difference was found, indicating that novice and veteran teachers have a different perception of their mentoring experiences, with novice teachers rating their mentoring experiences as more positive than veteran teachers. The majority of teachers participating in the study was happy with their chosen career and would encourage others to enter the field. Findings indicated they shared ideas with colleagues and were willing to share in return. Most said that they felt they made a difference in their students’ lives. Student behavior and time were issues of concern to the teachers in the study. Some teachers pointed out that they sometimes were not able to teach because of a student's behavior and that recent problems in society and at home have made this issue worse. Some said the paperwork associated with teaching was overwhelming, and they had difficulty completing the necessary tasks outside of instruction within a normal school day. In spite of the problems, the majority of educators said they would do it all over again.

This research study examines the status of mentoring programs for beginning teachers in Manitoba’s public school divisions. Based on reviewed literature, a distinction is made between formal and informal mentoring programs for beginning teachers. The study is a naturalistic inquiry using a semi-structured interview protocol. Twenty four of 38 school divisions in Manitoba participated in the study. Interviewees were asked if the school division had a formal mentoring program in place, the histories, goals and rationales of their formal mentoring programs, and the strengths and challenges of the mentoring programs. If the division did not have a formal mentoring program, they were asked to comment on the way they support beginning teachers and on rationales for not having a formal mentoring program. Based on the school divisions interviewed, the study found that the province was almost evenly split between divisions with formal mentoring programs and those not having formal programs. However, formal programs were more prevalent in urban areas than in rural and northern areas. Mentoring was recognized as a strong support for beginning teachers providing benefits to the beginning teacher, the mentor and the school division. Programs varied greatly from division to division with little or no communication or collaboration between divisions to develop a common program as is done in some other Canadian provinces. The challenges for school divisions to offer formal mentoring programs included time, money, and geography. The study offers five recommendations to support beginning teachers. / May 2017

Teacher attrition continues to impact public schools that seek to retain teachers in the classroom and meet rising enrollment rates. The recruitment of experienced career changing professionals into the educational workforce is a viable option to address teacher shortages. In addition, while the use of mentorship may support teacher retention and job satisfaction for novice teachers, inconsistencies in mentoring practices have limited the effectiveness of mentoring programs and support systems. The problem of limited research that examines the needs of career changing teachers (CCTs) and their initial mentoring experiences was addressed in this study. The social learning theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs frameworks were used in this phenomenological study to explore perceptions of 15 novice CCTs from the middle or high school levels, who had completed 1 to 5 years of teaching service. The research questions focused on CCTs' perceptions of their mentoring experience, and the support they needed as novice teachers. Data collected from 2 rounds of semistructured interviews were analyzed with a multilevel coding approach to identify patterns and emergent themes. Emergent themes revealed CCTs' experiences and skills as viable teaching candidates, perceptions of their mentoring experiences, and support and retention needs. The findings revealed CCTs' desire for support in mentorship availability and quality, improvement in instructional pedagogy, and the promotion of emotional resiliency and job satisfaction. Recommendations point to the need for mentorship as ongoing practice, the personalization of mentorship programs, and the leveraging of professional development practices to provide mentoring support. The major implications for social change are the improvement of mentoring program design and the implementation for the development and retention of highly effective teachers to impact student achievement.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis advisor: Andy Hargreaves / Interest in educational change has continued to grow over the past three decades (Fullan, 1982; Tyack & Cuban, 1995). One focus has been the challenge of implementing sustainable reforms, particularly in secondary schools, which have traditionally been resistant to change (Goodson, 1983; Hargreaves, 2003; Louis & Miles, 1990; McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001). Another has been the role of teachers in implementing, sustaining and also resisting change (Fullan, 1993; Hargreaves, 1994; Kennedy, 2005; Little, 1996). In spite of challenges--and arguably lack of success--wave after wave of reform has attempted to introduce lasting change in schools (Sarason, 1990). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (U.S. Department of Education, 2002) represents the latest wave of reform. This wave requires a relentless focus on achievement and improvement. The impact of NCLB is felt at the state level, where high-stakes, standardized tests are given annually as a means to measure progress (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). In Massachusetts, the test is the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). While the effects of mandated change are undoubtedly felt at all levels, it is teachers in mid-career for whom the stakes might be highest. Will reform work successfully stimulate and support them, or will it feel like an additional and unwanted burden on the their already full schedules? My dissertation thus explores the following question: * What are the effects of contemporary high-stakes mandated reform on the change commitments and capacities of middle career teachers? Related to this broad question, I explore the in-school conditions and generational factors that influence these change commitments and capacities. The surprising findings revealed that most teachers, representing both high and low performing schools in urban and suburban districts, felt that the MCAS in particular and the standards movement in general offer a neutral to positive opportunity for teachers to assess their students and to hone their curricular and teaching strategies. This statement holds true for the quantitative data as well; teachers generally appear to feel more control and influence over their work than in the recent past. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

År 2013 kom reformen om karriäruppdrag för lärare, den innefattar både lektorer och förstelärare. Den här studien är riktad mot förstelärare i grundskolans tidiga år. Då karriärtjänsterna berör hela Sveriges lärarkår på ett eller annat sätt är det nödvändigt att förklara utvecklingen som sker kring förstelärarens uppdrag. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur förstelärare, med tjänst i grundskolans tidiga år, uppfattar att de arbetar med skolans kvalitetsarbete. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ ansats och empirin har samlats in genom 11 stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer. Det transkriberade materialet har analyserats med hjälp av fenomenografins sju analyssteg för att finna kategorierna som skapar studiens utfallsrum. Tjänsten som förstelärare har främst sökts på grund av rekommendation från rektor. Förstelärarnas uppfattning är att de saknar tid till att utföra sina uppdrag. Förstelärarna arbetar aktivt efter styrdokument och bedömningar för att ständigt utveckla undervisningen. Samarbete med andra förstelärare inom samma arbetsområde, och kollegialt lärande upplevs som en betydelsefull aspekt till kvalitetssäkringen av undervisningen. Dock saknas i dagsläget samarbete mellan förstelärare inom samma arbetsområde. / In 2013, the reform of a career mission for teachers appeared, which includes both senior lecturer and First-teachers. This study is directed to First- teachers in the earlier stages of primary school. Since these career missions includes all of Sweden, it is necessary to explain the development that takes place around the First-Teachers mission. The purpose of this study is to investigate how First-teachers, in the early stages of primary school, experience that they promote the quality work of their schools. The study is made by a qualitative approach and the empiricism has been collected by 11 semi-structured interviews. The transcribed material has been analysed with the help of the seven analysing steps of the phenomenography, which creates the “outcome room” of the study. The main reason for why teachers have applied for the post First-teacher is due to recommendations from the head teacher. First-teachers are experiencing the lack of time to prefill their missions. First-teachers are actively working with regulatory documents and judgement reports to persistently develop their teaching situation. Collegial teaching is, according to the First-teachers, a necessity to make sure that they quality proof their teaching. However, today there is no interaction between First-teachers in the same interest groups.