Many have identified the principalship as a “sink or swim” role (Rooney, 2000, p. 77) in which new leaders address a multitude of tasks daily (Spillane & Lee, 2014, p. 433) with feelings of being ultimately responsible (Swen, 2019, p. 5). Preparing principals through induction programs, internships, mentors, coursework, and exposure, are just some of the many ways that we currently prepare beginning principals for their new role. “Challenges for novice school leaders evolve as information is managed differently and as societal and regulatory expectations change” (Beam, Claxton, & Smith, 2016, p. 145). Given this on-going negotiation, novice principals must actively engage in meaning-making and critical reflection of their broad range of experiences. This research dives into this transitional development, as it relates to school culture and the means through which novice elementary school principals come to understand it. Building on decades of research focused on the work of the principal and how that work can become maximized for efficiency and effectiveness, this dissertation situates the novice principal as a learner within the realities of the school organization’s culture. The identity of a novice principal is mutually defined with multiple factors, including, but not limited to, the people, place, time, and dynamic cultural process of their placement (Rogoff et al., 1995, p. 45). It was the intent of this research to learn how novice principals approach learning about school culture at a site where they have never worked before. Utilizing a cross-case study design, grounded in a social constructivist lens, three principals including a first-year principal, second-year principal and third-year principal participated in two rounds of interviews. The first interview included a set of elements of culture developed by Wagner (1998) that looked at what these novice principals knew about the culture at their sites. The second round of interviews looked at these same questions, but probed for how they learned about each component respectively. Interviews were transcribed, coded based on the framework developed by Wildy and Clark (2008b) which includes place, people, system, and self. Subthemes were also identified, and data were compared across cases and within each case. Results include the acknowledgment that novice principals utilize a variety of approaches to learn about school culture. A majority of these approaches include informal learning such as previous experiences, exposure due to an active presence, and situational learning within the context of place and time. Trial and error, as well as on the job learning, were highly prevalent across interview responses, as well as the identified approaches of observations, purposeful communication, asking questions, listening attentively, and seeking to understand. It is important to continue to build our understanding of how novice principals approach their learning of school culture. Insight into how, when, and why novice principals engage in this learning holds potential for informing and improving school culture, principal preparation, and the development of novice principals in their early years in the position.

Novice teachers face a variety of challenges when they enter the teaching profession. They are confronted with the harsh realities of the teaching profession and are expected to cope with immense demands and responsibilities. Heads of Department are responsible for co- ordinating and providing guidance to novice teachers. However, little is known about the experiences of novice teachers in terms of the support they get from Heads of Department. This study explored novice teachers’ experiences of Head of Department support. Purposively sampling was used to select five novice teachers and four Heads of Department from three primary schools situated in the Tshwane South School District. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The semi-structured interviews were analysed using a thematic data analysis procedure and the documents through content analysis. The findings of the study highlighted similarities in the challenges and the support needs as expressed by the novice teachers and by the Heads of Department. The novice teachers in this study articulated the need for more guidance and mentorship to be provided whereas the Heads of Department stated that due to the demands of the professional task in terms of the multiple roles they play and time constraints, the support they give to the novice teachers is inadequate. The study concluded that both novice teachers and Heads of Department struggled with managing the demands of their profession and novice teachers called for further support and mentorship to be provided on aspects that contributed to their holistic development of teaching abilities and attributes. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

The mobility rates within the Kindergarten--Grade 12 teacher workforce are distressing, and the teaching profession has a relatively high turnover rate compared to other occupations. The Commonwealth of Virginia encounters many challenges when attempting to retain highly qualified teachers in schools. Despite the state's efforts to staff all schools, high teacher turnover rates persist. Novice teacher attrition is more prevalent in schools identified as hard-to-staff. Turnover affects not only the composition of faculties at individual schools and the stability of these schools but the quality of the teacher workforce as well. The factors that affect the retention of novice teachers in hard-to-staff high schools in Virginia were examined in this study. Similar to Giacometti's (2005) study, compensation, pre-service preparation, external forces, school culture, in-service training support, motivation to teach, and emotional factors were variables used in this investigation. Demographics, principal leadership actions, and economic conditions were added to Giacometti's original theory of novice teacher retention, and some of Giacometti's variables were refined to improve the theory and the quality of the measurements. Following descriptive and exploratory bivariate analyses, binary logistic regression was applied to predict teacher retention with two levels: planning to leave the school and planning to stay in the school. Results indicate that teachers who planned to leave were more likely to be minorities, to perceive less school cultural support, and to perceive less parental support than those who planned to stay. The results of the study have significant practical implications for school leaders, especially those who serve hard-to-staff high schools, in developing retention plans to keep their highly qualified novice teachers. / Ed. D.

Many new teachers in the United States leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of service. School district leaders often fall short in their efforts to efficiently mentor novice teachers and examine the novice teachers' perspectives of effective mentoring relationships. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine novice teachers' mentoring relationships during the critical first year. The conceptual framework was Bandura's self-efficacy theory, a tenet of which is that people believe in their ability to attain certain goals if they possess self-efficacy. The guiding research questions focused on what roles mentoring relationships play in the first year of teaching, what their impacts are on novice teachers remaining in the profession, and how the choice of mentor affects the outcome of the mentoring relationship. A purposeful homogenous sample of 6 Grade 9 and 10 novice teachers who were also involved in mentoring relationships with experienced teachers was used. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and a group observation during an administrative support meeting for new teachers. Relationship and social code analysis of data followed an open coding process to identify categories and themes. The key findings were that participants rely on professional and emotional support; however, age and path of certification dictated mentoring needs. A positive mentoring relationship inspired novice teachers in the study to become mentors themselves. Study findings were the basis for the creation of a staff development for veteran teachers who are chosen as mentors. This study may bring about positive social change by bringing awareness of what makes a productive mentoring relationship, which in turn may positively affect student achievement through teacher retention. Many new teachers in the United States leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of service. School district leaders often fall short in their efforts to efficiently mentor novice teachers and examine the novice teachers' perspectives of effective mentoring relationships. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine novice teachers' mentoring relationships during the critical first year. The conceptual framework was Bandura's self-efficacy theory, a tenet of which is that people believe in their ability to attain certain goals if they possess self-efficacy. The guiding research questions focused on what roles mentoring relationships play in the first year of teaching, what their impacts are on novice teachers remaining in the profession, and how the choice of mentor affects the outcome of the mentoring relationship. A purposeful homogenous sample of 6 Grade 9 and 10 novice teachers who were also involved in mentoring relationships with experienced teachers was used. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and a group observation during an administrative support meeting for new teachers. Relationship and social code analysis of data followed an open coding process to identify categories and themes. The key findings were that participants rely on professional and emotional support; however, age and path of certification dictated mentoring needs. A positive mentoring relationship inspired novice teachers in the study to become mentors themselves. Study findings were the basis for the creation of a staff development for veteran teachers who are chosen as mentors. This study may bring about positive social change by bringing awareness of what makes a productive mentoring relationship, which in turn may positively affect student achievement through teacher retention.

New teachers entering the urban pre-K-12 school setting require an induction program to perform their teaching duties. Despite modifications to improve an existing induction program, novice teachers in a Midwestern urban school district were underperforming in the classroom, leaving administrators to address new teacher turnover and a disrupted learning process for students. Drawing from Knowles's adult learning theory and state guidelines to fulfill federal legislation mandates for proper induction, this qualitative case study was designed to explore beginning teachers' perceptions of the modifications in the district's induction program. A sample of 8 novice teachers was recruited to participate in open-ended, semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis and hierarchical coding were used to build themes and capture recurring patterns. Participants' responses suggested that the district's induction program is in accordance with state guidelines; however, the participants voiced that additional program modifications are needed to improve novice teachers' performance in the classroom. Participants requested more classroom management strategies; an understanding of the urban community norms, policies, procedures, building logistics, and the student population; and strategies to communicate effectively with parents. A 4 'day professional development workshop was developed to offer skills and strategies specific to the urban experience and school environment to improve novice teachers' performance. This endeavor may contribute to positive social change by increasing the performance of beginning teachers, thus, reducing teacher turnover and increasing student academic performance.

An acute care practice site reported 75% turnover of novice nurse practitioners (NPs), which indicated a gap in the transition from student to practitioner within the first year of clinical practice. This gap can leave novice NPs unprepared to manage patients effectively and contribute to high turnover. The practice-focused question addressed whether an evidence-based staff development program for novice NPs at an acute care site could be developed. The purpose of this project was to create a framework based on evidence to transition novice NPs successfully into practice. Benner's skill-acquisition in-nursing theory informed this project. Evidence was obtained by searching electronic databases, reviewing professional organization websites, and consulting with experts. The search revealed journal articles, best-practice guidelines, and useful insights from experts. The Elkins literature review matrix was used to organize, summarize, and weigh the evidence. A summary of consultations with experts was used. Commonalities within the evidence included guided clinical experiences and nonclinical activities such as (a) formal didactic sessions, (b) professional development, and (c) quality improvement. Outcomes include recommendations for a 12-month postgraduate development program framework and educational content. Recommendations were also provided for formative and summative evaluations. The implications of this project for social change include effective preparation of novice NPs and stabilization of the NP workforce at the project site.

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, principal candidates are often ill prepared for the demands of the job. Yearly the Archdiocese hires inexperienced principals in up to 15% of its elementary schools. The principalship is becoming more demanding. At the same time, research shows effective leadership is critical to a school’s success. This mixed methods study focused on the knowledge and activities of novice principals. The researcher gathered information from second and third year principals in the Archdiocese to determine their knowledge, practice, and desire to learn four effective leadership strategies: instructional leadership, shared decision-making, organization of the learning environment, and developing people. The analysis of the data collected was used to determine the need for a mentoring program for novice principals. The research and data collection consisted of a 48-statement survey using a Likert scale and three open-ended qualitative questions. Three follow-up focus sessions were conducted to clarify survey results and deepen the scope of the study. Statistical means indicated principals did not implement the strategies to the extent they were known, and principals wanted to learn more about the strategies, especially in instructional leadership. Focus group data indicated principals felt overwhelmed by the job and did not implement the strategies to the same extend they knew them. Principals in the study expressed the need for a mentor, who would have assisted them in fulfilling their role of principal. Recommendations to improve principal effectiveness were presented to the Superintendent, Regional Supervisors, Pastors, novice principals, and Loyola Marymount University.

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This study addresses the question of whether or not pre-service teachers are ready and prepared to use and teach the highly-specialized language of each discipline. The disciplinary languages present teaching and learning challenges due to their lack of parallels in the daily language (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008). Additionally, the languages of the disciplines are rarely taught and are commonly acquired through an isolated representation of words without a situated meaning within the theory (Gee, 2002). The knowledge of the particular ways of reading, writing, listening to, and talking in the content areas provides opportunities for students’ apprenticeship within the disciplines required for success in higher education contexts (Dobbs, Ippolito, and Charner, 2017). Moreover, this study addresses the question of how future teachers develop disciplinary knowledge and skills. The purpose of this case study was to investigate how mathematical literacy is shaped and defined by the experiences, language, and disciplinary practices of pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics. This overall aim was unfolded by three guiding research questions: 1) What do the Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers and Experts in Mathematics Reveal about their Understanding of Mathematical Literacy? 2) RQ 2. How do pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics use language when solving mathematical problems? and 3) What literacy practices do pre-service teachers and experts in mathematics utilize when presented with modules that require mathematics problem-solving? To structure the elements of analysis for the participants’ responses, I adopted the theoretical support from the emerging disciplinary literacy framework, the novice-expert paradigm, and the tenets of M. K. Halliday’s functional linguistic theory (i.e., Systemic Functional Linguistics; [SFL]). Four faculty in the Department of Mathematics and four pre-service teachers in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at a large Midwest university agreed to participate in this case study. For the data collection, I asked the participants to participate in two sessions. In the first sessions, the participants responded to a semi-structured interview. Afterward, in a second session, the participants solved modules of mathematical problems following three protocols: a think-aloud, a silent-solving, and an oral-explanatory. The results of the participants’ responses to the semi-structured interview and the three protocols indicated that their experiences as learners and teachers of mathematics are tied to their definitions of literacy and disciplinary literacy. The SFL analysis showed that for the experts of mathematics, mathematical problem-solving is a more abstract and cognitive practice. The pre-service teachers’ registers indicated that mathematical problem-solving is experienced as more concrete and real practice. The unique literacy practices that these participants displayed showed the strong connection between language, literacy, and mathematical thought.The implications of this study are discussed in terms of the importance of language and disciplinary literacy in preparation for future teachers as they progress in their course of study within their teaching education programs.

Exploration into teacher competency of various types has gone on for quite some time. An untapped resource regarding teacher expertise is that of the students' perceptions of teacher expertise, particularly the ability of students to identify the types of behaviors that expert and non-expert teachers exhibit in the classroom. The frequency and variety of expert behaviors in the high school classroom were investigated in this study. High school teachers (n = 25) were observed during regular class periods using the Teacher Behavior Checklist, a checklist of behaviors developed for this study from discussions with high school students, teachers, administrators, and existing teacher competency literature. Results suggest discrimination of expert and non-expert teachers similar to Berliner (2001). Agreement among students' perception of expertise, classroom observations, and the literature suggest that high school students are capable of accurately identifying expert and non-expert behaviors of teachers. Further, some data suggest that expert teachers draw from a narrower behavioral scheme and exhibit expert designated behaviors more often than do their non-expert colleagues. This study highlights the need to close the evaluative loop through the utilization of student perception. / Educational Psychology