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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:waldenu.edu/oai:scholarworks.waldenu.edu:dissertations-1760 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Creators | Ridley, Janice Marie |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | Walden University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies |
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