Kindergarten teachers' work is unique because they juggle the roles of caregiver to young children, tending to their physical, emotional and educational needs, and managing their kindergarten unit. The year of internship and transition into teaching is particularly intense. For new kindergarten teachers (NKTs) to fully integrate in the…

Teacher turnover is an issue plaguing states and districts around the country, particularly among novice teachers. Research indicates that strong induction and mentoring programs can provide novice teachers with critical support and guidance as they make the transition from the pre-service environment to the professional workforce resulting in…

Research Findings: This study investigated early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers' experiences of occupational well-being during a two-year pre-primary education trial in Finland. Profile groups of the trial experimental group teachers (n = 376) were identified. We also examined whether the identified profiles differed with respect to…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs are experiencing high turnover, resulting in lower teacher retention rates. High turnover hinders program quality, creates financial strain, and adversely affects program sustainability. Despite efforts to increase educator retention, a rural midwestern ECEC program's administrative team continues…

The current study explored changes in first-year teacher self-efficacy of 77 teachers in Virginia during COVID-19. Data included four survey times (August, October, February, and June) to measure changes in first-year teacher self-efficacy. The results found that teacher self-efficacy was highest entering the school year but significantly…

In the immediate aftermath of the WHO's COVID-19 pandemic declaration, school district administrators and teachers hurried to shift their classrooms to alternative modalities. In a matter of weeks, schools across the country transitioned entire components of their institutions to new platforms, with little guidance from state and federal…

Despite the widespread recognition of the significance of outdoor play in early childhood development, centers for early childhood education (ECE) face the challenge of striking a balance between active play activities and safety concerns. Thus, the visual attention of teachers is critical. Studies that compare the visual attention of novice and…

Widespread skepticism exists about preparation programs' impact on novice teachers' learning to teach. This is not new. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers question whether preparation matters. Despite these questions and a growing consensus about the importance of teachers, we have a limited understanding of when, why, and how teacher…

In this mixed methods case study, we explored the extent to which novice teachers in one institution were prepared to respond to homework-related concerns, be these in favor of or against the practice. We queried three sources of information: teacher educators, methods course syllabi, and national/state accreditation standards for teacher…

The majority of U.S fourth graders are not proficient in reading. With lawmakers in some U.S. states enacting "Read by Grade 3" laws, it is important for teachers to be well prepared to teach reading to their students. The purpose of this study was to explore novice kindergarten through second grade (K-2) teachers' perspectives of their…

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the discussion concerning adaptations and improvements of preschool teacher education. Such changes are crucial, because many newly qualified preschool teachers struggle to live up to the requirements the profession places upon them. This study is conducted in Sweden, where early childhood education…

This longitudinal collective case study is about the transformational experiences of three novice elementary teachers, Tammy, Katie, and Michelle, as they moved from an elementary teacher preparation program, at a large research university in the southeast United States, through their first two years of teaching in different elementary school…

School districts seek to increase teacher retention in response to nationwide teacher shortages. The problem is that teachers who have taught for 5 years or less have the highest attrition rates compared to other teachers, with more than 44% of new teachers leaving the profession within the first 5 years. The purpose of this qualitative case study…

The importance of effective teacher-child interactions in preschool classrooms has been well documented; however, very few studies examined the difference between novice and experienced teachers. The aim of this study was to quantitatively compare the characteristics and patterns of teacher-child interactions during preschool picture book reading…

The early phases of teachers' professional careers are multi-layered and informed by many factors, including teachers' values, their own experiences in schools, and the nested contexts of their professional employment. While in teachers' everyday lives government policies sometimes operate beneath the surface rather than overtly, these policies…