If the agricultural education profession is going to grow and prosper in the 21st century, it will need an adequate supply of qualified teachers. In 2001, however, the number of qualified potential agricultural education teachers actually seeking employment as teachers fell far short of the net number of replacements needed. Two contributing…

Background/Context: Studies of new teacher induction have typically examined the structural components of mentoring programs or documented the nature of support provided to beginning teachers. More recently, Susan Moore Johnson and her colleagues examined new teachers' induction experiences across multiple states and preparation routes. In…

While it is generally acknowledged that the first years of teaching are the most difficult, little is known about the development of subject matter specialists during this period. In order to add to the knowledge in this area, the present study explores the first year of 114 secondary science teachers as they participate in one of four different…

The purpose of this study was to describe school working conditions perceived by beginning teachers about their first year of teaching in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The specific working conditions that were examined were those identified in the research as contributing to either teacher retention or attrition. The researcher developed three…

Science teacher attrition is a topic of frequent discussion among teacher educators, administrators, university educators, and policy makers. While attrition could be described as leaving the workforce for any number of reasons (e.g., retirement, moving to a new location, contract not renewed), those in education often link attrition to teachers…

This study of mentoring 1st-year faculty in physical education departments focused on individual reasons for mentoring and organizational factors inhibiting or facilitating mentoring. A phenomenological research design was used to examine the mentoring relationship between 1st-year faculty and physical education department Chairs (N = 5), and a…

This study explores the expectations of teaching as a career held by beginning teachers who undertook a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) teacher training course for secondary schools at three institutions in the North of England. Over 300 student teachers completed a questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of their PGCE course. A…

This paper presents results from a qualitative study of 15 neophyte teachers in Chile who were part of a survey of 242 teachers in two geographical regions of the country. They were studied on the basis of questionnaires, interviews, observations and focus groups, all of which served to examine their teaching contexts and working conditions, how…

Exemplary Middle Grades Research: Evidence-Based Studies Linking Theory to Practice features research published throughout 2009 in MGRJ that has been identified by the Information Age Publishing's review board as the most useful in terms of assisting educators with making practical applications from evidence-based studies to classroom and school…

Research studies have documented a strong link between perennial high rates of beginning teacher attrition and teacher shortages that impact teaching, especially in the major urban areas of the United States. It is widely concluded that one of the pivotal causes of inadequate school academic performance is a teacher shortage and the resulting…

Problems and goals of beginning teachers are the subject of these speeches presented by both experienced and beginning teachers at the 1965 national conference of the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards. The problems include the differences between teacher expectations and encounters, unrealistic teaching and…

A majority (60%) of 61 winners of outstanding young agriculture teacher awards identified seven important problems/challenges for beginning teachers. At the top were classroom management and discipline, time and organizational management, and management of Future Farmers of America activities. (SK)

High school teacher Emily Sims shares her experiences co-teaching inclusive classes as a first-year teacher. She imparts practical advice for successful co-teaching relationships between the content teacher and the special education teacher, from which both students and teachers can thrive. (Contains 1 figure.)

With an inadequate supply of qualified teachers, education stakeholders continue to investigate teacher attrition issues and induction/mentoring practices to improve retention rates, especially in the critical first years of teaching. What types of support do beginning teachers value, and what do they actually receive? What types of support do…

This comparative study explores the experience of two first-year teachers in starkly different school systems, one in a small city on the northern plains and the other in a Midwest urban community. Using this comparative method, the authors looked at the similarities and differences of two different educational settings to collect data regarding…