For decades, a student's preparation for licensure to teach has been rather standard with increased time in field placements culminating with a semester of student teaching. During the Spring 2020, this changed for preservice students scheduled to "student teach." Due to COVID-19, schools closed for several weeks and re-opened online.…

Teacher retention continues to be a challenge across the United States. This study investigated the practices and perception of elementary school principals in Virginia on new teacher retention. In this qualitative study, a sample of elementary school principals from around the state of Virginia participated in focus groups and individual…

This study has its background in teacher induction. The topic concerns not only university researchers, but also educational managers, teachers in general, politicians, different governments and multilateral organisations. The relevance of the topic is explained by the fact that the first years in teaching are marked by high rates of profession…

An educator's preparedness has many contributing factors, including natural-born giftedness, inspiration from a childhood teacher, or a need to impact our youth. However, for many current educators, teaching was not their initial choice. Alternative certification programs are growing in popularity as a means of placing qualified individuals in the…

This survey-based study examined how the intensity of the beliefs of novice in-service teachers about reform-based mathematics instruction changed as they crossed the threshold into their first year of teaching. It also investigated the relationship between the influence of new mentors, or "transitional faculty," including mentor…

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of effective teacher mentorship that positively impact teacher experience and practice, to better understand how to mentor novice teacher mentees, and to learn how to support veteran teachers through mentorship by exploring teacher mentorship programs and teacher experience. The…

The INSITE (In-School Initial Teacher Education) executive mentoring and coaching program seeks to combine the key influencing factors (as identified within the research literature) for successful transition into, and retention in, the teaching profession. The program provides support that begins at the commencement of an Initial Teacher Education…

How can academic developers support Early Career Academics (ECAs) to increase in confidence as they step into their new responsibilities? Previous work has demonstrated the negative impacts of ECAs' low self-efficacy, focusing recommendations on the need for systemic changes. Going further than previous academic development work to apply social…

Learning to teach is multifaceted and dynamic resulting in a turbulent, fast-changing era of professional life for early career science teachers (ECSTs). Teaching practice is uncertain and tensions are endemic to the profession (Ball, 1993). This dissertation connects to and extends current research of the challenges ECSTs face and how those…

The purpose of this study was to investigate novice middle school teachers' perceptions concerning classroom management. Classroom management is a crucial component of teaching. However, it has consistently been a difficult area for novice teachers or teachers having less than three years of teaching experience (Albright, 2017; Kelly et al., 2015;…

This study examines the professional socialization of new teachers in Saudi Arabia's international schools. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 14 teachers of diverse nationalities. The study highlighted teachers' recognition, integration, and collaboration in the workplace as prominent facilitating factors, while lack of support,…

Our study examined novice urban teachers' abilities to impact student learning and development. We interviewed 19 graduates, collecting narratives of critical teaching incidents. Analysis revealed the importance of (a) connecting with learners and of (b) receiving support. Teacher education programs were helpful in preparing graduates to set high…

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…

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study research project was to explore the structures of different beginning teacher mentoring models and their effectiveness at retaining new teachers into the next school year. The focus is on the perspective of the program administrators, not on the perspectives of the teachers involved. The cases…