This book describes the experience of a young and inexperienced teacher during 1926 in rural Marengo County, Alabama. Susie Powers Tompkins accepted her first teaching assignment to earn money to continue college after her freshman year at Alabama College. However, for Tompkins the rewards of teaching went far beyond just earning money. She found…

This practicum was designed to facilitate the professional growth and personal well-being of beginning teachers during the induction year. The program provided novice teachers with opportunities for regular contact with an experienced teacher, encouraged demonstration of positive self-perceptions as professionals, and assisted in the development…

This document is a compilation of 11 separate reports on the Houston Independent School District (Texas) support program, 1989-90, which paired over 300 first-year teachers with mentors who usually taught the same subject or grade level, were assigned to the same school, were experienced, agreed to work with beginning teachers, and were paid a…

This study was conducted to: (1) determine the concerns of beginning elementary teachers; (2) identify perceived successes of novice teachers; (3) learn the extent of orientation provided; (4) ascertain the kinds of professional support received from fellow teachers and administrators; (5) identify the kinds of professional assistance needed; and…

Perceptions of one's competence and control in a task are related to one's confidence in doing a task and attitude towards it. In teaching, it is assumed to be very important that teachers view themselves as competent in and in control of their teaching tasks. To investigate trainees' perceptions of control and competence, a short questionnaire…

This paper provides a synthesis of research on aspects of student teaching as they relate to transfer of teaching skills to the classroom. The report highlights major dimensions of student teaching, such as specific training interventions (microteaching and simulation), the ecological context of student teaching (involving the cooperating teacher,…

The first section of this monograph contains a report on a research study that investigated the induction of beginning teachers in Queensland, Australia. The first phase of the study collected the opinions of educational associations and organizations with respect to the responsibility of the profession for the induction of beginning teachers. In…

Numerous years in several New York City elementary and nursery schools resulted in this article, which investigates teachers' emotions, specifically vulnerable feelings, related to their work. Often, teachers are quiet about their struggles, not wanting anyone else to know that they struggle, not wanting to expose their vulnerability. However,…

This study explores how two years of teaching affected the motivation of graduates of the teacher preparation program at Jersey City State College who had been teaching in urban schools. These 21 teachers (12 elementary, 9 secondary, 7 early childhood) had taken part in an earlier study which examined their career motivations during student…

This document responds to the components of North Carolina's Excellent Schools Act that pertain to mentoring. The first section includes tools for the selection of mentors: a listing of mentor selection criteria, a mentor nomination form, a faculty survey instrument for mentor candidates, interview questions for mentors, a mentor application form,…

The Standards and Assessment Work Group in Wisconsin developed an assessment framework for performance based teacher licensure. They determined assessment criteria, measurement categories, and contexts for assessing readiness for teaching. The License and Career Stages Work Group devised a licensure system to further enhance the quality of…

This study investigated problems in retaining New York City public school teachers beyond their first year of employment. In 1991 and 1993, researchers interviewed new teachers and people who unsuccessfully sought teaching positions, examining hiring, licensing, and teaching experiences, professional development and support, and attitudes about…

Discusses the results of two questionnaires given to two groups of newly certified primary teachers in England. The cohorts answered questions concerning the training they had received and, 20 weeks into their new jobs, the nature of the demands they had experienced. Includes statistical and tabular data. (MJP)

Describes an exploratory study that examined the potential of combining teaching cases with telecommunications to stimulate learning communities of new and experienced teachers. Experienced and beginning history teachers had informal subject matter conversations using CD-ROM cases and videoconferencing. There were high levels of engagement between…

This study analyzed data from teachers (personal characteristics, basic skills, concerns, locus of control, and academic achievement) from the beginning of preservice preparation through the fifth teaching year. Results found developmental changes in concerns about teaching over time, indicating relationships between changes in teaching concerns…