This critical case study examines the experiences of teachers who are within their first three years of teaching; specifically, this study sought to understand new teachers' level of self-efficacy as it pertains to teaching for diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the barriers that exist to doing this work and the supports that new…

Individuals who desire to pursue the teaching profession have two primary paths for preparation: either completing a traditional college-based program or an alternative program. A generic qualitative inquiry methodology was used to explore the perspective of novice teacher participants on how prepared they felt based on the preparation program…

This qualitative study explores the holistic approaches that seven mentors use to attend to the well-being of new professionals as they transition into the classroom. We define holistic mentoring as practices that intertwine the professional with the personal, and bring together the aesthetic, intellectual, and moral in supporting beginning…

This book is a first person narrative from a parent/community advocate. Examining my personal experiences as a parent of color in a Higher Learning Institute, I highlight some of the frustrations experienced by urban working class parents of color as they attempt to engage teachers in their community's schools. I underscore the importance of one…

This phenomenological multiple case study explored five first-year special education teachers' transfer of knowledge and skills learned in their preparation program to their professional setting and the support provided through their school system induction programming. I employed Baldwin and Ford's (1988) Model of Training Transfer and Rolfe et…

This article reports findings from a larger study aimed at identifying the perceptions of teachers across four municipalities in Sweden on continuing professional development. It focuses on beginning teachers?, namely those who are in their first five years of their career. This study has been undertaken amidst growing concern that current models…

This study delved into the experiences of novice secondary teachers (NST) in California, with a focus on the support systems and preparation programs that influence their professional growth. Through two interconnected phases, district support systems were analyzed via interviews, followed by NST interviews to gauge their perceptions of support.…

Initial teacher education plays an important role in preparing music teachers for schools. There is a growing interest in Chinese music teacher education, though limited research currently exists. This study investigated early-career teachers' perspectives concerning the efficacy of the initial music teacher education program at Yu Cai Normal…

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…

The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which teachers received the education or training that prepared them to teach social studies content knowledge, social studies critical thinking skills, and their overall preparation to become highly qualified teachers. The participants in the study were active social studies teachers in Tennessee…

Enrollment in traditional special education teacher preparation programs has declined while enrollment in alternative preparation programs has increased in Georgia (Georgia Insights, 2024). Since alternative preparation programs have become the viable recruitment vein for rural schools challenged to fill special education teaching vacancies,…

Teaching science to elementary school students is complex, and teacher preparation programs must support pre-service teachers' learning to communicate science content and practices with children. Science teachers bring the experiences they have as students to their teacher preparation, and these experiences may support or conflict with what they…

The nationwide teacher shortage has led to a shortage of fully trained teacher to hire leaving schools more open to hiring nontraditional teachers. Within this study, a nontraditional teacher is one who did not complete a formal teacher education process that included student teaching. These teachers are left to rely on their mentoring process for…

Researching the process of development during field experience before an elementary education teacher is hired is necessary to better understand their teaching self-efficacy. The purpose of this qualitative, single case study design was to explore how field experience, as part of a university undergraduate teaching program, developed novice…

The Commonwealth of Virginia has seen an increase in the number of educators completing Alternative Teacher Certification Programs, contributing to the diversity in the teaching work force. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of alternatively certified public K-12 teachers regarding their preparedness to teach. The researcher…