Browsing by Subject "Novice teachers"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item An exploration of stress, job satisfaction, individual teacher and school factors among Teach For America teachers(2016-05) Reiser, Jenson Elizabeth; McCarthy, Christopher J.; Rochlen, AaronCurrent research suggests that the attrition rate for novice teachers continues to rise and that chronic stress plays a significant role (Ingersoll, 2001; Klassen & Chiu, 2011). While stress in educational settings is widely acknowledged, specific factors contributing to teacher stress are not well understood (McCarthy, Lambert, O’Donnell, & Melendres, 2009). To address this gap in the literature, data were collected from 51 novice teachers (Teach For America corps members and alumni; mean years’ teaching experience = 2.04) to explore vulnerability to stress, job satisfaction, preventive coping resources, perfectionism, and school context (charter vs. district). Results demonstrated that this sample of teachers reported higher than average demands and stress levels, and lower than average levels of classroom resources. Data also suggested higher levels of preventive coping were related to lower perceptions of classroom demands and lower perfectionism scores. Additionally, higher levels of perfectionism were related to lower perceptions of classroom resources. Participants were classified into groups (Resource, Demand, & Balance) based on scores on perceptions of classroom demands and resources. Membership in the Demand group exceeded average numbers found in previous studies. Preventive coping did not differ significantly between members of the Demand group and non-members of the Demand group, though the Demand group had significantly higher perfectionism and significantly lower job satisfaction scores. Finally, while differences in perceived demands were not significantly different by school context, teachers at charter schools showed significantly higher perceived resources. These findings highlight the need to provide a more complex understanding of factors placing novice teachers at risk for occupational stress and could inform decisions on how best to support them.Item Novice foreign language teachers' teaching efficacy beliefs and perceptions of professional support : a mixed-methods study(2011-12) Willard, Mitsi Pair; Svinicki, Marilla D., 1946-; Horwitz, Elaine K.; Salinas, Cinthia; LeMond, Malia; Palmer, DeborahSelf-efficacy is an individual’s judgment of the relative probability of her or his likely success in attaining desired outcomes (Bandura, 1977). For teachers, efficacy beliefs serve as an assessment of their own abilities to promote student learning. Efficacy beliefs are content-specific and are believed to form early in teachers’ professional careers. While studies on teachers’ sense of efficacy have examined content areas such as math and science (Mulholland & Wallace, 2001; Riggs & Enochs, 1990), very little research has been conducted to explore the perceived efficacy beliefs of beginning foreign language (FL) teachers. Using a mixed methods approach, this investigation explored factors influencing the teaching efficacy beliefs of FL teachers in a major urban school district in north Texas, as well as the potential relationship between their perceptions of efficacy and professional support. Quantitative data included surveys of FL teachers’ efficacy beliefs and perceptions of support. Qualitative data was comprised of case studies, including interviews, observations, and documents collected from four novice FL teachers, all of whom entered the classroom via alternative routes to certification. Cross-case analyses suggest that FL teachers often felt their content area was devalued by administrators, colleagues, and students as a result of its status as a non-tested content area. The efficacy beliefs of the novice FL teachers were influenced in part by contextual factors of their respective schools, including professional isolation as a result of being the only FL teacher on campus, support of colleagues, and the availability of time and resources. Because the four case study participants lacked the benefit of traditional university-based certification, they demonstrated tendencies to rely on their “selected memories,” making sense of their role(s) as teacher via the perspective acquired when they were students. Findings of the study suggest that FL teachers often experience “Stepchild Syndrome,” marked by professional isolation, a lack of relevant professional development opportunities, and a shortage of pertinent resources for FL teaching. The speculative nature of alternatively certified FL teachers’ efficacy beliefs is also examined. The study draws implications for supporting beginning FL teachers, particularly those who enter the profession through alternative routes.Item Technology integration and novice teachers : looking at technology use of novice teachers in the context of their first year of teaching(2006-08) Abate, Lisa Marie; Resta, Paul E.The aim of this study was to examine first year teachers' experiences incorporating instructional technology into their teaching through the lens of Technology-Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Technology-Pedagogical Content Knowledge is a fairly new concept drawn from the concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, originating with Shulman. Participating teachers were graduates of a Southwestern University's College of Education laptop initiative that required all College of Education students to purchase a laptop. The laptop was used throughout their pre-service teaching course work. The first graduating cohort of this initiative was surveyed during their first full year of teaching. Ten of those surveyed then participated in interviews and journal writing related to their technology integration experiences. Results indicated that for the most part these new teachers are not facing access and support related barriers to technology use, though time constraints are still an issue. Results also indicated that the teachers are using technology in their instructional activities, and are continuing to grow in their technology integration skills. The basis in technology use from their College of Education combined with the technology-supportive school atmosphere in which they teach appears to be an environment that is fostering teachers who are willing to experiment with technology integration and are planning how to integrate it more in the coming school year. Their understanding of the connections between technology, content and pedagogy, their t-PCK, are developing and transforming. Impact on the field includes a greater understanding of how teachers come to design lessons for technology integration as well as a greater understanding of how graduates from teacher preparation programs with an emphasis on technology integration are able to apply their skills upon entering the teaching field.Item The perceptions of novice and veteran teachers on the role of the principal in the retention of urban novice teachers(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Sarpy-Simpson, Claudine L.The purpose of this study is to identify the perceptions of novice and veteran teachers regarding the role of the principal in retaining teachers in the profession. Also, the research investigated whether and to what extent there are differences in the perceptions of novice and veteran teachers on the role of the principal in teacher retention. Participants for the study were selected from 15 elementary schools in an urban school district in the Southwestern part of the United States. The study included 270 novice and veteran elementary teachers who completed a Likert Scale questionnaire consisting of 23 questions. The study revealed that novice and veteran teachers believe principals play a key role in the retention of novice teachers. Specifically, the study revealed that teachers want to know the expectation of principals and their evaluation of them as a novice. In addition, they expect principals to play a major role in providing professional development support for teaching strategies, classroom management, and they expect continuous collaboration and encouragement. The results of the study revealed that there was not a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of the novice and veteran teachers in regards to the role of the principal and teacher retention.