The challenges of beginning teacher induction: a collective case study

ABSTRACT

The induction of beginning teachers is an imperative process in enculturating teachers to their new careers and helping them overcome the hurdles in the early years of teaching and the registration processes teachers undergo. Although induction practices in Australia have become more common in recent years, the data shows there is still much work to do. The current article presents a collective case study of six induction programs, which sought to ascertain the nature of beginning teacher induction in the independent school sector in NSW. Although difficult to generalise across the entire schooling sector, it is likely that the cases selected provide a snapshot of the variety and inconsistency of induction programs in independent schools across the state. The implications of the findings are significant in that they support structured induction of beginning teachers that may require bureaucratic oversight to ensure that beginning teachers have the best opportunity to become highly qualified career professionals.

KEYWORDS:

• Induction
• beginning teacher

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sean Kearney

Sean Kearney is Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Academic, in the School of Education, Sydney at the University of Notre Dame Australia. His research interests include assessment reform in higher education, the impact of international service learning immersion programs, and beginning teacher induction. He has recently expanded on his research into induction and is seeking to establish links between induction and student outcomes.