Beginning teachers’ use of online resources and communities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand how beginning teachers actually utilize online resources in their everyday teaching contexts. Using a qualitative interview study design, the researchers investigated beginning teachers’ use of online resources in three dimensions: professional tasks, emotional/personal support, and teaching practice. The findings revealed that the teachers’ primary approach to find the necessary resources was through the use of online search engines. Only a very small number of participants went beyond simply finding ideas. Also, it was found that the participants do not seek help from online resources for emotional and personal support, although they often feel overwhelmed and in need of such support. In sum, beginning teachers’ actual use of online resources remains at a superficial level. Furthermore, there is a number of competing resources, such as colleagues, family and self‐reflection, vying for very limited amounts of teachers’ time.