Illinois New Teacher Collaborative

Friedrichsen, P., Chval, K. B., & Teuscher, D. (2007). Strategies and sources of support for beginning teachers of science and mathematics. School Science and Mathematics, 107, 5, 69-81.

Recommended for teacher educators, researchers, administrators

Empirical Research: Qualitative Case Study Report. Qualitative case study of 18 teachers from rural, suburban, and urban schools; notes formal and informal forms of mentoring used; proposes a mentoring model based on “the realization that [new teachers’] ideal images of teaching do not match the realities of their classrooms” (p. 1).

Key Ideas
All 18 of the beginning teachers studied cited “Student Interactions” as a challenge. A quote used to represent the teachers’ sentiments is the following: “I feel I have worked so hard getting ready to come and I’ve prepared a lesson that I think is great and then when that energy and enthusiasm isn’t being reciprocated by your students it can be so difficult” (p. 171).

The other challenges cited by beginning teachers were: professional interactions, emotions/feelings/expectations, teaching assignment, time, instructional responsibilities, teacher knowledge bases, non-teaching responsibilities, physical environment, and personal life issues.

Internal (within the school district) and external (outside of the school district) support structures were discussed. Examples of internal structures: assigned mentors, beginning teacher meetings, district professional development, instructional coaches, administrators, other teachers, etc. Examples of external support: Beginning Teacher Institute, teacher preparation institutions, professional organizations/conferences, University-based induction programs, graduate coursework, family, friends, beginning teachers, and experienced teachers.

Researchers found that beginning teachers in this study had idealistic views of teaching. They expected themselves to accomplish the same feats as master teachers. These unrealistic expectations contributed to frustration among the beginning teachers.

The findings indicate that “mentor teachers were perceived as supportive when they initiated frequent contact, taught the same subject, shared a common planning time, and offered lesson plans and other curricular resources” (p. 177).

Informal supports, both within and outside of the school, were seen as crucial. Critical sources of support included “department teachers, teachers in adjacent classrooms, other beginning teachers, as well as family and friends” (p. 171).

The participants with “extensive support networks were more likely to indicate they intended to teach the following year” (p. 172).