Speaking Up and Speaking Freely: Beginning Teachers' Critical Perceptions of Their Professional Induction.

Abstract

The induction of beginning teachers has assumed a burgeoning priority given existing North American preoccupations with teacher retention, state educational standards, and large-scale assessment. In Canada, and especially Ontario, school boards are following the lead of many American institutions in establishing key partnerships with university faculties of education and provincial governing bodies to best prepare and induct beginning teachers into the profession. The objective of this qualitative research study was to examine the perceptions of 173 beginning teachers in Ontario participating in purposely selected exemplary induction programs. Four core categories emerged that showed conceptual differences in how teacher cohorts over a 2-year period understood their induction; namely, induction as exceeding beginning teachers ’ expectations, their appreciation of meaningful support, their recognition of teacher leadership, and the disconnect between in-services and practice. This study draws attention to the professional enculturation of beginning teachers, but more notably, compels a practical reconsideration of how induction is defined in light of beginning teacher growth and sustainability.

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