Publication details
Objective determinants of novice teacher drop-out
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Novice teachers are at one of the most vulnerable stages of their career. According to Darling-Hammond (2003), the rate of attrition among teachers in their first two years of teaching is at least double the average for teachers overall. The drop-out rate, however, varies from country to country (comp. Ingersoll, 2003) and is linked to many factors. These include personal (e.g. well-being, stress) as well as objective aspects connected to schools, pupils and their parents, the quality of induction programme, educational policy or the social context. A number of recent studies indicated that the contextual factors play a major role in the novice teachers’ decision to leave the profession (eg. Johnson et al, 2012). This issue has not been given much attention in the Czech Republic so far, which is why this study seeks to investigate the objective determinants of novice teacher drop-out in this specific context. We aim to explore how novice teachers’ perceptions of (1) classes and pupils, (2) their colleagues, (3) the school and its climate, (4) the school management, (5) the community and parents, and (6) the social context are connected to novice teachers’ decision to either change schools or leave the teaching profession. The data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of 70 Likert scale items and additional context questions. The research sample consists of 197 novice teachers in the first three years of their teaching careers. The data is analysed using standard statistical procedures. In our sample, 18 % of teachers are considering changing schools and almost 10 % are considering changing career. The preliminary results suggest that the teachers who are considering changing schools report worse relationships among their pupils in class. They also feel less appreciated and supported by parents and rate the overall school conditions worse than the other two groups. The teachers who are considering leaving the teaching profession report having less informal contact with their colleagues and find their colleagues less interested in the profession. Surprisingly, they perceive to have slightly fewer problems with school management and with the school environment than the previous group (but overall more than the teachers who want to stay in the same school). They also perceived lack of functional induction programme in their schools. The results will be compared to similar studies to highlight the similarities and differences that could be ascribed to the culture- and country-specific context. This might be of interest to both researchers and teacher educators internationally and could contribute to the discussions on how to help novice teachers cope with the demands of the teaching profession. Darling-Hammond, L. (2003). Keeping good teachers: Why it matters, what leaders can do. Educational Leadership, 60 (8), 6–13. Ingersoll, R. (2003). Is there really a teacher shortage? A report, Center for the Study of Teaching. Johnson, S. M., Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2012). How context matters in high-need schools: The effects of teachers’ working conditions on their professional satisfaction and their students’ achievement. Teachers College Record, 114(10), 1-39. |
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