A retrospective inquiry into selected experiences of beginning teachers : a study in teacher socialization

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Mary Margaret J. Snyder (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
David E. Purpel

Abstract: Research attention is focused on the cultural expectations associated with the role of teacher as these expectations help shape a beginning teacher's sense of the role and of professional identity. The traditional social science quantitative research approach is contrasted with a qualitative phenomenological research perspective; the former helps reveal aggregate teacher role characteristics while the latter provides for an in-depth examination of the individual teacher's accommodation to the new role. Four experienced secondary school teachers were asked to reflect on their perception of their beginning teaching experience as it affected their sense of self as teacher. The interviews were analyzed using a participant-hermeneutic approach to reveal the emergent themes and issues of these teachers' socialization. The four teachers reported that they found teaching to be less fun and more work than they had expected; that they found minimal support from their peers; that they base their definition of good teaching on their observation of their own high school teachers; and that they generally feel powerless in the school setting.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1982

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