The professional learning needs of early career teachers: What's possible and desired between individuals, colleagues and contexts?

Abstract

It is a concern that more than 30% of New Zealand teachers are leaving the profession within the first five years of teaching. The Teachers of Promise project (2004-2008) is one research initiative within New Zealand that is exploring factors that influence early career teachers' decisions to stay within their current schools, change to another, or leave the profession. In this presentation vignettes from interviews with five early career teachers will be used to illustrate how personal and collective supports for learning contribute to decisions about whether to stay or leave teaching positions. Frameworks from the literature wil be used to analyse desired and actual levels of collegiality and professional learning or these early career primary and secondary teachers.