영어 초임교사의 교직 사회화에 관한 연구

A Study of the Occupational Socialization of Novice English Teachers at the First Years

Abstract

타 교과교육 분야에서 연구를 통해 초임교사에 대한 연구는 교직 사회화 과정이 교직 생활에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 영어 초임교사들이 직장에서 적응해 가는 과정에 관한 것으로 연구 결과를 바탕으로 초임교사를 지원하기 위한 방안을 제시하고자 한다. 교직 사회화 변인으로 구성된 설문 조사를 통해 영어 초임교사의 사회화에 대한 자료를 수집하였다. 문헌조사를 통해 초임교사의 사회화 과정에서 영향을 미치는 6가지 요인 즉, 학생과의 관계, 교수학습, 동료 관계, 학교 관리자의 지원, 학부모와의 관계, 사회적 기대 등을 추출하였다. 설문지는 이 6개 요인과 이들을 구성하는 하위 요소 44개로 구성되었다. 99명의 중등 영어 초임 교사가 설문 조사에 참여하였다. 각 요소들에 대한 응답 분석에 따르면 영어 초임교사의 사회화 과정에서 교사들은 양성기관에서 습득한 지식과 현직 간 격차를 경험하며, 동료 교사들의 지원에 대해서도 부정적이었으며 교직에 대한 사회적 기대에 대해서도 부정적인 태도를 보였다. 이런 결과를 바탕으로 입문기 연수, 멘토링 같은 지원 방안을 제안하였다. 특히 전대미문의 코로나 감염증(COIVD-19) 위기 속에서 교사 전문성 제고를 위해 교직에 입문하는 초임교사 지원이 요구되고 있다. 본 연구 결과를 바탕으로 초임교사 사회화에 대한 후속 연구, 교사 교육 정책 및 교사 연수에 대한 시사점을 도출하였다.

There is a paucity of research on socialization of novice teachers that has been found to have influence on their career through studies in different subject fields in various regions. This study addresses how novice English teachers perceive their socialization at the first years. It aims to draw implications for novice teacher support for training and professional development. Data were obtained from a questionnaire survey. From the review of the relevant literature, six themes were identified as significant factors in novice teachers' socialization process: relationship with pupils, teaching, rapport with colleagues, support from headteachers, relationship with parents, and expectations from the society. There were 44 questions under six key factors. 99 secondary English novice teachers participated in the survey. The analysis of the gathered responses to each question reveals information on their socialization process to become a secondary English teacher including adaptation challenges for professional development, which have been neglected but are gaining more attention from different stakeholders. This is being increasingly supported in the time of the coronavirus (COIVD-19) pandemic crisis, disruption and recovery. The study is concluded with some implications for research on novice teacher induction, and teacher education policy and practice.

I. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought life to a standstill across the world. Education has been hit hard by the global pandemic with nearly 184 country-wide school closures and 1.53 billion learners out of school, impacting 87.6% of the world’s total enrolled learners[1]. This unprecedented situation of school closure has had a detrimental impact on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, inclusiveness, social equity, and quality education in terms of class divide and its inequalities, digital disruption, required enduring innovation and transformation, and other challenges. Policy makers and educators across the world are coping with and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with strategies to mitigate the disruption at the school and national levels. They encourage initiatives that prevent barriers like the burden of caregiving, inequitable distribution of learning resources and marginalization in the home, to increase access and opportunity to learn and achieve equally during the COVID-19 crisis.

This unprecedented emergency affects in-service teachers’ continuing professional learning, not to mention the socialization of novice teachers who experienced the transition from student teacher to full-time teacher. The role of teacher professionalism has been emerged as a key to continuing learning in the face of the pandemic outbreak and school closure. The COVID-19 epidemic may represent an enduring transformation with flexible approaches to achieve the goal of school education. It is known that teacher professionalism divide leads to education divide in student learning. Teachers are required to take more responsibility for their own learning and professional development for innovation and transformation. Measures to support teacher professional learning needs to be based on the understanding of teacher socializing and learning process. There is a demand for understanding the complex process. However, there is a paucity of research on the socialization of English novice teachers to refer to in building up strategies to be implemented. In this context, this study aims to propose some implications for policy to provide support to novice teachers struggling to cope with the crisis and continue their professional learning and formation on the basis of the information on the beginning teachers’ socialization using the survey tool on teachers views on the relevant issues.

II. Theoretical Background

Entering teaching career is considered as the most determining stage in teacher’s professional life[2]. The transition from students at the teacher training college to teachers at schools includes learning to manage a variety of responsibilities for managing classrooms and relationships with school administrators, colleagues and parents, and managing their identity within the local community served by the school.

This is known as a complex process where many roles and responsibilities are required to and taken by teachers. In this context, the process is characterized as a ‘reality’ or ‘praxis shock’[3]. Huberman similarly describes the early stage of teaching career ‘exploration’ that affects the survival of newly qualified teachers as the discovery of difficulties and challenges[4]. The studies on novice teachers reveal that student teachers at the pre-service training start their career with little or no preparation for such roles and responsibilities[5-8].

The experiences of beginning teachers have been the focus of considerable attention in the general educational literature. As Hayes and Chang review, a number of studies have been conducted across the entire spectrum of subject teachers in diverse regions across the world[5]. Although the degree of attention is far from being matched with the field of general education, recently the literature on teaching English to speakers of other languages has begun to focus on novice teachers[5][6][9-13].

Studies of the experiences of novice teachers have contributed to exploring the process of novice teachers’ socialization. It is found that socio-educational factors have influence on the socialization process, and the process is not linear and straight with teaching career cycle, but complicated with intertwined factors. Brown‘s analysis of the cases of secondary novice teachers’ experiences during the first semester shows how previous life experiences are significant on teaching orientations, teachers’ perceptions and motivations, the relationship between the social positions of teaching, and the effects of teachers’ daily experiences on identity formation[14]. Senom, Zakaria, and Shah find that beginning teachers realize that experience as student teachers at the training institute and the ideals they formed may not be appropriate for the realism they are faced with during their first years of teaching [15]. This finding explains why the transition from the teacher education institution to a real classroom is characterized as a type of reality shock.

Shin in his study of the socialization of Korean teachers of English focuses on reasons why novice teachers with a good command of English ended up conducting their English classes in Korean[10]. His research shows that the influence of more experienced colleagues at schools is profound with the negative reactions of other teachers leading the novice teachers to question and even given up attempts to use methods introduced on their pre-service training courses with focus on ‘Teaching English through English’. Pogodzinski, Youngs and Frank investigate the association of beginning teachers’ intent to remain teaching with their perception of the collegial climate[16]. The findings of the investigation suggest that novice teachers’ perception of a more positive collegial climate marked by higher degrees of professional fit and collective responsibility among colleagues is closely associated with their intent to remain teaching within their schools. This supports the claim that relationship with colleagues plays a significant role in the socialization of novice teachers in schools.

School culture and relationship with students have influence on novice teachers’ socialization at the first years. In the study of English teachers’ career motivation in Korea, it is revealed that primary demotivating factors in the first years of teaching career are administrative burden and learners’ lethargic attitudes[9]. Studies on novice teachers’ socialization shows that demotivation is related to the gap between perception about the profession developed during studies at universities and school reality beginning teachers face. Fantilli and McDougall emphasize administrative leadership and district sponsored support as positive factors that are necessary for novice teachers to grow[17].

Paula and Grinfelde emphasize the importance of induction stage in the long-term professional life as during the socialization novice teachers establish teacher’s authority, self-positioning as a teacher, time management, problems with discipline in a classroom, lack of skills to develop curriculum and lesson plans, difficulties in communication with parents, and responsibilities[2]. They suggest that appropriate support such as mentoring reduce level of stress and uncertainty while novice teachers are adapted to school during the period of transition from pre-service to in-service. It is also suggested that the most appropriate environment for novice teachers should be ensured so that they would continue their teaching profession. In relation to mentoring, novice teachers in Paula and Grinfelde’s study have the expectation that a mentor would introduce them to school traditions and internal rules and would advise on discipline in a classroom as well as would help to develop curriculum[2].

Studies of initial years’ teaching of novice teachers reveal reflections on initial training programs at teacher training colleges. Akcan in a study to identify strengths and weaknesses in their teacher education program, and actualities novice teachers face when work in schools[18]. It is found that significant differences between the content of novice teachers’ academic courses in their teacher education program and the conditions they experience in classrooms. The study reveals that the major challenges of their first years of teaching are related to lesson delivery, managing behaviour, unmotivated students, and students with learning disabilities. The findings from the literature on the novice teachers’ socialization suggest that policy gap between initial training at college and realities novice teachers face suggest that support should be provided in areas necessary for beginning teachers to grow into the profession such as learning experience at initial training, daily teaching, relationship with colleagues, leadership, relationship with parents, and community sponsor.

III. Research Methods

1. Participants

The socio-demographic information of the 99 respondents is presented in [Table 1]. As the table shows, 83(83.8%) novice teachers out of 99 respondents are female while only 16(16.2%) teachers are male. Female novice teachers outnumbers males. 78(78.8%) teachers out of the whole respondents are in their twenties, and 21(21.3%) teachers are at their thirties. 65(65.7%) novice teachers work at the schools in cities while 33(33.3%) teachers work at the school in the countryside.

Table 1. Socio-demographic information of respondents

The responses by the teachers with different socio-demographic information are analyzed using the statistical analysis tool to see the tendency and differences among the variables, gender, age, school level and location.

2. Questionnaire and Procedure

In the questionnaire used for the survey, there are 6 categories that represent key factors for novice teachers’ learning and professional development: relationship with pupils, teaching, rapport with colleagues, support from headteachers, support from parents, and views from general public. Six categories are drawn from the findings of the relevant literature review: relationship with students, teaching related issues, rapport with colleagues, support from headteachers, relationship with parents, and expectation from the society. Each category has relevant statements. There are 44 statements in the questionnaire. Participants were asked to indicate the degree of agreement to each statement from the scale of strongly disagree(1) to strongly agree(5).

The questionnaires were sent to the 99 secondary schools by 17 local offices of education, where newly qualified teachers were appointed. One novice teacher from the schools was asked to complete the questionnaire and return to the researcher. The gathered 99 responses from the participating schools were analyzed to see the frequency of the responses to each question and statistical difference among socio-demographic variables using the statistics package SPSS 12.0 Window.

IV. Results and Discussion

1. Relationship with Pupils

[Table 2] shows how the novice teachers in the survey see their relationship with students in work place. 61(61.6%) of the novice teachers disagree that they are able to address the unique needs of each student in their class. 83(83.8%) teachers in the survey express their agreement that their awareness of which students are listening and understanding and which are not, when teaching. 69(69.9%) novice teachers say that their students behave better if they need to as them to. Regarding students’ appreciation of their teachers’ efforts, the novice teachers neither agree nor disagree to the statement ‘My students tell me that they appreciate the great efforts that make for them’. 60(60.6%) of the teachers show their intimacy with their students by agreeing that their students discuss their personal problems with them, even non-school problems. 63 novice teachers think that their students learn what they teach, while they are rather negative about their students’ behavior in school. Only 34 novice teachers show agreement that their students do not behave badly in school.

Table 2. Relationship with their pupils

1(strongly disagree);2(disagree);3(agree);4(strongly agree)

The analysis of the responses reveals that the novice teachers express a certain level of agreement to most of the statements related to the relationship with students. The novice teachers disagree to meeting students’ needs in the classroom, students’ voluntary appreciation of teachers’ efforts and school behavior.

2. Teaching Related Issues

According to [Table 3], 70(70.7%) novice teachers disagree that the school allows them to follow their inclination and fully apply their personal and professional skills. 76 teachers out of 99 respondents show their disagreement to their schools’ constant assistance in broadening their professional education. 75(75.8%) teachers responds that their self-esteem has grown throughout their work amid the adverse situation. The teachers neither agree nor disagree to the statements ‘The school coordinates the tasks it assigns me so that they do not clash’ and ‘The school has a clear and consistent approach regarding disorderly student behavior’. These results seem to be related to the teachers’ negative attitude toward the school’s assistance in broadening their professional education, and students’ behavior in schools.

Table 3. Teaching related issues

1(strongly disagree);2(disagree);3(agree);4(strongly agree)

Most of the novice teachers show disagreement that the school’s teaching methods match those they learned in college. They seem to identify a gap between pre-service training and reality. Likewise, 84(84.8%) of the respondents disagree that the school’s general educational approach corresponds to the approach they developed at university. A majority of the novice teacher in the survey show their agreement to the gap between learning at the teacher college and schools.

The analysis of the responses to the statements related to teaching issues in teaching issues reveals that the novice teachers are faced with the unfavorable situation in expanding their professional skills. It is obviously shown that there is a gap between learning at pre-service and teaching at schools in terms of teaching methods and general educational approach.

3. Rapport with Colleagues

As [Table 4] shows, 61(61.6%) novice teachers disagree to other teachers’ willingness to help them resolve routine professional problems. They neither agree nor disagree to other teachers’ offer to help them without asking and the colleagues’ talking to them about work and sharing new ideas with them. The majority of the teachers disagree that other teachers discuss professional difficulties frankly with them, and other teachers are interested in teaching techniques they learned at university. The respondents neither agree nor disagree that senior teachers show them they can still enjoy and be excited about teaching even after years in the profession.

Table 4. Rapport with colleagues

1(strongly disagree);2(disagree);3(agree);4(strongly agree)

The analysis of the responses to the statements on rapport with colleagues shows that it is difficult to conclude that the novice teachers work in a supportive rapport with their colleagues in pursuing professional development.

4. Support from Headteachers

[Table 5] shows that the novice teachers neither agree nor disagree to 4 statements out of 10 statements concerning their headteachers’ open-mindedness, allowance to introduce creative, unconventional teaching methods, and frank appreciation of efforts and achievements. They show agreement that their headteachers’ encouragement for supportive relationship among teachers, help with school matters, and spontaneous response to asking support. The novice teachers think that they are ensured to teach only their specialist subject, i.e., English. On the other hand, the majority of the novice teachers think that their headteacher not always backs them in front of their students and parents. They disagree that their headteacher supports all of their professional decisions, and they don’t think they are offered interesting and challenging roles.

Table 5. Support from headteachers

1(strongly disagree);2(disagree);3(agree);4(strongly agree)​​​​​​​

It is revealed that the beginning teachers accept their headteachers’ openness with no particular resistance. The analysis of the responses shows that they are positive about their headteachers’ willingness to help them with difficulties they face at work while they disagree that they are backed up in front of their pupils or parents about their professional decisions, they are given interesting and challenging roles, and their efforts and achievements are appreciated by their headteachers.

5. Relationship with Parents

As shown in [Table 6], more than 60(61.3%) novice teachers agree to the statements on relationship with parents, including support for professional decisions, respect, appreciation of teachers’ efforts, admitting children’s bad behavior and need for discipline, parents’ efforts, and frank and accurate report about children. In terms of mean value each statement gains, they shows the highest level of agreement to parents’ admitting when their children are badly behaved and need disciplining. The respondents neither agree nor disagree to the statement that parents consult the them about their children’s difficulties, even those not directly relate to school. 62(63.3%) novice teachers show disagreement to parents’ regular involvement and updating about their children’s behavior and progress.

Table 6. Relationship with parents

1(strongly disagree);2(disagree);3(agree);4(strongly agree)​​​​​​​

Compared with the results of the rest sections, the novice teachers express a relatively strong agreement to the statements about relationship with parents. While parents seem to show respect to novice teachers about their expertise and efforts for children, it is shown that the parents are not actively involved and regularly updated about children’s behavior in school and academic progress.

6. Views from the General Public

As shown in [Table 7], the respondents disagree to all statements about the public views on teachers. In terms of mean value each statement gains, the novice teachers in the survey show a relatively strong disagreement to the public’s awareness of their devotion, handling difficult problems in school, and not choosing teaching because they could not find other jobs.

Table 7. Views from the public

1(strongly disagree);2(disagree);3(agree);4(strongly agree)​​​​​​​

The analysis of the responses reveals that there is a gap between the public opinions and their expectation about the views from the public. It shows that the novice teachers think that they work more than the public think, and their work is more difficult than the public perceive. It is also shown that there is a gap in views about the reasons for their becoming teachers.

V. Conclusions and Suggestions

The first years’ experience of newly qualified and appointed teachers is considered as the most determining stage in their professional life as it has a significant influence on teacher identity, beliefs, responsibilities, intent to remain teaching and other aspects of teaching career. This may be particularly true in the time facing unexpected changes and crisis like the COVID-19 for novice teachers’ long-term professional development. The findings from the current study raise the issues concerning appropriate novice teacher support and changes in initial teacher education.

It is suggested that the most appropriate and effective mentoring programs for newly qualified English teachers should be developed and implemented at school level. Considering time and energy that go into mentoring it is necessary to have a better understanding of what activities are most helpful for novice teachers’ growing at the first years and what supports need to be provided by administrators to contribute to optimal functioning of such mentoring programs. Studies need to be conducted to understand their perceptions and needs. The findings from such studies need to provide information on their needs for effective professional growing through mentoring. Research should also be done to explore beginning teachers’ perception of such meontoring support where more is known about the school context and community, specifically how administrators or colleagues actually provide supports for mentoring.

The findings from this study suggest that a gap between initial teacher training courses and classroom teaching needs to be bridged to support novice teachers’ socialization. The curriculum of pre-service teacher training should reflect demands from the school and be implemented in collaboration with schools for a better preparation of student teachers’ entering the career. Regarding teaching practicum for student teachers, it is suggested that school administrators, with the guidance from university supervisors, should be careful when matching student teachers and cooperating teachers. In relation to mentoring, it is suggested that a supervision training program for mentor teachers can be conducted by university supervisors to help them with their roles, so that cooperating teachers are better prepared for their supervisory roles and develop student teachers’ more positive attitudes towards teaching and professional development.

As mentioned earlier, the field of novice teachers lives are in its infant stage. It is expected that the experiences of novice teachers will be the focus of the focus of considerable attention and support in the field of English education. Studies focusing on both novice teachers and mentors should be carried out in the future. This research seeks to explore the experience of novice English teachers during their first years of in-service including some aspects of professional socialization. However, to capture a more comprehensive picture of the theme, further research needs to be conducted by gathering data from different sources and methods in a complementary manner. Implications from such research findings would be valid and useful in providing teacher support.