Perspectives of three experienced teachers in new positions : a portraiture study

by 1970- Gant, Angela Leigh

This study examined the perspectives of three experienced new teachers during their first three months in their new schools. Research was conducted using the method of portraiture—a qualitative method that allows the researcher to create first-person narratives that attempt to portray the essence of a study’s participants. The findings of this study revealed that the participants encountered many struggles as experienced new teachers. They expressed concerns about the induction program, the hiring process, learning their new curricula, obtaining materials and teaching supplies, as well as “fitting in.” In addition, four underlying themes that seemed to determine these three teachers’ levels of satisfaction emerged: the number of previous years spent teaching, the quality of previous teaching experiences, the presence of preconceived ideas about the new school, and the personality of the individual teacher. Implications for further research and for school administrators and colleagues were suggested.