Impacts of teacher induction: A longitudinal cross-case comparison of beginning teachers in a content-specific program

Abstract

This paper explores the impacts of an induction program on three beginning secondary science teachers. These teachers participated in a beginning teacher support program, the goal of which was to help bridge the gap between preservice experiences and traditional in-service education opportunities. The goal of the support program was to provide needed support, encourage the implementation of inquiry-based methodologies, and dispose teachers to reflect upon their teaching experiences. The study describes these beginning teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning and explores how these conceptions, along with instructional practices, developed during the induction period. Descriptions of each teachers' development were enriched through attention to individual personal backgrounds and professional contexts. Descriptive case studies were based on a framework established by the data collection, which then guided comparison of individual experiences and contexts across cases. There were several conclusions. First, development of beliefs about teaching and learning varied across cases over the span of the induction period. Second, the differing degree of inquiry-based implementation can be attributed to the context in which each teacher worked. Finally, the differing degree of impact of the program from one individual to the next can be explained in part by the beliefs about teaching and learning that participants brought to the program, as well as the context in which each participant worked.