Being influenced or being an influence: New teachers’ induction experiences

Abstract

This article draws on and develops the outcomes of previous research which concluded that school subject departments provide the setting for influential professional development and that experienced teachers strongly influence their newly qualified colleagues. The findings of two subsequent research projects, which used this as a starting point, are examined through a figurational sociological perspective. The first project examines influences on professional development over five years with two participants and the second project, conducted with new teachers, takes the analysis a stage further to explore power relationships within new teachers' 'figurations'. The article asks whether it is inevitable that new recruits to the teaching profession are the victims of an unequal balance of power or whether they are able to exert professional influence over their colleagues. The research findings suggest that physical education (PE) subject communities in schools are strong and provide a context in which new teachers must often find ways to be accepted before they can influence practice. One of the outcomes of such a process is that new teachers perpetuate rather than challenge and improve current practice. If PE is to be progressive, experienced teachers must be aware of the strong influence they exert over new teachers, particularly during training and induction.

Meeting the Standards? Exploring Preparedness for Teaching

“…In the British context, Keay (2009) has employed figurational analysis to examine the position and influence of newly-qualified physical education teachers within the subject community. Her research has reaffirmed the strength of dominant, long-established discourses, which beginning teachers encounter but also invariably recognise from their own experiences of PE as students in schools.…”

“…For Keay (2009) this raises questions for teacher educators to consider, most notably the extent to which pre-service teacher education courses are "preparing teachers to meet the needs of what is already in place in schools or equipping them to challenge practice" (p. 245). The irony that Keay's (2009) work reveals is that traditional rather than innovative discourses are likely to inform both beginning teachers' and their new colleagues' judgments about preparedness for entry into the community of practice of physical education teaching.…”

“…The irony that Keay's (2009) work reveals is that traditional rather than innovative discourses are likely to inform both beginning teachers' and their new colleagues' judgments about preparedness for entry into the community of practice of physical education teaching.…”

An investigation of pre-service teachers’ learning in physical education teacher education: schools and university in partnership

“…The literature on the impact of CoP in physical education on PSTs concentrates broadly on social aspects around the development of teacher identity and power differentials between agents (Keay, 2009;Rossi and Lisahunter, 2013). Whilst notions of apprenticeship learning and legitimate peripheral participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991) are explored within that literature, there is a relative lack of explicit emphasis on the development of knowledge generally and subject knowledge specifically.…”

Untitled

“…In the past decade, more research has focused on two stages of teachers' professional growth: induction (e.g. Keay, 2009;Shoval, Erlich, & Fejgin, 2010) and decline, which includes attrition and preparation for retirement (e.g. Maskit, 2011).…”