Abstract:

This study provides a characterization of how Chilean universities provide preparation or support towards the employability of novice teachers, with questions such as: What qualifications, offered by the university to prospective teachers, directly address the challenges of employability? In what areas of professional development does the university address this preparation? What support does the university offer in order to facilitate the insertion of beginning teachers in their first year of practice?
The study was conducted at six universities, and included the participation of primary and secondary teacher training program directors and field-based coursework (internship) program coordinators. In this context, 19 interviews, involving 32 people, were conducted.
The results show that Chilean universities still do not have institutionalized systems focused on monitoring and tracking graduates. Respondents recognized that there is a distance between initial training and employability of their nascent teachers. This gap is mainly understood as a problem to be solved in initial teacher training, as made evident by the lack of support for the beginning stages of professional teacher development in university programs.

Keywords:

Teacher performance assessment; Beginning teachers; Teacher professional development; Teaching effectiveness.