Abstract:

The teaching profession is known for relatively high turnover compared to other occupations (Ingersoll, 2011). Research indicates that up to 50% of teachers leave the job within the first five 5 years of entry into teaching (OECD, 2020; Smith & Ingersoll, 2004); these high attrition rates that in turn have led to a wider teacher shortage in many parts of the world (Dickenson, et al., 2022; Lam & Yan, 2011; Löfström & Eisenschmidt, 2009). The main reasons for leaving the profession have been related to high workload (Howe, 2006; Stokking, Leenders, De Jong, & Van Tartwijk, 2003), dissatisfaction with working conditions and salary, insufficient preparation for teaching (Darling-Hammond, 2003). To reduce the number of novice teachers leaving from the workplace, induction programs (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011) have been developed. Research has proved that induction activities have positive impact on novice teachers’ commitment and retention, teacher classroom practices, and student achievement (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011).

This study focuses on the Carolina Teacher Induction Program (CarolinaTIP) that supports teachers making the transition from pre-service education student to successful classroom teacher. The program was initiated by the University of South Carolina’s (USC) College of Education with collaboration from school districts in the state of South Carolina, so it’s a unique university-based program. The induction program stands out with a high retention rate (above 90%) in the field of teaching in the state of South Carolina (Montpeirous, Lewis, & Jiang, 2022). Therefore, the aim of the study was to better understand the perspectives of the leadership team for a university-based induction program, including their insights into the program’s underlying principles and its successes.

The research was carried out with four people who developed and launched the program. The data were collected with semi-structured interviews. The open-ended questions were analyzed with the qualitative inductive content analysis method as it’s suitable for subjective interpretations and analysis of text data through a systematic coding and arrangement process (Elo & Kyngäs, 2008).

The principles underlying CarolinaTIP according to the program leadership were described in three categories: program foundations, support provided for novice teachers, and assessment of variables that influence teacher retention. For example, related to the program foundations, the participants highlighted that the induction program is based on the needs, specifically in meeting an identified void in teacher support, of the teachers in the state. Also, what makes this program outstanding is that it focuses solely on teachers through identifying, noticing, and responding to the needs of individual teachers. The participants of this study described the efficient implementation of the program under the category of success of the program. The level of the program success was highlighted through high rates of teacher retention (greater than 90% in the field). The reason for staying in the classroom is seen by the participants’ strong self-efficacy that teacher develop through the support received from the program. Further research could address how to create an iterative feedback loop between induction programs and Educator Preparation Providers.

Keywords:

Teacher induction, novice teacher, teacher’s professional development, teacher retention.