This research aims to investigate the journey of student teachers as they complete their program of study and begin their careers in the teaching profession. There is little documented evidence of what, if any, impact an initial teacher education program can have on teachers as they move through the profession – from student to newly qualified teacher to fully certificated teacher. This project will explore this relationship and how graduates call on the knowledge acquired in their initial teacher education qualification to inform their practice as teachers. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand is currently undertaking a project examining Future Focussed Initial Teacher Education this project will complement this work as well as the Ministry of Education's Draft Strategic Plan for Early Learning. The aims of both of these pieces of work are to provide quality learning outcomes for all children and effective teaching strategies. This project will explore these aims and the relationship between an initial teacher education program.
The research is a longitudinal study with three phases. The first phase investigated graduates perceptions of preparedness to teach and as they enter the workforce how their field-based initial teacher education training has contributed to this. The next two phases will follow the newly qualified teachers as the transverse the induction and mentoring towards full certification. In these two phases of this research the participants will become teacher researchers.
This presentation reports on the findings of the first phase which included a survey and semi-structured interviews