Journey towards full registration: a study of beginning teachers’ externally provided induction programmes in teacher-led ECE services

Abstract

Abstract The New Zealand Teachers Council recognises that “the induction of provisionally trained teachers is of critical importance for the retention and development of quality teachers” (Cameron, 2007, p. i). This study explores the effectiveness of an externally provided induction programme for provisionally registered teachers in teacher-led early childhood education services within Aotearoa New Zealand. An interpretive approach was taken, which used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to capture the participants’ provisional registration experiences. The findings are presented in a narrative style in order to capture the voices of the participants. The major findings from the study indicate that the induction process for beginning teachers in teacher-led early childhood services is a complex one, and not always a smooth transition from pre-service training. The context of teacher-led early childhood services is unique to the education sector as it comprises fully qualified, in-training and un-trained educators within its teaching teams. The study is contextualised within a historical overview of both teacher registration and early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The study indicates that there are both structural and situational factors which influence a beginning teacher’s entry into the profession of teaching within a teacher-led early childhood service. These include the quality of the provisionally registered teacher’s mentor and induction programme, the mandates and policies which govern the sector and the receptiveness of the professional community which the beginning teacher is being inducted into.