Source: Journal of Science Teacher Education, Volume 23, Issue 6, pp 651-671. October 2012
This article reports on 20 newly qualified secondary science teachers (NQSSTs) participating in a New Zealand study on teachers’ early professional learning.
The focus of the study is how these new teachers were nurtured to become competent science teachers, confident of their ability to positively influence student learning.
Based on responses to a graduating questionnaire and three interviews across their first 18 months of teaching, the authors look at the effect of induction and contextual factors on the teachers’ efficacy.
While the NQSSTs overall reported relatively constant ratings of self-efficacy, they demonstrated different patterns of declared efficacy across this 18-month period.
Findings regarding the influence of induction practices and contextual factors on the efficacy of these teachers are mixed.