The Experience of New Teachers : results from TALIS 2008

Abstract

This report uses data from the TALIS 2008 survey, in which eight percent of the respondents were teachers with two years or less of teaching experience. Teachers and their principals reported on the teaching and learning environment of their schools and classrooms, focussing on issues such as classroom climate, the amount of time spent on classroom management as compared to actual teaching and learning, the kinds of early support new teachers receive, as well as the ongoing professional development opportunities offered. Teachers also provided information on their own feelings of self-efficacy as a teacher and on areas in which they felt they lacked skills and could benefit from additional professional development. Data such as these enable the comparison of the experience of new teachers to that of more experienced teachers and shed some light on the learning experience of students in both kinds of classrooms. This report examines not only the differences between new and more experienced teachers, but provides a context within which these differences – and any similarities – can be better interpreted. Finally, the report highlights the policy implications that might be considered as a result of this data analysis.