The socialisation of six neophyte primary teachers

Abstract

The format of teacher socialisation studies of the past has been directed toward the characteristics and social origins of teachers and the issue of job commitment, {Charter,1963; Mason,19.61; Geer, 1966; Getsels and Jackson,1963). The issue of teacher professionalism has also dominated such studies. Notwithstanding the shortcomings of all research on this topic, the study reported herein attempts to analyse the process of teacher socialisation by limiting both the sample size and the non-personalised research instruments. Too often, past studies have de-humanised the socialisation process by manipulating large and cumbersome samples of neophyte teachers with scores of differential questionnaires - such studies make little attempt to enter the teaching environment to view and bear the experiences of new teachers. From the outset it is acknowledged that this research study is not enforced by the rigid methodological structure that has accompanied previous studies in the field. Rather an attempt bas been made to allow for the ‘feelings’, ‘sentiments’, ‘tribulations’ and ‘regrets’ of the neophyte teachers to play a part in the data presentation. The assumption that teacher socialisation is a ‘personalised’, ‘interactional process’ has led the direction of this research to be focused upon six individual neophyte teachers, rather than the sample as a whole. It therefore must be understood that any conclusions from this research relating to the process of teacher socialisation, must be of a general nature, since the socialisation pa.th, for a teacher is dependent upon a number of independent variables which accompany the neophyte into his/her teaching position, and also upon a number of variables which are present in the school system where the neophyte is teaching. In essence, then, this research is a micro-study of six neophyte teachers and their socialisatory patterns.

Date of Award	1976
Original language	English