New Beginnings: Trials and Triumphs of Newly Hired Teachers
New Beginnings: Trials and Triumphs of Newly Hired Teachers
Mitigation of challenges in a new workplace is one of the struggles encountered by newly hired teachers.This article presents the findings of a survey of various teachers in new work contexts. Most participantswere surveyed after the completion of their TESOL MA or related master's programs, as well asundergraduate degrees and acquisition of teaching certificates. This qualitative data was gatheredthrough the use of an online survey that included questions about participants’ self-identified culturalbackgrounds, teacher and/or educational training, work experiences, support networks, and adaptationsin the workplace. As the data was analyzed, ideas of teacher identity and challenge mitigation were alsoexplored. Findings include challenges faced by teachers, modes of adaptation, and practical tips foreffectively adapting to the new work environment. The practical implications of this research include howteachers should strive to learn and adapt in each new context by relying on their teacher training andseeking assistance from sources of support in the new context.© 2018 EJAL & the Authors. Published by Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics (EJAL). This is an open-accessarticle distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY-NC-ND)(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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