Exploring induction programmes supporting teachers’ self-efficacy in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district
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Date
2022
Authors
Ndabankulu, Amanda
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
This study explored the importance of induction programmes in supporting beginner teachers’ self-efficacy in selected schools in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district. Local and international studies have shown that beginner teachers report numerous challenges, such as lack of support from their colleagues or lack of a mentor, leading to frustration and even resignation in their first years of teaching. Self-efficacy is one of the critical components of resilience, which helps beginner teachers to overcome their challenges. In 2020, a partnership in piloting an induction programme in the Free State for Strengthening beginning teachers’ professional identity: An exploratory study into the efficiency of an induction model in South Africa was formed with Ghent University, the University of the Free state, the Free State Department of Basic Education, and the Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB), funded by the Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad University Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS).The research project entailed conducting an exploratory field test of the implementation of the induction programme. The current study formed part of the main research project and mainly focused on developing or strengthening beginner teachers’ selfefficacy during the induction programme. The study, which focuses on creating or enhancing beginner teachers’ self-efficacy through a social environment, is framed on the contours of Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. A mixed-methodology design was used to explore the success of implementing an induction programme and uncover supporting/hindering factors. The research findings indicate that beginner teachers had high levels of self-efficacy, which helped them deal with the challenges they faced in their first years of teaching. These challenges include overcrowded classrooms, administrative workload, a lack of support from the school, and the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study recommends that beginner teachers should be given proper mentorship and support by the host schools to enhance their self-efficacy.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.(Curriculum Studies))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
self-efficacy, beginner teachers, induction programme, social cognitive theory