Algaja käsitöö- ja kodunduse õpetaja kohanemise ja professionaalse arengu toetamine üldhariduskoolides

Abstract

The first years of a beginner teacher tend to be challenging and maintaining their positions can be difficult. It is important to understand the support and guidance that beginner teachers need to ensure optimal professional development. There are efforts to increase the attractiveness of becoming a teacher, and by providing new teachers with additional support, young professionals can feel more confident in their roles and derive pleasure and happiness from teaching. The objective of this master’s thesis was to research the support frameworks of new handicraft teachers at the primary and middle school levels and to examine the factors that help and prevent adaptation to their new roles. The research project utilised a qualitative methodology and was conducted on eight beginner handicraft teachers with three or fewer years of experience. The data was collected through semistructured interviews that explored individual motivations for teaching handicrafts, analysed support frameworks that assisted integration and collected recommendations for future support methods. The research found that beginner teachers need more support from management and colleagues. Specifically, additional mentorship from teachers in the same field would be beneficial. Additionally, there is often a lack of teaching materials and teachers feel that their training should better prepare them for difficult situations.