Teacher Induction Revisited

Four beginning teachers' experiences of induction programs in Queensland secondary schools are described. Interviews with principals and other senior teachers indicated keen and sympathetic awareness of the complexities of entry into teaching. The beginning teachers of the study complained that induction programs offered were inadequate, inappropriate, or both. These research findings are discussed in terms of the research literature and current official policy on induction in Queensland. It is argued that current induction programs are based for the most part on a deficit model of beginning teachers. Recommendations are made for further research in two main areas: critical examination of teacher induction, the term itself, its purpose and underlying theoretical assumptions; and context-specific studies of programs of support for new teachers.