Understanding the Teaching Perspectives of First-Year Teachers

The effect of school context on first-year teachers' reflective judgment was investigated. Six begin ning teachers were asked to describe a problem that they had encountered in their first year of teaching and their attempted solutions. Their descriptions were analyzed to determine the teachers' level of reflective judgment. Analysis of interviews with the teachers revealed that the teachers who exhibited more mature reflection worked in schools with supportive colleagues and administrators who valued teacher decision making and gave teachers autonomy to experiment with curriculum and instructional strategies.