Incorporation and reception in Early Childhood and Primary Schools in Catalonia: perceptions of teachers, tutors and principals

Abstract

Entering the teaching profession is a process influenced by many factors that have an effect on the way the novice teachers, recently graduated from university, perceive and live the first year of their teaching experience. These factors are related to the context: the sort of reception organized by the school management team and teachers; the peer-support and the professional
maturity of the teacher.
This article presents a research about the first year of teaching experience in Catalan public schools of infantile and primary education. The study has foreseen the accomplishment of study cases in five educational centers. Individual and group interviews have been carried out to beginning teachers, their mentors and the school management board. Focus groups with trainers
of beginning teachers taking part of an induction program promoted by the Catalan government, have been also carried out and finally interviews to different services of education (inspectors, psychopedagogs and members of resource centers.
The results here presented summarize one part of the research, this is the perceptions of teachers, mentors and management board’s members. They confirm the necessity to offer an induction program for first year teachers based on daily practice reflection as well as to plan the reception of new teachers by means of a contextualized plan including information on the school organization and curriculum as well as support strategies from expert teachers and the
management board.