Early career teacher educators' dispositions toward sustainability and accountability for sustainability issues: a case from teachers colleges in Turkey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Öztürk ◽  
Oren Pizmony-Levy

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the dispositions of early career teacher educators as young academics toward sustainability and accountability for sustainability issues. Through their interpretations, concerns, awareness and ownership of sustainability, the study portrays how a global phenomenon is articulated specifically within the local context of teachers colleges in Turkey.Design/methodology/approachThe study was designed as a survey, and the data were collected through a cross-sectional online questionnaire. The sample (n = 72) was limited, through purposeful sampling, to early career teacher educators teaching and being trained in well-established Turkish teachers colleges to become prospective faculty members of newly founded teachers colleges across the country. The data were analyzed primarily through quantitative methods. For the analyses, STATA software was used to perform descriptive and inferential statistics.FindingsThe general results indicated that the participants were highly concerned about sustainability problems. However, their concerns were not reflected to the same degree on their perceived awareness and ownership of education for sustainable development (ESD). Hunger and poverty, loss of biodiversity, climate change and epidemic diseases were all perceived to be urgent more in the global context. On the other hand, unemployment, refugees and terrorism were perceived to be locally urgent problems. Different agencies within the community were addressed to be accountable for different types of sustainability problems. The accountability for economic, environmental and societal problems were mainly placed on governments. Additionally, individuals/families and educators were held more accountable for environmental issues, while corporations and super powers were held more accountable for economic issues. As for societal issues, educators, individuals/families and non-governmental organizations were addressed to be more responsible.Originality/valueThe significance of the study is mainly twofold. If sustainable development is conceptualized with a futuristic viewpoint that attaches a great importance to next generations' needs, focusing on the dispositions of early career teacher educators as young academics is a reasonable way of addressing the current gaps and eliminating the future inefficacies. Building on the assumption that ESD would remain imperfect without the commitment of teacher educators who have the potential to bring changes in educational systems and shape knowledge and skills of future teachers, in turn future generations; this study becomes even more valuable as it includes specifically the academicians in the field of teacher education.

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
David De Jong ◽  
Ayana Campoli

Purpose Researchers have found that curricular coaches have had an impact on student achievement by supporting classroom teachers in providing high-quality instruction. However, few studies examine the association between curricular coaches and teacher retention, especially in urban areas. Given the high cost of teacher turnover and the high percentage of early-career teachers who leave the profession each year, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the presence of curricular coaches in elementary schools reduces turnover among early-career teachers. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors analyzed the observational data from the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). The SASS is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that has been administered repeatedly to public and private kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers in the USA approximately every four years by the National Center for Education Statistics and the US Census Bureau. Findings The authors found that the presence of a curricular coach was associated with a substantial reduction in early-career teacher turnover. This finding suggests that curricular coaches could be a particular benefit to urban schools. Research limitations/implications This study was national in scope; therefore, it does not examine causes of attrition specific to local contexts. Practical implications Curricular coaches may indirectly save urban school districts thousands of dollars because of their impact on reducing early-career teacher attrition. Social implications In this study, the authors found a statistically significant and practically meaningful association between the presence of curricular coaches in schools and the retention of elementary teachers, especially in urban areas. Originality/value The model predicted that among early-career teachers, teachers in schools without curricular coaches are approximately twice as likely to leave the profession the next year compared to teachers in schools with curricular coaches.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Vaughn ◽  
Seth A. Parsons ◽  
Roya Q. Scales ◽  
Amanda Wall

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Squires

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the extant literature with regard to the role of mentorship in promoting the well-being of early career teachers. Design/methodology/approach This paper was comprised of a review of the current literature. Key terms were used to identify initial sources. The search was narrowed further by using the Boolean operator AND to link key terms. Findings Much of the literature exploring mentorship and induction focuses on the formal structures and the targeted learning outcomes of the processes. However, the emotional and personal support afforded new teachers through the development of relationships with mentors is being recognized as contributing high value to the continued retention efforts. Although there are promising practices with regard to induction programs and formal mentorship arrangements in some schools, these practices are very scattered and may not even be equally well established within one school district. Research limitations/implications Implementation of models that are focused on personal and professional support of new teachers could provide an avenue of research examining teachers’ perceptions of well-being and resiliency. Longitudinal, pan-provincial and pan-national research is necessary for developing more support for systemic implementation of mentorship models. Originality/value While there is research identifying existing programs and induction models, this paper uses the lens of early career teacher well-being to point out promising practices and additional considerations for adopting a holistic approach to mentorship. This mentorship model may result in better personal and professional outcomes for new teachers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie S. Long ◽  
Sue McKenzie-Robblee ◽  
Lee Schaefer ◽  
Pam Steeves ◽  
Sheri Wnuk ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Redding ◽  
Gary T. Henry

Most prior research measures teacher turnover as an annual event, but teachers actually leave their positions throughout the school year. We use data from North Carolina to measure teacher turnover monthly throughout the entire year and conduct an analysis of their persistence to examine the differences in early career teacher turnover. Annually, 6% of early career teachers turn over during the school year. Teachers trained in traditional, university-based programs are most likely to move schools, and alternate entry and out-of-state prepared teachers are more likely to leave teaching, both during and at the end of the school year. We discuss the implications within-year turnover has on creating disruptive learning environments, particularly in underserved schools.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Kinzer

Purpose Public administration, or the implementation of public policies by civil servants, will be central to implementing the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. And yet, few American master of public administration (MPA) programs explicitly focus on sustainable development or sustainability literacy. This study asks whether it is possible to build professional sustainability literacy within a general MPA course, specifically in a course on quantitative methods. Design/methodology/approach Through a natural experiment conducted in three sections of the graduate course Quantitative Methods in Public Administration at UNC Wilmington, the study explores the relationship between student growth in professional sustainability literacy and a student’s level of foundational sustainability literacy, pro-environmental behavior, background knowledge in statistics and their interest in sustainable development within public administration. Findings The study finds that there is a statistically significant relationship between growth in a student’s professional sustainability literacy and two variables: above average foundational sustainability literacy and a high level of interest in sustainability policies and programs. Originality/value This study is the first to consider an embedded approach to sustainability education in the field of public administration.


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