"The beliefs of teachers can not only influence practice, but can also influence the more informal decisions teachers make on a daily bases--including how they treat and interact with students in their classrooms and the greater school community. Brand new teachers commonly begin their first year of teaching with idealistic and hopeful perspectives. During this time, they can hold beliefs that stem from their own upbringing, teacher training programs, or other possible sources. However, unlike teachers with more experience, new teachers are particularly vulnerable to changing their beliefs--including how they perceive students and their abilities-- during their first year as teacher of record. New teachers are also more likely to undergo significant emotional turbulence as they navigate the challenging terrain of teaching in an urban school. During this time they will often turn to more experienced teachers for advice and insight. This study examined the experiences of five brand new teachers as they progressed through their first year of teaching in an urban school. Findings suggest that new teachers are more likely to change their beliefs when they undergo various stages of emotional conflict and will turn to more experienced colleagues at their school to gain a more accurate and deeper understanding of both the school community and effective teaching practices to use in this community. This can contribute to belief change. Teachers were more likely to change their beliefs during the middle of the school year--specifically during the survival and disillusionment phases of the Moir (1990) First Year Phases of Teaching model. Of the five teachers who participated in this study, one teacher experienced a more positive and empowering belief change, three teachers experienced more discouraging changes, and one teacher did not experience any significant changes in her beliefs. Implications for social equality--and inequality--and directions for future research are discussed."--Pages ii-iii.
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