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As with successes, the ways in which teachers describe their struggles across career
phases support existing theory and research—a shift from teaching to students. Yet, contrary to
expectations, beginning teachers in this study are particularly skillful in describing their struggles
in complex ways. There are a number of possible explanations. Assuming that veteran teachers
in this sample might be experts, these findings might suggest that expertise evolves differently in
negative and positive experiences of a teacher’s life and work. A second hypothesis is that
beginning teachers experience more struggles than successes (Romano, 2008), and as a result,
become particularly accomplished in reflecting on their struggles.
Conclusion
In the current study we asked: Is there a way of thinking about struggles and successes
that buffers teachers from their environmental stressors and supports retention
?
We proposed
that understanding how teachers think about successes and struggles at different points in their
careers may serve beginning teachers especially well. More experienced colleagues who remain
in the profession have likely stabilized in their ability to demonstrate student achievement gains
(Henry et al., 2011; Rivkin et al., 2005). Their framing of successes and struggles may be more
constructive than the initial frames used by beginning teachers who are at risk of leaving. Taken
together, valuable insight for teacher education and induction can be gained by conceptualizing
study findings (or teachers’ ways of thinking) as a potential function or by-product of teacher
effectiveness or retention.
Three key findings are particularly noteworthy. As expected (Gonzales & Carter, 1996;
Sabers et al., 1991; Steffy et al., 2000; Steffy & Wolfe, 1997), teachers’ responses became
increasingly more complex across the three career phases, illustrating a shift from teaching to
students. Second, teachers’ understandings of their struggles were less complex than their
successes, though beginning teachers were slightly more skillful in reflecting on their struggles
than their more experienced peers. And, third, few teachers (9%) noted the interconnectedness
between teaching and learning, contrary to the expectation that veteran teachers may be
particularly attuned to this component (Gonzales & Carter, 1996; Sabers et al., 1991).
Teacher education and induction support
Drawing upon teacher development theory (Steffy et al., 2000; Steffy & Wolfe, 1997),
reflective practice should begin as early as students have access to the classroom. Assuming that
veteran teachers’ conceptualizations are adaptive and productive ways of thinking, teacher
education programs and induction programs should support reflective practice that address both
successes and struggles with a strong emphasis on inputs, outputs, and their relationship. The
goal would be to develop teachers who understand the complex ways their teaching practices are
related to student learning, yielding teachers who are equipped with the strategies needed to
improve their practice and be effective (Calderhead, 1989). Connecticut’s induction program,
highly ranked by the New Teacher Center (2012), is an example of such a program (Bozack,
Freilisher, & Salvaggio 2012).
Mentors also serve a critical role in new teacher induction and retention (Smith &
Ingersoll, 2004). And, findings from this study suggest that more experienced teachers can offer
unique contributions as mentors. The reduced frequency by which more experienced teachers
noted ‘instruction’ and ‘student behavior’ as struggles suggests that these teachers have