New Teachers Are Your Friends: A Multiple Case Study Examining School Psychologists’ Experiences Consulting with Beginning Teachers

<p>School psychologists’ training, knowledge, and skillsets in school-based consultation can play a key role in supporting beginning teachers, but the consultation research base provides limited information about how beginning teachers’ concerns and characteristics relate to consultative practice (Babinski & Rogers 1998; DeForest & Hughes, 1992; Robertson & Briedenstein, 2007). This qualitative multiple case study investigated the perceptions and experiences of four expert school psychologists who engaged in consultation and provided support to beginning teachers. Factors related to the school psychologists' and beginning teachers' cognitions, behaviors, and school environment emerged in the data. Participants perceived beginning teachers as being enthusiastic and eager to learn, unrealistically optimistic, and overwhelmed, and noted that beginning teachers experienced concerns related to the school, students, and self. In order to support these teachers, the participants demonstrated professional flexibility and assumed the role of mentor, consultant, and advocate at the systems-level. Consultation served to provide new teachers with professional and psychosocial support. Relationships and perceptions of the professional match between school psychologists, beginning teachers, and the school environment were critical to consultation success. The findings provide important insights for the field of school psychology by shedding light on how experienced practitioners enact consultation in a way that supports beginning teacher learning and professional development.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Das Chaudhuri, Sayani

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cynthia E. Hazel
• Nick Cutforth
• Garrett Roberts
• Krystyna Matusiak

• Beginning teachers
• School psychology
• School-based consultation
• Child Psychology
• Education
• Educational Psychology
• Psychology

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1873

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-2866