Early career teachers’ preparedness to teach: from initial teacher training through early career induction in England – an educational professional perspective

The research focused on the preparedness of Early Career Teachers (ECTs), as previous studies on initial teacher training (ITT) policy in England identified several areas of pedagogy where ECTs felt insufficiently prepared. Viewed through a subjective lens, the study explored the perspectives of seven educational professionals working at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the West Midlands. Since the research area had limited literature, the aim was to address this gap by developing a theory through exploring: 1) How the ITT curriculum, based on the core content framework (CCF) (DfE, 2019a), has prepared ECTs to teach, and 2) How does the ITT curriculum, based on the CCF, allow ECTs to experience both the practical and theoretical aspects of teaching? A further question was explored after it arose during data analysis: 3) How does the new framework (DfE, 2019a, 2019b) differ from previous government policies/reforms? The interpretive, exploratory, single case study utilised a five-step methodological framework. It begins with a literature review on ECT preparedness regarding England’s ITT system and compares it internationally. Here, it draws on the work of John Dewey to explore the effectiveness of these teacher education systems. This is followed by a clear definition of the case study’s purpose and its context within its historical and political background. Next, it identifies the sampled case and explains why it was chosen. Following this, it outlines the study’s qualitative data collection methods, including a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Finally, the case study describes the methods used in grounded theory for data analysis. The study’s findings showed that the new framework alone might not fully equip ECTs to teach in England, as several factors, such as workload, well-being, and the need for ongoing professional development and trained mentors, can obstruct this. The study indicates that ECTs require access to a wider range of theories and that their practical experience should encompass various school settings. This research enhances our understanding of ECT readiness and underscores the importance of developing a shared understanding among policymakers, teacher educators, and school communities.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wolverhampton

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Barnes, Michael Richard

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Glendenning, Fay
• Devlin, Linda

• early career teachers
• teacher preparedness
• initial teacher training
• induction
• teaching
• teaching frameworks
• education professionals
• higher education

Licence

• https://wlv.openrepository.com/bitstreams/f76d9a6d-dfe5-4bd1-9e3e-5c127b5f34ee/download