As It Happens: The Lived Journey of Early Career Teachers in Their First Year of Teaching

Tuzylak-Maguire, Karen (2025) As It Happens: The Lived Journey of Early Career Teachers in Their First Year of Teaching. Doctoral thesis (EdD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

Preview

Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (10MB) | Preview

Abstract

Stepping into my first classroom as a newly qualified teacher, I quickly learned that no amount of preparation could fully capture the reality of those early days. This research was driven by a desire to understand and support early career teachers (ECTs) during this pivotal and often overwhelming transition. This study explores the early experiences of five ECTs as they transitioned from initial teacher training (ITT) to their first year as fully qualified primary school teachers. Addressing a gap in the existing literature, it focuses on the continuous but non-linear nature of professional growth during this critical phase. Here, ‘non-linear’ refers to the unpredictable and fluctuating nature of early career teachers’ growth, which does not follow a steady, upward trajectory. Instead, ECTs experience periods of progress, setbacks, and plateaus as they navigate the complexities of their professional environments. This journey is further characterised by shifts between being supported, providing support to others, and at times needing to be supported again, reflecting the evolving nature of their roles within the school community. Grounded in my conceptual framework, which draws on the sociocultural concepts of communities of practice (CoP) (Wenger, 1998), legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) (Lave and Wenger, 1991), and the value creation framework (VCF) (Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner, 2020), this research provides a nuanced understanding of the professional journeys of ECTs. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining mobile ethnography through the Indeemo (2017) mobile application with two semi-structured interviews to capture real-time, "as it happens” data on the lived experiences of ECTs, collected between January 2023 and July 2023. Real-time data refers to data that is available as soon as it is generated (Castanedo, 2023). Mobile ethnography, as described by Briggs (2023), leverages the portability of smartphones to document both fleeting and significant moments in participants' lives, generating nuanced insights into their experiences. Indeemo (2017), as noted by Read (2019:2), is a mobile ethnography tool designed to provide a visually immersive, social networking-style interface for both researchers and participants. By transforming smartphones into powerful tools for documenting lived experiences, this method offers unprecedented access to the nuanced, everyday realities of the participants’ lives. The term "mobile ethnography" is employed in alignment with the creators of the application and existing research using this method (Muskat et al., 2013; Bjørner and Schrøder, 2019; Briggs, 2023; Loh et al., 2023). This approach not only engages participants as co-investigators, documenting activities through diaries, photos, or videos, but also incorporates a distinctive mood-tracking component. Participants use a five-point emoji scale (outlined in Section 4.5a) to convey their emotional responses during significant moments, providing valuable insights and capturing shifts in perspectives over time. The findings reveal that ECTs encounter initial challenges such as self-doubt and managing workload. However, supportive mentorship, a positive school culture, and strong leadership emerge as pivotal in boosting confidence and facilitating their progression from peripheral participation to central roles within their school communities. This research uniquely contributes to the field by employing mobile ethnography to capture ECTs' evolving experiences and emotional states in real time. Unlike snapshot approaches seen in previous studies, this method provides a holistic and dynamic understanding of the non-linear nature of ECTs’ professional growth. The study highlights the significance of small yet transformative moments—such as successful lessons and positive feedback—in shaping professional identity and emotional wellbeing. Focused support, including mentorship and fostering a positive school environment, is shown to enhance ECTs’ integration, satisfaction, and resilience. Furthermore, this study underscores the need to embed tailored transition support within ITT programmes, ensuring smoother entry into the profession while bolstering ECTs' readiness and capacity to navigate the complexities of teaching.