STUDENT-TEACHER'S CONCERNS: FROM FANTASY TO DISENCHANTMENT?

Literature on novice's experience of teaching reveals the existence of different stages of professional development, each denoting an associated set of struggles [1] which teachers face during their practicum and at the beginning of their career. The present study explores the concerns of pre service teachers of primary education immediately after their first contact with school. Data were collected by means of an open ended questionnaire which required a cohort of 294 teacher's Diploma (primary) trainees to report on two critical incidents they experience during their placement. The personal narratives were then deconstructed using open and axial coding procedures to reveal the range of concerns. We use the stance of early socialization to document the experience of neophyte teachers examining the concepts of power, and looking at how organizational cultures support a positive exploration of new teacher's role. The data reveals an experience bordering on chaos which seriously destabilizes new entrants fantasy of teaching. The paper ends with a reflection on the implications for planning and supporting beginning teachers' experience in schools.