INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IN THE FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES OF EARLY CAREER TEACHERS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of experienced teachers in the formation of professional identity according to the perceptions of teachers in the first 1-5 years of their career. The study was conducted with a phenomenology design in line with the qualitative research approach. The study group consisted of 30 teachers working in primary and secondary schools with 1 to 5 years of experience in the profession. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview form and analyzed with MAXQDA 2020 qualitative data analysis software. It was determined that early-career teachers experience various professional and social problems; therefore, they expect experienced teachers to take on roles such as instructional leadership, informatics leadership, and mentoring. Accordingly, it is recommended that a formal matching system be established to establish a mentoring relationship between newly appointed teachers and experienced teachers, that experienced teachers be given points for their mentoring activities, that these points can be used in career steps, and that financial incentives such as additional course fees be provided to teachers who undertake the mentoring role. In line with the findings, it was concluded that the current structure of the Prospective Teacher Training Program should be reviewed and improved, and especially the mentoring processes should be made more structured and supportive.