ISSN: 2782-893X
eISSN: 2799-0664
ISSN: 2782- 893X
—— Quality teaching, being a key factor in shaping students’ academic and personal growth, has been at the center of scientific debate for many years. Sustainable professional development of novice teachers has recently been recognized worldwide as one of the key areas for improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools. Given that the initial years on the job are generally characterized by novice teachers as the most challenging and intense in their career, the following questions typically arise: What can be done to sustain and facilitate teaching at the early developmental stages in teachers’ career? What are the contextual factors and the prerequisites leading to the quality of teaching and learning? The study presents the findings from a qualitative study aimed to contribute to the research base for understanding this crucial stage. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to provide deeper understanding and insights into key factors influencing and shaping novice teachers early professional development and learning, as well as their capacities to effectively adapt to their new roles and operate in complex and dynamically changing open-ended school environment. The research is framed as analysis of 10 novice teachers working in public schools. The data were collected through multiple sources (i.e. semi-structured in-depth interviews, questionnaire, and group discussions). The author have also identified numerous patterns of novice teachers teaching practice closely associated with teachers’ concerns and early professional experience interpretations, which might result in substantial fluctuation in teaching quality and teachers’ career paths. Implications for teacher education programs, mentoring, supervision, teachers’ professional development, and future research are discussed. Keywords — novice teacher, continuum of teacher development, induction, mentoring, education for sustainable development.