Classroom Management Challenges and Administrative Support in Elementary Schools: Experiences of Novice Public-School Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore classroom management challenges that novice teachers experienced in their early years of profession. Moreover, this study explored the administrative support novice teachers received from school administration concerning classroom management. We drew on interview data to explore novice teachers' experiences who had less than three years of experience during their first job in public elementary schools. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of ten novice teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the experiences of novice teachers. The analysis came up with four themes: Responsive administration, helping hands, struggling with workload, and supportive principal.The study's findings revealed that most of the teachers faced over-crowded classes and a high workload in their initial time. Most of the teachers had received support from the administration; however, the administration was helpless regarding many challenges that the novice teachers faced in their early years. Many administrators did not help the novice teachers’ deal with over-crowded classrooms, the extra workload in the form of periods per week, and the management of students' behaviors.