Problems of beginning teachers: Comparing graduates of bachelor's and master's level teacher preparation programs

Abstract

This study compares classroom problems of novice teachers who had completed either a traditional 4‐year baccalaureate or 1‐year graduate level preparation program. Problems encountered were remarkably similar. For both groups, the three most frequent problems are shared and identically ranked: (a) having adequate time for planning and preparation; (b) having every student work up to his or her ability; and (c) providing for individual learning differences. Of the 20 most frequently experienced problems for each group, 15 are common to both. Furthermore, problems these teachers encountered are highly comparable to those encountered by novice teachers of two decades ago. When viewed from a teacher development perspective, these results may indicate that beginning teachers have a similar set of problems to work through regardless of their preparation program. The results also indicate that graduates of a 1‐year master's level program are no more likely to encounter problems in their first years of teaching than are graduates of a traditional 4‐year baccalaureate program.