The Influence of Multi-Field Classroom Observations on Early Career Teachers

Abstract

Professional learning can provide many benefits for teachers, particularly those who are early in their career. The provision of professional learning opportunities, such as induction into the profession, mentoring, and collaboration with experienced teachers, can help nurture the professional needs of early career teachers. If these types of professional needs are neglected, early career teachers’ self-efficacy may decrease and their motivation to remain in the teaching profession can be challenged. One type of professional learning that has shown promise for early career teachers is participation in classroom observations. This study was motivated by the aim of exploring the perceived influence of multi-field classroom observations on early career teachers’ professional learning and sense of self-efficacy. Traditionally, classroom observations have been used to appraise and evaluate teachers’ practice, especially that of early career teachers, and the emphasis has been placed on the learning of the observed teacher, mainly through feedback from the evaluating observer. More recently, there has been a growing movement towards using classroom observations as a structured professional learning activity that focuses on the learning of the observer. As part of this approach, rather than appraising the observed teacher, the observer focuses on viewing a classroom lesson with the aim to learn from the teaching experience. This approach can encourage collaboration and motivate the observer to later trial or experiment with teaching strategies or techniques they observed in the lesson. While previous research has been conducted on the affordances and constraints of classroom observations, studies focusing on multi-field classroom observations, where early career teachers observe experienced teachers from within their specialised teaching field, as well as outside their teaching field, are limited. What is also unknown is the influence of classroom observations on early career teachers’ professional learning and sense of self efficacy when they observe experienced teachers from multiple fields. This study used an instrumental case study strategy of inquiry within a constructivist, qualitative research paradigm. The research site was an independent Catholic Boys High School located in Brisbane, Australia. Eight early career teachers and nine experienced teachers participated in this study. Data were collected across three phases via multiple data sources, including individual interviews, concept maps, reflective journals, an emergent model and a final group interview. The data were analysed using Creswell’s (2012) model of coding and interpreted using themes derived from the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework guiding this study is derived from Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory, which postulates that humans learn via the observation of others as well as from enacting behaviours, or learning from experience. The process of social cognitive learning is underpinned by three determinants: behavioural, personal and environmental (Bandura, 1986). A number of findings arose from this study. First, early career teachers reported that they predominantly learnt pedagogical content knowledge when observing in-field experienced teachers, and classroom and behaviour management when observing out-of-field experienced teachers. Second, most early career teachers and experienced teachers reported they changed their teaching practice as a result of participating in multi-field classroom observations. This change in practice was perceived as teaching improvement. Third, the post-observation collaboration between early career teachers and experienced teachers was deemed important as it enabled early career teachers to ask information-gathering questions that enhanced their learning, as well as encouraged experienced teachers to reflect on their practice. Fourth, early career teachers perceived an increase in their self-efficacy as a result of observing and trialling successful teaching techniques. The contributions of this study are fourfold. First, it provides insights into early career teacher professional learning in social contexts. Second, it contributes to the research on early career teacher self-efficacy. Third, the study addresses some of the factors that have been shown to cause early career teacher attrition. Fourth, it addresses the current research shortfall on the effects of multi-field classroom observations on early career teachers and experienced teachers. A further practical implication that emerged from the study was the development of a Multi-Field Classroom Observation Model. This study argues that early career teachers can effectively learn by observing experienced teachers from multiple fields, which can result in enhanced self-efficacy and improved teaching practice. A significant implication of this study is that early career teachers can learn from observing and collaborating with experienced teachers from both within and outside their specialised teaching field, and be motivated to trial new ways of teaching, which can lead to teaching improvement and potentially to enhanced learning outcomes for students.