Statistical Clearing House Template
A1
Support Programs for Beginning Teachers
 Teacher Survey
 Supervisor Survey
A2
 DETYA – Quality Teaching Section, Quality Schooling Branch,
Schools Division
A3
 Susan Gurr
A4
 Voluntary
A5
 DETYA
A6
 Teachers’ Survey: respondents’ first year of teaching; ie: for first year
teachers, 2001; for second year teachers, 2000.
 Supervisors’ Survey: 2001
A7
 New
A8
 Once
B1
 Under the Teachers for the 21st century initiative, DETYA is funding a
project to identify how well prepared beginning teachers are for the
transition to the classroom and whether their needs are currently being
met in their initial training and induction process by surveying
beginning teachers, principals and senior teachers. The project will
identify ways in which the preparation and support for beginning
teachers might be improved by the conduct of the survey and also
through a literature review and workshop which will be attended by key
stakeholders.
 The survey is an essential component of this project.
 The surveys will provide a national perspective (for the first time) on
support programs for beginning teachers.
 The surveys will identify existing as well as preferred practice, and help
to set guidelines and recommendations to faculties of education, schools
and educational districts about preferred practice in supporting
beginning teachers.
B2
 The surveys will provide data from each State/Territory, and
government and non-government systems.
 The surveys will identify current and preferred practice (as well as data
on the effectiveness of current practice) across several stages in support
programs for beginning teachers (from preservice education to the end
of their first year of teaching). These perspectives will come from the
point of view of
a) beginning teachers’ experience
b) schools/supervisors’ practice.
B3
 Total time frame is envisaged to be around 6 weeks, hoping to begin in
September/October.
 From approval of the surveys, time frames are estimated as follows:
 Surveys printed: 10 days
 Surveys posted and received: 5 days
 Surveys due for return: 2 weeks after receipt
 Follow-up procedures: 1 week following due date
 Data entry: 2 weeks following return date and follow-up procedures
 Results available: week following data entry (NB: surveys will be
machine scanned, creating a data file ready for pre-designed
statistical analysis).
B4
Survey design $4500; Expert Review $3000; Entry and Analysis$5500;
Printing and Scanning $2650; Postage $3000
 Education Queensland, Teachers’ Pre-Service Tertiary Education
Preparation: The views of beginning teachers and their principals,
Education Queensland, 2000
 Klap, J., ‘Concerns of Pre-Service Teachers and How They Cope’,
unpublished MEd thesis, University of Melbourne, 2000
 Holmes-Smith, P., Holmes-Smith, J., Teacher Education Course
Satisfaction Survey, Standards Council of the Teaching Profession,
Department of Education, Victoria, 1999
 Martin, J. ‘Concerns of First Year Teachers in Australian Catholic
Schools’, in South Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, Vol 20, No 2,
1992
 Batten, M., Griffin, M., Ainley, J., Recently Recruited Teachers: Their
Views and Experiences of Preservice Education, Professional
Development and Teaching, Canberra, AGPS, 1991
 Board of Teacher Registration, QLD, Welcoming New Teachers: Report
of the Working Party on the Induction of Provisionally Registered
Teachers, Board of Teacher Registration, QLD, 1991
 Fyfield, J.A., Taylor, S.M., Tisher, R.P., Beginning to Teach: The
Induction of Beginning Teachers in Australia, Vols 1 & 2, Canberra,
AGPS, 1979
C1
 These will be covered in a literature review conducted as part of the
project.
 The survey design has taken account of previous work in this field to
allow connections to be made in the analysis and commentary.
C2
 Previous surveys and data sources do not provide a national perspective.
 Previous surveys focus on the effectiveness of existing practice, and
tend not to include any substantial measures of preferred practice.
 Previous surveys do not distinguish adequately between the stages
through which beginning teachers pass on their entry into the
profession.
 Previous surveys do not address the continuum of professional
preparation from pre-service training through orientation, induction and
adaptation to the profession.
C3
NA.
D1
 Effectiveness ratings for listed aspects of preservice training
 Identification of support strategies and focus of support experienced at
three succeeding stages of beginning teacher induction
 Preference ratings for support which may be used at three stages of
beginning teacher induction
 Supervisors’ survey: effectiveness ratings for support strategies and
focus areas.
 Data will be cross classified by gender, age, type of employment, length
of preservice training, state/territory, school sector, type of school,
location of school
D2
N/A
D3
 Survey items have been designed to reflect similar items in previous
surveys of these areas to enable connections and comparisons to be
made.
E1
 Copies of two surveys are attached.
 Please note: these are currently in draft format. The final versions will
be professionally printed to enable machine scanning.
E2
 Yes. Supplementary questions include a mixture of fixed response and
some open format questions aimed at:
 overview impressions re satisfaction with effectiveness of programs
at each stage of transition from training to teaching.
 nature of initial teaching assignments
 extent to which programs addressed personal support needs.
 relationship between assessment procedures and support programs.
E3
 Self completion of machine readable surveys.
E4
 Original surveys must be returned to enable machine scanning.
E5
 Surveys have been very carefully reviewed by:
 Social Science Research Unit at University of Tasmania
 Professional education researchers (including the Dean) at faculty of
Education, University of Tasmania
 Project management group, including district superintendent, Tas
Education Dept Human Resource director, director of Tasmanian
Educational Leaders’ Institute
 National Advisory Committee, comprising representatives from key
stakeholder groups from each State and system in Australia.
 Surveys have been trialled by test group of 36 beginning teachers in
Tasmania. Feedback was very positive. Several teachers commented
that “these are the kind of questions that should be asked”. They felt
valued and that the questions reflected issues of interest and concern to
them
 As a result of review and testing, format was changed, 2 sections were
amalgamated, one section was expanded, section headings were added,
rating systems were refined, wording of particular items was clarified,
some data for cross-classification was added.
E6
 See above.
E7
NA.
F1
 Survey should take between 25-35 minutes, based on experience of
trialling.
 Time taken question will be included.
F2
 Consultations and testing outlined in E5 led to amalgamation of two
similar sections, and general streamlining.
F3
 Confidentiality has been guaranteed re individual personal details in
cover letter and information sheet.
 Surveys will be distributed direct to individuals and returned directly in
sealed, pre-paid envelope.
G1
 2500 1st and 2nd year teachers in government and non-government
schools.
 800 supervisors (ie principals, line managers or mentors) of beginning
teachers.
 On average, the survey will be targeted at 3.5 identified teachers and 1
supervisor per school.
G2
 Schools and teachers names have already been supplied by school
districts in each state, and Catholic system offices, following written
approval by system CEO’s for State system involvement in the project.
G3
 Teachers
 Teacher supervisors
 Schools
G4
 800 schools
 2500 teachers
 800 supervisors
G5
 Teachers: gender, age, year of teaching, type of employment, probation
status, length of preservice teacher preparation, name of teaching
qualification and University where completed.
 Supervisor: position in school in relation to beginning teachers
 School: sector, type, size, location.
G6
 0% for each item.
 These are estimated to be 0% because the sample has been preidentified by educational districts in each state. Only identified teachers
and schools will be surveyed.
 Any ‘leakage’ will be due to changes in teachers’ status since
information was initially supplied.
G7
 See G6.
H1
 See G6.
H4
 800
H5
 All. See G6.
H6
 75%, based on results achieved in most recent survey by Education
Queensland (see C1), and planned follow-up strategy.
H7
 Expected sample size will reduce non-response bias. There is no further
reason to expect that respondents will be non-representative.
I1
 Non-respondents will be pursued with a telephone call during the week
following response deadline (allowing a ‘grace’ period of 3 days).
I2
 Refusals will be followed up as outlined above.
 A database tracking system will be used to monitor rate of return.
 Scanning system for data entry will be used for progressive updating as
late returns received.
I3
 Data entry will be automated and supervised by staff from the
University of Tasmania Social Science Research Unit, and Education
faculty.
I4
 All surveys will be inspected prior to scanning.
 Re unusual responses: where respondent intention is obvious and
unambiguous, appropriate corrections will be made.
 Where respondent intention is unclear, survey will be rejected.
I5
 Data will be aggregated into statistical tables, with testing for levels of
significance.
I6
 Non-respondents will be known; the return rate will be checked against
the sample frame. Additional surveying may be undertaken in the case
of any identifiable gaps.
I7
 The survey will provide descriptive statistics analysed by demographic
variables




Chi square
Analysis of variance
Discriminate analysis
Factor analysis
I8
 Survey results will be included as part of the larger project report, along
with a literature review, and the results of national stakeholder
workshop.
 Results will be presented in commentary format, using tables and
graphs.
I9
 Data processing will occur using the Education Faculty, University of
Tasmania’s SPSS system. Their experience in this field is well
established and proven.