Whole-School Connected: A Bridge for Novice Teachers' Communication

• In Event: Park Central Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Emerging Resolutions for Classroom Management Issues

Abstract

This research study aims to open the door for a constructive discussion and to address a new approach for communication with the dean/administration reflected by first-year teachers’ reliance on whole-school management. Novice teachers play an important role in building school culture and climate. However, they are challenged in coping with cases of emergencies that require immediate administrative intervention and communication. This study investigated novice and veteran teachers’ strategies for referring students to seek dean/administrative intervention. Participants included 15 pre-service, and 15 first-year, and 15 teachers. The findings showed that novice teachers seek to explore supportive classroom approaches rather than refer students to the dean with three reasons: teachers’ disconnect with school administration, fear of administration’s negative evaluation resulting from referrals, and concerns of referral efficacy.

Authors

• Cecilia A. Turman, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Shaoan Zhang, University of Nevada - Las Vegas