More Opportunities, More Costs: Early Career Teachers' Support Systems on Social Media

• In Event: Teacher Agency, Attitudes, and Evaluation of Technology Integration

Abstract

Early career teachers face numerous challenges during their transition from teacher preparation programs into professional employment contexts (i.e., their induction period). Social media platforms have created new opportunities for professional learning, but early career teachers must navigate potentially conflicting messages about what and how to teach. This study addresses a gap in the literature by specifically addressing both induction challenges and social media practices of early career teachers, thereby exploring the support systems constructed during induction and social media use toward this end. Qualitative analysis of interviews with nine teachers provided evidence of how early career teachers enact identity-agency to build support systems with and through social media, but also the toll that this self-directed professional learning takes.

Author

• Bret Staudt Willet, Florida State University