ARTICLES

 

The development of a scale to measure the influence that school administrators have on the adaptation of newly appointed teachers in Turkey

 

 

Mehmet Emin Usta

Department of Education Sciences, Faculty of Education, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey mehmeteminusta3@gmail.com

 

 

---

ABSTRACT

In Turkey, teacher appointment is made centrally by the Ministry of National Education and is made without considering where the teachers want to work. Many teachers are assigned to places very different from the cultural environments in which they grew up resulting in them encountering very different school types and administrator habits. The negative situations encountered affect the motivation of newly appointed teachers and weaken their organisational commitment. The draft scale was created with a pool of questions obtained as a result of examining the legal texts and similar studies on the subject. This draft scale includes 28 items and was developed for the adaptation of new appointed teachers to the profession. The rotated principal component analysis was used to test the construct validity of the scale. As a result of the analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was determined as 0.949, while the Bartlett test was found to be significant. The analysis showed that 2 of the 28 items were loaded on more than 1 factor and as their load values were low, the 2 items were removed from the scale. The remaining 26 items formed a 3-factor structure with an eigenvalue higher than 1.00. Factor 1 of the scale is called "Compliance with the profession"; Factor 2 "Environmental compliance" and Factor 3 "Compliance with school." While Factor 1 with an eigenvalue of 5.86 explained 22.55% of the total variance, Factor 2, with an eigenvalue of 4.97 explained 19.13% of the total variance. Factor 3, with an eigenvalue of 4.71 explained 18.11% of the total variance. The alpha reliability coefficient of the composite scale was found to be .955. Internal consistency coefficients of the factors of the scale were .91 for all 3 factors.

Keywords: beginning teachers; candidate teachers; job adaptation; newly appointed teachers; prospective teachers; school administrator

---

 

 

Introduction

Problems regarding teacher adaptation can be viewed from two perspectives. The first is from the point of view of school administrators. The second is from the perspective of newly appointed teachers. School administrators state that teachers have serious problems in their relations with the environment (Aslanargun & Bozkurt, 2012) and newly appointed teachers are unaware of how the school culture is and school administration works (Bayar & Topal, 2020).

Sari and Altun (2015) state that newly appointed teachers struggle to communicate with many people, especially with their students, because they are not given good guidance and they do not know how to motivate students. In fact, some teachers either change schools or quit teaching (Kozikoglu & Senemoglu, 2018). According to Gulay and Altun (2017) most new teachers state that they do not know enough about implementing the training programme due to theory-based pre-service education. The pre-service teacher preparation programmes in Turkey are based mostly on theory and student teachers do not have sufficient practical experience.

The most important element in the education process is the teacher. It is fair to say that the quality of teachers and the quality of the education system are directly related to one another. Thus, more investments in schools, classrooms, and technology should be aimed at teachers. Teacher and student development should run parallel. There are two aspects to the teacher candidacy process. Firstly, novice teachers make many mistakes because they are not experienced enough. Secondly, newly appointed teachers are in the most idealistic period of their lives. Thus, it is extremely important to provide teachers with the necessary assistance and guidance to protect their idealism and minimise mistakes due to inexperience.

In Turkey, the training of teachers during the candidacy process involves a two-way application. The first is the guidance that a school principal should give to newly appointed candidate teachers at a school. The second is the guidance that experienced teachers, who are appointed by school principals, should provide candidate teachers. These are both pedagogical requirements and legal obligations.

One of the most important tasks expected from teachers is academic success. However, newly appointed teachers are not always successful in these tasks, therefore, they need focused guidance (Ozdas, 2019) from more senior teachers (Bozak, Yildrnm & Demirtas., 2011). School principals are in constant contact with teachers, students, parents, the education system, and the school environment. Therefore, one can say that managers are versatile. Administrators' versatile knowledge should be conveyed to prospective teachers (Usta & Ozmusul, 2017).

A Brief History of Teacher Education in Turkey

It can be said that professional teacher training activities in Turkey only started in the 19th century. Before that, teachers were trained as religious officials in mosques (madrasah or place of study), funded by parents in a process called cerr. The cerr process was abolished by Ahmet Cevdet Pasha in 1848 (Akyüz, 2013) because fundraising was thought to damage teachers' reputation.

The first institution to train teachers in the modern sense of the word was Dar'ul Muallimin, which was opened for training male teachers in 1848 while Dar' ul Muallimat was opened for training female teachers in 1870 (Akyüz, 2013). After the proclamation of the Republic in 1924, these schools were named "Yüksek Muallim Mektebi." In 1926, "Gazi Orta Muallim Mektebi" was established in Konya to meet the needs of secondary school teachers and was moved to Ankara in 1927 (Ergün, 1987).

In 1936, a method called "Prussia" was adopted according to which people who had served in military service were assigned to field-specific training and appointed as teachers. Through this method, 8,675 teachers were trained until 1946 (Ergün, 1987). To meet the teacher needs of villages, village institutes were established in 1940. At these schools, which were closed in 1945, nearly 16,400 teachers were trained (Millî Egitim Bakanligi, n.d.).

In 1974 Higher Teachers' Institutes, equivalent to 3-year bachelor's degrees were established. In 1982, with the restructuring of higher education, faculties of education were established where 4-year teachers training courses were presented. According to YOK (Council of Higher Education, 2023) data, totally 101 faculties of education and faculty of educational sciences existed in 2022 where candidate teachers were trained for the profession.

In addition to the teachers who graduated from faculties of education, since 2017 other faculty graduates were also trained and appointed as teachers under the auspices of the faculties of education. Graduates from science, literature, theology, agriculture, and economics faculties can also be appointed as teachers once they have completed a 10-course pedagogical formation training certificate under the auspices of faculties of education. These teachers are usually appointed to secondary schools.

Furthermore, teachers may also be appointed as substitute teachers in instances where permanent teachers are on long-term leave or absent due to health reasons.

Candidate teachers follow various processes to gain practical experience. Although it varies according to the branch, (e.g. mathematics, science, etc.) students from a faculty of education generally receive teaching practice training for 6 hours per week for one semester. For some branches this training is presented for two terms. Furthermore, students also receive 4 hours' of school experience training to observe teachers for 4 hours per week. Practical training can be done at kindergarten, primary school or secondary school according to the candidate's branch of study.

After or during graduation from a 4-year course at university, students have the right to apply to the Ministry of National Education to become a teacher. However, these candidates must first achieve a high grade in a general examination for civil servants, then achieve a high grade in an exam for teachers, and finally, achieve a high grade in an educational sciences examination. Once they have passed all these examinations, they are allowed to the teacher recruitment quota announced by the Ministry of National Education according to the points they receive. According to their rank, the Ministry of National Education invites three times the number of quotas they need for oral interviews. If the grade obtained here is 60 and above, the candidate is considered successful and appointed as a teacher. Teachers can be assigned to a school in a province of their choice in Turkey according to the teacher needs in that province, or they can be assigned to schools in any province by Turkey' s Ministry of Education.

How the problems that teachers face following their appointment are resolved, is extremely important as first impressions about a profession may lead to generalisations that can last a lifetime. For this reason, the leadership role of school principals is extremely important. According to Bozak, Özdemir and Seraslan (2016), if school principals demonstrate effective leadership skills, newly appointed teacher candidates will gain important experiences and knowledge from them that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

School Leadership

One of the important factors for the efficiency of schools is the leadership style of school administrators. The school administrators' leadership style determines the school's identity. For example, a democratic leadership style will result in the school also being democratic. The most important feature of school leadership is developing commitment to the school by the teachers (Balay, 2000). According to Gardner (1990:7), leadership is "the process of persuading an individual, a group, to follow a path determined by the leader or the leader and his/her followers." The school leader is an important figure for all individuals, especially teachers and students - the person who creates new ways to solve problems and thus creates a natural effect (Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005). According to Steingraber (1999), leadership is the skill of transforming the unknown into the known for employees - to guide subordinates and to take risks at the right time and in the right place. Leadership is when the leader removes the uncertainty about the unknown. A leader is the person who pursues innovation above imitation under all circumstances. A leader is someone who knows how to pursue flexible goals by looking ahead and motivating himself/herself and his/her followers. Furthermore, leadership should not be a barbaric and aggressive exploitation of subordinates. Leaders should not have a Machiavellian attitude in trying to achieve their own goals in any way possible (Haas & Tamarkin, 2000).

In this context, school leadership can be regarded an effect. In the absence of this effect or if this effect is weak, teachers' and students' success will decrease (Naidoo, 2019). Like any other leadership, school leadership is the ability to motivate and lead people (Maxwell, 1998). However, when it comes to school management, school leadership determines school success (Bush & Jackson, 2002). One of the most important factors of strong leadership is the leader and organization' s social and intellectual capital.

This capital is directly related to the organisational commitment of newly appointed teachers to the school, therefore, school administrators' leadership roles should provide newly appointed teachers with suitable guidance.

School administrators' leadership roles in the socialisation process are ethical leadership, instructional leadership, transformational leadership, and cultural leadership (Celik, 2007). School principals exercise their legal authority while running the school. However, for the school administrator to be effective, besides legal authority, he/she also needs the ability to use social, technical, cultural, and symbolic forces to develop the school and gain the respect of his/her subordinates. The most important thing that distinguishes a manager from a leader is the leader' s power to influence people and gather them around a certain goal (Ezzani, 2014).

What is Prospective Teaching?

The first 2 years after being appointed as a teacher is the period of candidacy in accordance with the provision of the Civil Servants Law No. 657: "The period of the nomination of a civil servant appointed as a candidate cannot be less than one year and more than two years." If the candidate teacher commits a serious crime during this period or does not perform the roles expected of him/her, he/she may be dismissed from the profession. For this reason, prospective teachers undergo rigorous training on different subjects during this period. Those who then successfully pass the subsequent exam and fulfil their expected roles are appointed as permanent teachers (Devlet memurlari kanunu ^(1)(2)(3). Kanun numarasi: 657, 1965).

This training programme is called basic education, and includes content applicable to all civil servants. Thereafter, teachers follow the preparatory education programme that only applies to the teaching profession. Once teacher candidates successfully pass the subsequent examination they are appointed as permanent teachers.

The third aspect of candidate teacher training is on-the-job training at schools (Cimen, 2010). School administrators play important roles here. Newly appointed teacher candidates may not know the culture of the city or school he/she came to serve. They might not know the electronic modules used, the school culture, regulations regarding wages, correspondence, some official forms, et cetera. It is, therefore, extremely important that the school leadership guides candidate teachers in all this. According to Villani (2002), no matter how educated teachers are, they need the guidance of teachers who are more experienced than them during their first years of employment.

Research reveals differences in the attitudes of teachers before and after being appointed in the profession (Ayvaz Düzyol, 2012; Celep, 2000). Thus, planned and effective teacher training during the candidacy process is important as it will affect the teacher' s entire professional life. According to Erkoc (2010), the main purpose of candidate training is to ensure the employee' s adaptation to the job and increased success and productivity at work. Other objectives of candidate training are ensuring the employee' s trust in him/herself and the institution where he/she works, increased loyalty to the institution, accelerating adaptation to the job and the institution, and increasing employees' motivation towards the job by making them feel part of the organisation. By providing prospective teachers with the required guidance, explaining the job to be done, the conditions, authority and responsibilities of the candidate teacher in detail, the initial anxiety and stress of the new job will be limited (Botha & Rens, 2018).

Marable and Raimondi (2007) state that teachers need the support from various sources throughout their lives as many newly appointed teachers may give up in the face of adversity, despite their idealism. The difficulties that these teachers face in the classroom directly affect their sense of success, and may, without proper guidance and direction, result in them leaving the profession (Kardos & Johnson, 2010; Usta & Ozmusul, 2017).

From Table 1 it is clear that the adaptation of prospective teachers to the profession requires a collective effort of support from school administrators, mentors, and colleagues (Cuddapah & Clayton, 2011; Wang, Odell & Schwille, 2008).

The most comprehensive legal document regarding candidate teachers' training is the Directive on the Training Process for Candidate Teachers, published by the Ministry of Education (Millî Egitim Bakanligi Tebligler Dergisi, 2016). According to this directive, a prospective teacher is one who recently took office. According to this document, novice teachers undergo a training period in the first 6 months of their candidacy. The training process is carried out in the school where prospective teachers are appointed according to the education programme determined by the Ministry of National Education under the auspices of the school administrators and guidance teachers. Newly appointed prospective teachers participate in the classroom, in-school and out-of-school activities and attend in-service training activities within the scope of this training programme.

It is imperative that the school administrator appoints an advisor to train and support each prospective teacher. These advisors should have at least 10 years' experience as consultants or guidance counsellor. If teachers have been coordinators, consultants, or participants in national or international projects, they have preference as advisors. So do teachers who participate in social and cultural studies (theatre, poetry activities, school newspaper and magazine, out-of-school trips, sports competitions, etc.), are able to represent colleagues and have strong communication skills.

The duties of advisory teachers are as follows: during the training phase the new teacher must prepare the work programme together with the school administrator. The advisor should monitor, evaluate and guide the prospective teachers to train them in accordance with the determined training programmes. Counsellor teachers should set the example regarding professional behaviour and must convey their skills and experiences to new teachers. Furthermore, they should carry out any other duties assigned to them by the administrator of the educational institution. Advisory teachers are obliged to keep the principal informed about the execution of the tasks assigned to them.

Prospective teachers also have a number of responsibilities. They need to participate in the activities of the education programme prepared for them. They are obliged to follow the orders of the advisory teacher and the school administrator in accordance with legislation of the Ministry of National Education.

Teachers who successfully complete the process as prescribed in the Regulation on the Training of Candidate Civil Servants, take a written exam that consists of multiple-choice or open-ended questions. Topics included in this exam are planning of education, learning environments, classroom management, teaching methods and techniques, and measurement and evaluation (Yürütme ve Idare Bölümü, 1983).

Following the written exam, prospective teachers complete an oral exam with the Ministry. In the oral exam, the candidates are evaluated on 25 points by the members of the commission. Subjects tested are the ability to understand and briefly explain a subject, reasoning ability, communication, self-confidence, the ability to persuade others, the degree of awareness of scientific and technological changes, openness to innovation, public speaking, teaching qualities, et cetera (Yürütme ve Idare Bölümü, 1983).

With this research we aimed to reveal teacher qualities and to develop suggestions regarding the effects of school administrators on teachers appointed to their schools during the period of first appointment. When the above information is considered as a whole, it is understood that teachers should receive orientation training in three areas from school administrators, namely, adaptation to the profession, compliance with the school, and the environment in which the school is located. The execution of these processes and the healthy realisation of the orientation process are directly related to the initiative and planning taken by school administrators. The probability of candidate teachers leaving the professions after having received good orientation training is small. It can be assumed that prospective teachers' job satisfaction, socialisation, and communication with students, parents, and other teachers will increase as a result.

Three Dimensions of Adaptation to Work

The dimensions of the teacher's adaptation to the job are presented in Figure 1.

 

 

Compliance with the profession

In this dimension, the following roles are expected from school administrators: candidate teachers' personal/salary rights, legal regulations, lesson performance, school bureaucracy, education programmes to be followed during the candidacy process, inspections to be carried out in the school, decision mechanisms, team spirit, professional deficiencies, communication, and informing teachers about the electronic modules or systems used in the school.

Environmental compliance

This dimension includes the teachers' refuge places, the socioeconomic status of the city, village, or region to be served, the ethnic, religious, and sectarian structure of the region, the parent profile of the school, the means of transportation to the school and the educational opportunities of the region. This dimension is also important in geographically large countries. As a country develops, cultural differences may increase.

Compliance with the school

The following roles are expected from school administrators in this dimension. The school principal is to show the prospective teachers around the school and inform them about the facilities at the school. It is necessary to arrange activities for new teachers to meet the other staff members, to provide them with information about the students or classes to be assigned to them, and to inform them about correspondence and communication processes at the school. A counsellor should also be appointed to facilitate the adaptation of the prospective teacher to the school (Carver & Katz, 2004). The prospective teacher should be informed about the history of the school and special events in the past.

When the above three dimensions are considered together, it can be concluded that teachers' first years in the profession are extremely important, as inexperienced teachers can make many mistakes in the profession, school and environment. These mistakes can be reduced by means of effective leadership.

Some studies also address teachers' professional adaptation with regard to identity (Ruohotie-Lyhty, 2013). According to these studies the development of professional identity occurs in the early years of the profession and should be understood as the way in which individuals make sense of themselves in relation to contexts and other people (Jackson, 2016; Sweitzer, 2009; Trede, Macklin & Bridges, 2012).

Purpose of the Study

School administrators' assistance for teachers who are just starting the teaching profession is extremely important in terms of both the general staff regime and education quality. According to 2020 statistics, the number of teachers working in the Ministry of Education in Turkey was 1,117,686 (Millî Egitim Bakanligi, n.d.). New teacher appointments are made every year depending on the increase in student numbers (Millî Egitim Bakanligi, n.d.) For example, 30,000 teachers were appointed in February 2016, 15,000 in August 2016, 20,127 in March 2017 and 19,910 in June 2020 (Atama Sonuç Ekrani, 2019).

Considering the data above one understands how important the orientation of prospective teachers is. Teaching requires experience based on practice and theoretical knowledge. Practical experience is a field with artistic, social and leadership dimensions. For this reason, the candidacy process should be a programme based on practice and should provide as much experience and skills as possible (Ekinci, 2010). Therefore, the candidacy process should be planned very well, because prospective teachers generalise their observations in the first year of their teaching and apply this knowledge in the rest of their professional lives.

Why is this issue important? Firstly, Turkey is a large country of 783,562 km² with many different cultures. Most of the newly appointed teachers arrive in the regions where they are appointed for the very first time, as most of the teachers are assigned to rural area or to cities far from their birthplace. As a result, many of them may experience problems adapting to the new environment. Secondly, adjustment reduces the organisational and professional commitment of newly appointed teachers. Additionally, the majority of newly assigned teachers do not have mentors assigned to help them to adapt to the teaching profession and school climate, which may result in various problems. We trust that with this study we will contribute to the solution of some of these problems.

With this study we aimed to develop a quantitative measurement instrument to measure the effect that school administrators have on the adaptation of prospective teachers based on their own opinions.

 

Method

This section contains information about the research model, data collection and analysis, study group, and data collection tools used in this research.

Research Model

The descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in this study. The survey model is a research model that aims to reveal a situation as it is (Karasar, 1999). Quantitative research is the process of digitising, describing, and analysing facts or situations (Goertzen, 2017).

Population and Sample

The random sampling technique was used in the selection of the sample (Balci, 2006:85; Karasar, 1999:113-114). This method was chosen because the entire population had the same properties. The population of the study was 3,058 teachers. For this reason 395 novice teachers were selected as sample of the research. The numbers of the draft scales (questionnaires) prepared for the study are shown in Table 2 in the form of outgoing and returning.

 

 

Balci (2006:91 -95) asserts that, with a 5% margin of error, at least 353 individuals can be chosen as samples from this population. The researcher should recruit at least 353 participants, which is the size of the sample group. The sample to be contacted was increased by 15% to allow for scales not being returned, not being completed, or being completed incorrectly.

Data Collection Tools

Since this research was a scale development study, after the literature review and the examination of the legal texts, a draft measurement tool consisting of an items pool was developed. An assessment and evaluation field expert was consulted regarding the analysis of the scale. The participants were asked to express their opinions about given propositions by choosing one of the options on a 5-point Likert scale varying from very positive to very negative. The lowest score available from the scale is 26, and the highest score could be 130. A value closer to 26 indicates a low level of adaptation whereas a value closer to 130 indicates a high level of adaptation to the profession. The graded scale score ranges are as follows: (5) totally agree (5.00-4.20), (4) strongly agree (4.19-3.40), (3) moderately agree (3.39-2.60), (2) slightly agree (2.59-1.80), (1) strongly disagree (1.79-.00). Scale results are distributed over a width of 5.00 to 1.00 = 4.00 points. The levels that determine the cutting points of the scale were determined by dividing this width by five (4/5 = 80).

 

Findings

Findings Regarding Factor Analysis

The rotated principal component analysis was used to test the construct validity of the scale. As a result of the analysis, the KMO value was determined as 0.949, while the Bartlett test was found to be significant (x² = 6981,273; SD = 325; p < .05). In line with the data, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to the scale. As a result of the analysis two of the 28 items (11 and 19) were loaded more than one factor (with a difference of less than 0.1) and the item total correlation was less than 0.30. The two items were removed from the scale. The remaining 26 items formed a 3-factor structure with an eigenvalue greater than 1.00. According to EFA results, the distribution of 26 items by factors is shown in Table 3.

 

 

Factor 1, Compliance with the profession, consists of items 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Factor 3, Environmental compliance, consists of items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Factor 2, Compliance with school, consists of items 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28. Values related to the EFA results are presented in Table 4.

In line with the information presented in Table 4, a 3-factor structure with an eigenvalue greater than 1.00 in the scale was obtained. FLs for the items vary between .498 and .865. It was observed that the percentage of total variance explained for the scale was 59.78 and the CVs varied between .407 and .812. Factor 1, with an eigenvalue of 5.86, explains 22.55% of the total variance. Factor 2, with an eigenvalue of 4.97, explains 19.13%, and Factor 3, with an eigenvalue of 4.71, explains 18.11%. The contributions of the factors in explaining the total variance are presented in a scree plot (cf. Figure 2).

 

 

Upon examining the scree plot, it becomes apparent that the contribution of additional factors to the overall percentage of variance diminishes substantially after the first factor. This observation suggests the possibility of employing the scale as a unifactorial measure. However, since the scale is encompassed by three factors exhibiting eigenvalues greater than 1, it was advisable to adopt a 3-factor structure.

Reliability and Item Analysis

The internal consistency coefficients of the scale were calculated on the basis of total and factors, and in the analysis, the alpha reliability coefficient of the whole scale was found to be .955. Internal consistency coefficients for each factor of the scale are presented in Table 5.

 

 

In Table 5, the internal consistency coefficients for the factors of the scale were found to be .91 for all three factors. The factor analysis results of the scale used in a study conducted by Ekinci on the adjustment of novice teachers to the profession was found to be .96. Also, in a scale development study conducted by Özdemir (2003), the total alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was found to be .98. However, this scale was 2-dimensional. In the study conducted by Saylik and Hazar (2021), it was revealed that school administrators had a great influence on the adaptation of novice teachers to the environment. In this study, candidate teachers drew attention to two skills of school administrators, namely, communication and socialisation.

According to this research, the high level of communication and socialisation of school administrators facilitates the adaptation of novice teachers to the environment. The findings in our study are similar to the findings of Saylik and Hazar (2021). In another study on the orientation of novice teachers to the profession, it was concluded that there were three dimensions, namely, in-class and in-school activities, out-of-school activities and in-service training practices (Özen, Kiliçoglu & Yilmaz Kiliçoglu, 2019). The first two dimensions are similar to the dimensions of adaptation to the environment and adaptation to school in our study. The remaining item statistics for the scale are presented in Table 6.

 

 

From Table 6 it is clear that item-total correlations (ITC) for all items varied between .41 and .79. Since the internal consistency coefficient of the scale did not increase for any item when two items were removed, no items were omitted from this section.

Pearson' s correlation coefficient was used to reveal the relationship between the factors. Accordingly, a correlation coefficient of 1.00 indicates a perfect positive relationship; -1.00, a perfect negative relationship; and a value of 0.00 indicates no relationship. A correlation coefficient, as absolute value between 0.70 and 1.00 indicates a high relationship; between 0.70 and 0.30 as a medium relationship and between 0.30 and 0.00 as a low relationship (Büyüköztürk, 2014).

The scale developed to determine the effect of school administrators on the adaptation of candidate teachers to the work environment, is 3-dimensional. The correlation results between the factors of the scale are shown in Table 7.

 

 

Looking at Table 7, it is possible to say that there is a significant positive relationship between all three dimensions that make up the scale. In other words, while the value of one of the factors increases, the value of the other increases.

 

Discussion

The fertility rate in Turkey is very high and most of the population are young people. For this reason, new schools are built every year and thousands of new teachers are appointed as a result, but quite a number of teachers also retire every year. For example, in 2012 8,800 teachers retired, 7,877 in 2013, 7,975 in 2014, and 10,988 in 2015 and 13,317 in 2017. Due to the increase in the population and the number of teachers leaving the profession for whatever reason, there is a serious shortage of teachers every year (Ögretmen Gündem, 2021). Despite the high number of teachers waiting to be appointed, appointments are not made due to economic reasons and an inability to pay the teachers' salaries.

To address the shortage of teachers, the Turkish Ministry of Education appoints thousands of teachers every year. For example, 62,000 teachers were appointed in 2011, 52,000 in 2016 and 41,379 in 2019 (Atama Sonuç Ekrani, 2019).

The high number of teachers appointed necessitates a teacher orientation programme (Gratch, 1998; Ozdas, 2019). According to Botha and Rens (2018), adaptation programmes that reduce teachers' stress and anxiety must be supported by school administrators.

In research conducted by Kwok and Cain (2021) and Wang et al. (2008), it was found that school administrators and mentors had a great effect on teachers' adaptation to work. Nhlapo (2020) emphasises that the leadership role of school administrators is not limited to human relations but also extends to the efficient use of school facilities.

Ekinci (2010) states that school administrators should undergo good mentoring training in order to be able to provide novice teachers with good guidance. It is known that school principals are experienced in relation to the environment. In a qualitative study by Gunbey and Yilmaz (2021) it was revealed that novice teachers' adaptation to the environment constitutes an important orientation area for novice teachers.

Based on the above findings and discussion, we make the following recommendations:

• School administrators should be trained to provided novice teachers with good mentoring.

• An environmental adaptation course could be included in the prospective teacher's pre-service training programme.

• Newly appointed teachers can attend a course with guidance counsellors for a certain period of time.

• As Turkey is a large country with many different religions, ethnicities, and cultures, booklets can be prepared through which local cultures and the scope of environmental adaptation could be explained to novice teachers.

• Qualitative interviews can be conducted to reveal the problems experienced by newly appointed teachers.

• Mentoring is an effective approach to help novice teachers to adopt to the profession. Experienced and qualified mentors should be assigned to guide novice teachers during their apprenticeship.

 

Notes

i. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.

ii. DATES: Received: 21 January 2021; Revised: 1 February 2023; Accepted: 20 February 2023; Published: 31 May 2023.

 

References

Akyüz Y 2013. Türk egitim tarihi [History of Turkish education]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Akademi Yayincilik.         [ Links ]

Aslanargun E & Bozkurt S 2012. Okul müdürlerinin okul yönetiminde karsilastigi sorunlar [Problems that principals face in school administration]. Gaziantep Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 11 (2):349-368.         [ Links ]

Atama Sonuç Ekrani 2019. Available at http://atama.meb.gov.tr/. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Ayvaz Düzyol M 2012. Aday ögretmenlere uygulanan aday yetiçtirme programinin etkililiginin incelenmesi [Evaluation of the effectiveness of the prospective teacher training program for prospective teachers]. MEd dissertation. Ankara, Turkey: Middle East Technical University.         [ Links ]

Balay R 2000. Yönetici ve ögretmenlerde: Örgütsel baglilik [Organizational commitment in administrators and teachers]. Ankara, Turkey: Nobel Yayinlari.         [ Links ]

Balci A 2006. Sosyal bilimlerde arastirma [Research in social sciences]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Yayinlari.         [ Links ]

Bayar A & Topal M 2020. Opinions of teachers working as principal authorized teachers on this practice. Journal of Social, Humanities and Administrative Sciences, 6(31):1472-1489.         [ Links ]

Botha CS & Rens J 2018. Are they really 'ready, willing and able'? Exploring reality shock in beginner teachers in South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 38(3):Art. #1546, 8 pages. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38n3a1546        [ Links ]

Bozak A, Özdemir T & Seraslan D 2016. Meslege yeni baçlayan ögretmenlerin egitim fakültelerinde almis olduklari ögretmenlik egitimine iliçkin görücleri [The opinions of beginning teachers on education and training they had at faculties of education]. Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 13(36):100-113. Available at https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/683938. Accessed 31 May 2023.         [ Links ]

Bozak A, Yildirim C & Demirtas H 2011. An alternative method for professional development of teachers: Peer observation. Inonu University Journal of Education Faculty, 12(2):65-84. Available at https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/inuefd/issue/8699/108639. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Bush T & Jackson D 2002. A preparation for school leadership: International perspectives. Educational Management and Administration, 30(4):417-429. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263211X020304004        [ Links ]

Büyüköztürk S 2014. Sosyal bilimler icin veri analiz el kitabi [Data analysis handbook for social sciences]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Yayincilik.         [ Links ]

Carver CL & Katz DS 2004. Teaching at the boundary of acceptable practice: What is a new teacher mentor to do? Journal of Teacher Education, 55(5):449-462. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487104269524        [ Links ]

Celep C 2000. Egitimde örgütsel adanma ve ögretmenler [Organizational commitment and teachers in education]. Ankara, Turkey: Ani Yayincilik.         [ Links ]

Celik V 2007. Egitimsel liderlik [Educational leadership]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem A Yayincilik.         [ Links ]

Cimen G 2010. ilkögretim aday ögretmenlerinin yetiçtirilmesi sürecinin ilkögretim müfettiçleri ve okul müdürlerince degerlendirilmesi: Kirikkale ili örnegi [Evaluation of the process of training prospective primary school teachers by primary education inspectors and school principals: The case of Kirikkale Province]. MEd dissertation. Kirikkale, Turkey: Kirikkale University.         [ Links ]

Cuddapah JL & Clayton CD 2011. Using Wenger's Communities of Practice to explore a new teacher cohort. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(1):62-75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487110377507        [ Links ]

Devlet memurlari kanunu ^(1)(2)(3). Kanun numarasi: 657 [Civil servants law ^(1)(2)(3). Law number: 657] 1965. Resmî Gazete, 4(12056), July 23. Available at http://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/L5.657.pdf. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Ekinci A 2010. Aday ögretmenlerin is baçinda yetistirilmesinde okul müdürlerinin rolü [Roles of headmasters on the job-training of the pre-service teachers]. Dicle Üniversitesi Ziya Gökalp Egitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 15:63-77. Available at https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/zgefd/issue/47950/606697. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Ergün M 1987. Türkiye'de ögretmen yetiçtirme çaliçmalarinin geliçmesi [Development of teacher training studies in Turkey]. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Egitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 2(2):10-18. Available at https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/88465. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Erkoc A 2010. Aday ögretmenlerin göreve baçladiklannda karsilastiklari sorunlar [Problems that novice teachers face when they start working]. MEd dissertation. Kahramanmaras, Turkey: Kahramanmaras Sütçü Imam University. Available at https://acikbilim.yok.gov.tr/bitstream/handle/20.500.12812/206956/yokAcikBilim_359729.pdf?sequence=-1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 31 May 2023.         [ Links ]

Ezzani M 2014. Ethical leadership: A Texas school district's efforts toward cultural proficiency. Values and Ethics in Educational Administration, 11(1):1-8. Available at https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc990937/. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Gardner JW 1990. On leadership. New York, NY: The Free Press.         [ Links ]

Goertzen MJ 2017. Introduction to quantitative research and data. Library Technology Reports, 53(4):12- 18. Available at https://journals.ala.org/index.php/ltr/article/view/6325/8274. Accessed 31 May 2023.         [ Links ]

Gratch A 1998. Beginning teacher and mentor relationships. Journal of Teacher Education, 49(3):220-227. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487198049003008        [ Links ]

Gülay A & Altun T 2017. Determining perceptions of newly qualified teachers about their professional competencies and challenges. Dicle University Ziya Gökalp Journal of Faculty of Education, 31:738749.         [ Links ]

Gunbey M & Yilmaz E 2021. Opinions of school principals on their roles in the candidate teacher training process. Journal of Education & Youth Research, 1(1):1-20.         [ Links ]

Haas H & Tamarkin B 2000. Insan lider dogmaz [A human leader is not born]. Istanbul, Turkey: Beyaz.         [ Links ]

Jackson D 2016. Re-conceptualising graduate employability: The importance of pre-professional identity. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(5):925-939. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1139551        [ Links ]

Karasar N 1999. Bilimsel araçttrmayontemi [Scientific research method]. Ankara, Turkey: Nobel Yayin.         [ Links ]

Kardos SM & Johnson SM 2010. New teachers' experiences of mentoring: The good, the bad, and the inequity. Journal of Educational Change, 11:23-44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-008-9096-4        [ Links ]

Kozikoglu I & Senemoglu N 2018. Meslege yeni baçlayan ögretmenlerin karsilastiklari güçlükler: Nitel bir çozümleme [Challenges faced by novice teachers: A qualitative analysis]. Egitimde Nitel AraçttrmalarDergisi, 6(3):341-371. https://doi.org/10.14689/issn.2148-2624.L6c3s16m        [ Links ]

Kwok A & Cain C 2021. Alternatively certified teachers' perceptions of new teacher induction. Professional Development in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1879226        [ Links ]

Marable MA & Raimondi SL 2007. Teachers' perceptions of what was most (and least) supportive during their first year of teaching. Mentoring & Tutoring, 15(1):25-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611260601037355        [ Links ]

Marzano RJ, Waters T & McNulty BA 2005. School leadership that works: From research to results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.         [ Links ]

Maxwell JC 1998. içinizdeki lideri gelistirmek [Developing your inner leader]. Istanbul, Turkey: Beyaz Yayinlari.         [ Links ]

Millî Egitim Bakanligi n. d. Available at www.meb.gov.tr. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Millî Egitim Bakanligi Tebligler Dergisi 2016. Aday ögretmen yetistirme sürecine. iliskin yönerge: Birinci bölüm. Amaç, kapsam, dayanak ve tantmlar [Directive on candidates' teacher training process: First part. Purpose, scope, basis and definitions]. Available at http://mevzuat.meb.gov.tr/dosyalar/1769.pdf. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]

Naidoo P 2019. Perceptions of teachers and school management teams of the leadership roles of public school principals. South African Journal of Education, 39(2):Art. #1534, 14 pages. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v39n2a1534        [ Links ]

Nhlapo VA 2020. The leadership role of the principal in fostering sustainable maintenance of school facilities. South African Journal of Education, 40(2):Art. #1790, 9 pages. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v40n2a1790        [ Links ]

Ögretmen Gündem 2021. Emekli olacak ögretmen saysis [Number of teachers to be retired?]. Available at https://www.ogretmengundem.com/haberdetay/5066/emekli-olacak-ogretmen-sayisi-#:~:text=Faaliyet%20Raporuna%20g%C3%B6re%2C%20Milli%20E%C4%9Fitim,devlet%20memurlu%C4%9Fundan%20%C3%A7%C4%B1kar%C4%B1lma%20yoluyla%20%C3%B6%C4%9Fretmen. Accessed 31 May 2023.         [ Links ]

Ozdas F 2019. Teacher attitudes and behaviors affecting high school students' academic achievement. Turkish Studies Educational Sciences, 14(3):755-772.         [ Links ]

Özdemir I 2003. Ögretmenlerin is baçinda yetistirilmesinde okul yöneticisinin rolü [The principal's role in training teachers on the job]. Educational Administration in Theory & Practice, 35:448-465.         [ Links ]

Özen H, Kiliçoglu G & Kiliçoglu DY 2019. Pre-service teachers' views on pre-service teacher training program: A qualitative research. Marmara University Ataturk Education Faculty Journal of Educational Sciences, 49:99-120.         [ Links ]

Ruohotie-Lyhty M 2013. Struggling for a professional identity: Two newly qualified language teachers' identity narratives during the first years at work. Teaching and Teacher Education, 30:120-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.11.002        [ Links ]

Sari MH & Altun Y 2015. Problems faced by new appointed classroom teachers. Hacettepe University Faculty of Education Journal, 30(1):213-226.         [ Links ]

Saylik A & Hazar S 2021. The effects of X and Y generation school principals' communication skills on non-tenured teachers' organizational socialization. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 20(79):1137-1161.         [ Links ]

Steingraber L 1999. How to succeed in the global marketplace. Guilford, CT: Duskin/McGraw-Hill.         [ Links ]

Sweitzer V 2009. Towards a theory of doctoral student professional identity development: A developmental networks approach. The Journal of Higher Education, 80(1):1 -33. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2009.11772128        [ Links ]

Trede F, Macklin R & Bridges D 2012. Professional identity development: A review of the higher education literature. Studies in Higher Education, 37(3):365-384. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2010.521237        [ Links ]

Usta ME & Ozmusul M 2017. Sanliurfa'da görev yapan okul müdürlerinin egitim ve okul yönetimine yönelik görüs,lerinin belirlenmesi [Determination of principals' attitudes towards education and schools administration in Urfa]. Journal of European Education, 7(1):1 -22. Available at http://eu-journal.org/index.php/JEE/article/view/152. Accessed 15 January 2021.         [ Links ]

Villani S 2002. Mentoring programs for new teachers: Models of induction and support. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.         [ Links ]

Wang J, Odell SJ & Schwille SA 2008. Effects of teacher induction on beginning teachers' teaching: A critical review of the literature. Journal of Teacher Education, 59(2):132-152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487107314002        [ Links ]

Yüksekögretim Kurulu 2023. Available at https://www.yok.gov.tr/. Accessed 31 May 2023.         [ Links ]

Yürütme ve Idare Bölümü 1983. Kanun hükmünde kararnameler [Statutory decrees]. T.C. Resmî Gazete, 18090:1-64, June 27. Available at https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/arsiv/18090.pdf. Accessed 10 December 2020.         [ Links ]