The first year as a Secondary Education teacher in Spain

Abstract

This study aims at understanding how they live the first year of teaching, secondary school teachers in Spain. We inquire into what difficulties they have, the support received, their concerns and expectations, and the changes they experience regarding all of them. We designed a longitudinal study with a biographical-narrative approach. The participants were 10 beginning teachers up to three years of experience in their teaching careers. The data analysis was carried out from two perspectives: paradigmatic and narrative, in order to build up each singular professional story. Results show factors that can attenuate or accentuate the shock of the first year, as well as perceived changes regarding the own practices and the teaching profession. The discussion confirms the theoretical developments of the international literature review. Also, identify some relevant features that should be taken into consideration for design of initiatives to improve the induction processes of beginning teachers in Spain.