Being influenced or being an influence: New teachers’ induction experiences

Abstract

This article draws on and develops the outcomes of previous research which concluded that school subject departments provide the setting for influential professional development and that experienced teachers strongly influence their newly qualified colleagues. The findings of two subsequent research projects, which used this as a starting point, are examined through a figurational sociological perspective. The first project examines influences on professional development over five years with two participants and the second project, conducted with new teachers, takes the analysis a stage further to explore power relationships within new teachers’ ‘figurations’. The article asks whether it is inevitable that new recruits to the teaching profession are the victims of an unequal balance of power or whether they are able to exert professional influence over their colleagues. The research findings suggest that physical education (PE) subject communities in schools are strong and provide a context in which new teachers must often find ways to be accepted before they can influence practice. One of the outcomes of such a process is that new teachers perpetuate rather than challenge and improve current practice. If PE is to be progressive, experienced teachers must be aware of the strong influence they exert over new teachers, particularly during training and induction.