A Study On The Professional Autonomy Of Beginning Teachers

With the progress in the professionalization of teachers,there is a growing attention towards teacher professional autonomy which is the core dimension of teacher professionalism.The professional autonomy is also a crucial factor for beginning teachers to decide whether to continue stay in the profession.And the professional autonomy of beginning teachers is constructed by them in education practice,not natural.However,the existing literatures mainly focus on the teacher professional autonomy from individual or group perspective,with less attention on the individually construction of beginning teachers in a specific situation.Then,this study explored the beginning teachers' construction of professional autonomy from the perspective of relationship based on Giddens' structuration theory in China.Generally speaking,teacher professional autonomy refers to the state of individual teachers' self-determination,self-action and self-responsibility in professional field,which is constructed by teachers themselves in different relationships,not interior individually.And this study divides the professional relationships into four kinds,teachers-students,teachers-parents,teachers-teachers,teachers-school administration leaders.From this framework,this study took a qualitative approach,collecting data by means of interviews and observation and analyzing the data with thematic analysis method,to describe and explain the construction of professional autonomy of beginning teacher in different relationships.Twenty primary school beginning teachers(0-5 years of teaching age)were selected as the research objects.Then,this study explored the possible reasons from the dimensions of relationships and teacher self,and constructed the path of supporting the professional autonomy of beginning teachers.This study found that beginning teachers' construction of professional autonomy presented three characteristics.Firstly,beginning teachers have the possibility of professional autonomy,with the professional base and support from others.But,the dependency and creativity of teachers as newcomers is not being taken seriously.Secondly,beginning teachers have relatively weak professional autonomy.They are"vulnerable group" who have to obey when facing many restrictions.Thirdly,beginning teachers are active to strive for professional autonomy.Rather than simply complying with the existing environment,to some extent,they are "independent persons".Specifically,even though students,parents,colleagues and school administration provide some support to the beginning teachers for being professional autonomy,they also bring negative impacts.Beginning teachers try their best to find autonomous space to maintain their professional responsibility for studentsThe current state of beginning teachers' professional autonomy is mainly due to four reasons.Above all,the social pattern of difference sequence leads to the difficulty of beginning teachers in professional behaviors.In addition,the conflicts between the logic of education and anti-intellectualism which is mainly characterized by the generalization of instrumental,interested,and emotional dimensions of education contributes to the dilemma of beginning teachers.Furthermore,the deficiency of school system results in less support for beginning teachers.Last but not least,the dual characteristics of creativity and dependency of beginning teachers and the change of teachers' concept from selfless dedication to due diligence also affect the professional autonomy extent.Besides,the differences among beginning teachers' professional understanding,professional preparation and personality also influence their construction of professional autonomyThe study suggests multi-dimensinal necessity for beginning teachers being professional autonomy,which requires reasonable restrictions and respectful support As far as the respect is concerned,guaranteeing the personal space of beginning teachers,providing practice opportunities for them,and making the enough time for reflection are three potential approaches.In terms of supporting the professional autonomy of beginning teachers,this study proposes five suggestions.First,on the social level,the social and economic status of beginning teachers need to be improved Second,the responsibility boundary of family-school cooperation should be clarified Third,a professional learning community among teachers should be established for genuine cooperation and exchanges between beginning teachers and colleagues.Fourth,the bureaucratic orientation and professional orientation of schools as organization should be balanced.Fifth,beginning teachers should improve themselves to reach professional autonomy,striving to become ethical professional teachers,building critical network with colleagues and insisting on professional autonomy in reflection.