Work socialization of novice second career teachers through the lens of their social capital

Objective: The objective of our contribution is to understand the work socialization process of second-career teachers (SCTs) through learning via their professional interactions with colleagues. SCTs’ professional integration in vocational education and training schools is documented as being a very difficult period. Novice SCTs report less successful work socialization than first-career teachers. Work socialization is the process of learning about a new professional role and the environment surrounding that role. Recent research on novice teachers tends to consider teachers’ social relationships as an important source of support for professional development. Peers are described as the best agents of work socialization. Furthermore, research highlights that departmentalized schools can reduce opportunities for teachers’ professional development. This is the case for TVET schools which, in French-speaking Belgium, include both academic and vocational programs which might result in SCTs being isolated. These elements invite us to question the work socialization of SCTs through their opportunities to build social capital. Methods: We analyzed the social structure of 2 TVET schools and conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with SCTs and their peers in order to understand the importance of social interactions and contextual conditions in their socialization process. Results: We expect that SCTs’ central position in the network might provide more opportunities for a successful socialization process and that this might be determined by contextual factors, such as the departmentalized organization of TVET schools and the school climate. Conclusions: This study will help us to formulate recommendations on how to improve the work socialization of SCTs through an integrative professional network.

Affiliations

UCLouvainSSH/IACS - Institute of Analysis of Change in Contemporary and Historical Societies

Citations

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Coppe, T., März, V., & Raemdonck, I. (2021). Work socialization of novice second career teachers through the lens of their social capital. 32nd International Congress of Psychology, Prague. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/268845