Identifying the Exits

Chapter 4 addresses the research study data and uses a context-conscious viewpoint to examine critical attrition issues of classroom ownership and behaviour management through a comparison between two schools' beginning teacher support programs. Threads are drawn together to paint a picture of the two main exits beginning teachers find themselves confronted with (cognitive and relational load), while focus remains on schools' responsibilities for the growth of beginning teachers' professional teaching identities. The chapter concludes by highlighting the value of linking beginning teachers' intrinsic motivation and their professional identity development by taking a First Five Years' approach to their need for nurture and support systems.