Exploring connections between pre-service teachers' expectations of their career pathways and the lived experience of novice teachers of that career path as it transpires

The issue of teacher attrition has affected almost every developed country in the world in the last quarter of a century. The possibility of a real shortage in well-trained, educated teachers is concerning and a waste of financial and time resources, especially when individuals undergo training in (public) institutions of higher education but end up leaving the teaching profession within the early years in the field. This research is based on the assumption that narrowing the gap between pre-service teachers’ professional expectations and the lived reality of novice teachers in the field can create an easier transition from teacher preparation programs to the classroom.
The study adopts the thematic analysis approach of Braun and Clarke (2006), and incorporates two phases. Phase one involves a thematic analysis of an imagined “retirement” farewell speech written by nineteen first-year pre-service students as part of a coaching intervention workshop, in which participants implicitly revealed their motivations and expectations of their teaching career. Phase two involves a thematic analysis of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with six volunteers from the original nineteen participants from phase one, conducted seven years after the workshop, when the participants were in their early years of teaching in the field. A qualitative comparison was conducted of the thematic analyses of the pre-service teachers’ expectations of their career path with their actual lived experiences in the field, with the aim of exploring whether there was a gap between the two, and whether any such gap could strengthen or weaken the motivation and resilience of novice teachers to overcome challenges during the beginning years of teaching.
Findings reveal that there was a discrepancy between pre-service teachers’ expectations and novice teachers’ lived experiences. However, those participants with less discrepancy gave the impression that they have a sense of self-efficacy, are able to employ various coping mechanisms to overcome challenges and fulfil their professional expectations, and are more likely to remain in the profession.
The thesis concludes with implications and suggestions for minimising the gap between pre-service professional expectations and novice teachers’ lived experience.