To help counterbalance the dominance of ‘problem-loaded’ views of beginning teachers, this study focuses on the agentive achievements of nine beginning elementary teachers, in the Republic of Ireland, during their induction year of school-based practice, post-graduation. Specifically, this study investigates whether beginners’ agentive achievements are temporally embedded phenomena.
Drawing theoretically on an ecological understanding of agency, a three-cycle, individual interview design is the data collection method employed. Cross-case analysis is used to identify common patterns that recur across the nine cases. Discussed within the ambit of pertinent literature, interview-derived empirical data are drawn upon to substantiate conclusions that beginners’ agentive achievements emerged in specific temporal situations and moments.
Three issues attesting to the scholarly significance of the study are outlined.