A case study: novice English teachers’ problems in Transcarpathia

The study presented in this article focuses on the topic of novice English teachers and the difficulties they experience during the first years of their teaching career. Based on the academic literature, we have defined the construct of a novice teacher as someone who has been teaching for a period from zero up to two years. Our main research aims were to investigate what difficulties novice English teachers in Transcarpathia encounter and suggest possible ways of solving these problems. The participants of our case study were eight English teachers having the novice status in the schools where they worked. They were each asked to fill in a questionnaire as the instrument of our research. One of our hypotheses (classroom management and implementing the curriculum are the primary problems of novice teachers) was supported by the research data, whereas the other one (little meaningful and adequate professional support is obtained by novice teachers in the workplace) was refuted. The findings indicate that the most problematic issues for novice teachers at the start of their career are keeping discipline in the classroom and maintaining learner motivation. The most crucial implications of the study include the following: novice teachers are advised to engage learners in learner-centred learning activities. From the very beginning they have to develop their routines and rules must be introduced for maximum learner achievement. Several techniques serve the teachers to maintain interest, motivation, attention and to prevent disruptive behaviour which they have to make use of in the classroom. We are fully aware of the fact that because of the small sample of the case study its findings are not generalizable for the whole population of novice teachers. However, we do hope that the issues highlighted in this paper can be of help to novice teachers who have just started their teaching career and have experienced similar problems.