Journey into the Teaching Profession: Experiences of Classroom Teachers

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to reveal the experiences and problems faced by the classroom teachers who just started the teaching profession. The phenomenology approach was employed in the study since the study examined the experiences of classroom teachers who just started teaching by interviewing them. Sample selection was determined by using a purposeful sampling method to understand the phenomenon. In this regard, criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, was utilized in the study to obtain in-depth information about the phenomenon. Within the scope of the research, two basic criteria were taken into account, which is not being in the teaching profession for more than three years and working in schools with different socio-economic levels. The interviews were conducted online with the teachers at the times and dates determined by the teachers. The reason for conducting the interviews online was that the classroom teachers participating in the study worked in different cities. A total of 20 interviews were conducted, including classroom teachers from different regions of Turkey. Thematic analysis was used in the analysis of the study data. According to the results, classroom teachers in their first years, the study determined that teachers expressed their experiences in the context of “professional experiences” and “sociocultural-regional experiences.”