Looking at the half-full glass: learning from success stories of novice teachers' development and integration

This multi-case study was designed to learn from success stories of novice teachers’ (NTs) development and integration, sidestepping difficulties, it presents individual and contextual sources of strength and support, available to entrance-level teachers. It unpacks informal aspects of how NTs learn through their everyday practice, often ignored in the literature, alongside formal frameworks of learning and support. The study explores the cases of five NTs from five different schools. The research tools were interviews and observations, supplemented by the perspectives of officeholders from each school, to produce a more holistic picture of the NT's progress and of comprehensive processes in their schools. The findings indicate the importance of enabling NTs to bring their unique strengths into their work from the outset. This allows them to first experience success, contributing to their integration and professional learning. The findings also demonstrate the significance of establishing platforms for eye-level interaction with colleagues, pointing to a perceptual change of how NTs learn from their community, from hierarchal learning (e.g., mentor) to more egalitarian interactions. Furthermore, the findings surface schools' need for autonomy and flexibility from the Ministry of Education to construct the right support compatible for their NTs and their culture.