As a teacher listening to this episode, I’m sure you remember your first few years in the profession – the unique challenges you faced and the support that made a difference to you. But what does the evidence say about how schools can best support early career teachers? New research from academics at Monash University has uncovered specific factors that support early career teachers’ sense of belonging at school. Four main themes emerged: teacher collaboration, relationships with colleagues, supporting early career teachers through their early-career journey, and getting early career teachers involved in school decision making. The lead author of the report, Ebony Melzak, joins me for this episode of The Research Files. Ebony is a psychologist and PhD candidate. Together, we’ll go through each theme in detail, what the research says, and how it might look in different school settings.

Host: Dominique Russell

Guest: Ebony Melzak