Change in University Pedagogical Culture – The Impact of Increased Pedagogical Training on First Teaching Experiences

Abstract

<p>This study aims to explore whether the increase in pedagogical training has had any effect on new teachers’ experiences. We consider first teaching experiences to be crucial for a teacher’s career and the development of the environment’s pedagogical culture. We hypothesised that even if new faculty begin their teaching career without any formal pedagogical training, due to the changed pedagogical culture within faculties, they receive more support from their colleagues than their peers did 10 or 20 years ago. In this study, teachers with different amounts of teaching experience were asked to describe their first teaching experiences to get an overall picture of topical issues (Study A). Then, a larger sample was collected to shed more light on the assumed change in teaching cultures (Study B). According to the results, the majority (63.6%) of novice teachers with 0 to 4 years of teaching experience did not have pedagogical training. However, the amount of aid that novice teachers received from their colleagues was higher among those who had recently begun their careers compared to more experienced teachers, suggesting a change in teaching cultures. Novice teachers’ experience that teaching interferes with their research indicates that the changes in pedagogical culture are only partial, leaving the professional identity underdeveloped.<br /></p>