Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University Dr Emma Clarke, Dr Phil Wood and Aimee Quickfall have secured British Academy funding for a ground-breaking project looking into the experiences of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in 2020/21; a cohort of teachers who have been impacted greatly by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The highly competitive British Academy funding process resulted in just 6% of bids being approved. This project considers the experiences of newly qualified teachers, taking up their first career role having missed part of their work-based practice prior to employment.
This project will follow NQTs through their first year of teaching to understand the challenges and opportunities they face, how they can be better supported professionally and emotionally, to inform practices and policies to ensure sustainability within the sector during and after the pandemic.
Dr. Clarke commented on the project, explaining:
“This research will help us understand the complex processes at play for NQTs and is important in ensuring that this cohort thrive in their careers. With a recruitment gap already apparent in English education, any adverse impact on this group of teachers moving forward will play a major role in exacerbating that problem.”
It is hoped that the impact of the study will also reach beyond the teaching profession. Dr. Wood explained:
“This research project will offer insights into how the wider public sector has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the training of a new generation of professionals.”
The project is part of the Well-being and Workload in Education Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit. If you would like to know more about the work of the Well-being and Workload in Education RKEU, please contact aimee.quickfall@bishopg.ac.uk