Illuminating the liminal lives of early career teachers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21688836 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jane Tilson (0000-0002-6972-4088, University of Otago, corresponding author), Helen Trevethan (0000-0003-1428-6620, University of Otago), Bronwen Cowie (0000-0002-7087-5895, University of Waikato), W Carss (0000-0001-8818-4059, University of Waikato) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Teachers and Teaching (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1354-0602 • E-ISSN: 1470-1278 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13540602.2026.2680699 |
| OpenAlex | W7163347646 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
The transition from teacher education to working in the profession is significant. Teacher education programmes are tasked with preparing new graduates to be profession ready, and views on readiness are contentious. In this article we offer contemporary insights into the professional experiences of early career primary teachers in New Zealand. Using liminality as a theoretical framework, we take a longitudinal view capturing the perspectives of early career teachers across three years. Data for this project comprised participants’ self-selected visual images and explanations from interview transcripts. Thematic analysis was used to identify prevalent themes. The visual images and reflective descriptions captured a rare window into how as ‘liminaries’ these early career teachers experienced the uncertain space that is beginning teaching. Concepts of liminality were used to discuss the participants’ data which brought moments of personal insight and transformation into view. The participants’ data revealed four themes across three years: initial disequilibrium that surprised us by quickly settling, followed by continual growth and greater clarity about the complexity of their role as teachers
Career development · Liminality · Qualitative research · Semi-structured interview · Early Childhood Education and Development · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies · Teacher Professional Development and Motivation
Professional identity tensions of beginning teachers
Ready, or not? Graduate teachers’ perceptions of their classroom readiness through a capstone assessment task
‘Quality and consequence’
Exploring beginning teachers’ experiences in a liminal phase
Liminality and the beginning teacher
The quest for better teaching
How early career teachers overcome everyday work-related challenges
Talking about pictures
Using arts-based reflection to explore preservice teacher identity development and its reciprocity with resilience and well-being during the second year of university
Does the first year of teaching have to be a bad one? A case study of success
Whatever it takes
Between Body and Spirit
The emotional journey of the beginning teacher
From liminal spaces to the spatialities of liminality
Rites of Passage in Initial Teacher Training
Visual Images as Tools of Teacher Inquiry
Newly Betwixt and Between
| Highly cited | No |
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