Abstract:
The paper discusses the experiences, needs and concerns of newly appointed teachers
in four separate studies conducted by UTS teacher educators over the years 1999-2006.
Newly appointed teachers were invited to participate in an online support network in
each of the studies. The studies were all small in scale, and allowed teachers to express
their concerns, aspirations and experiences to others in the online network. Although
participation in the online network was limited, those who did participate found the
network to be supportive and helpful in providing much-needed advice and
suggestions. Support was offered by mentor teachers, lecturers from the university and
the other newly appointed teachers in the network. The paper will highlight the
common issues regarding online access to support, as well as aspects of online
interaction that were found to be beneficial to participants. It will also discuss issues of
participation as highlighted by the different designs of the four studies, and indicate the
strengths and weaknesses of each of the research designs with regard to meeting the
needs of the participants.
