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Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape
Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613883456290816 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Oelofse, Brandan |
| author2 | Jansen, Jonathan |
| author_browse | Jansen, Jonathan Oelofse, Brandan |
| author_facet | Jansen, Jonathan Oelofse, Brandan |
| author_sort | Oelofse, Brandan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135975 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:13.574Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135975 Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape Oelofse, Brandan Jansen, Jonathan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Oelofse, B. 2026. Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/54b1c7b4-be0c-4be2-bc64-f55f49eb9827 This study explored the experiences of novice teachers regarding the support of School Management Teams (SMTs) in lower-quintile public secondary schools within a Sampled Metropolitan Education Districtin the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Despite policy efforts to strengthen the induction and mentoring of novice teachers through the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM) and the National Teacher Induction (NTI) framework, novice teachers in many South African schools continue to experience inadequate guidance, inconsistent mentoring, and limited opportunities for professional growth. This research addressed this gap by examining how SMTs interpret and enact national policies at the school level, how such enactments affect the adjustment and performance of novice teachers, and how teachers navigate their responsibilities with or without structured support. The study adopted a qualitative multiple-case study design situated within an interpretivist paradigm, focusing on five novice teachers, each within their first three years of service. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis and thematically analysed. Meyer and Rowan’s (1977) Institutional Theory was applied as the theoretical framework to explore the relationship between policy structures, leadership practices, and individual teacher agency. Ethical standards, including informed consent, confidentiality, and reflexivity, were strictly observed, while credibility was enhanced through triangulation and member checking. The findings revealed a significant policy–practice gap: although PAM and NTI outline phased induction, mentorship, and workload relief for new teachers, these provisions were rarely implemented in practice. SMT support was inconsistent and largely administrative, while procedural compliance was prioritised over developmental engagement. Novice teachers described feeling isolated, anxious, and underprepared for classroom management, particularly in resource-constrained contexts. In response, they relied on informal peer support, digital networks, and self-directed learning as coping strategies. Although such initiatives demonstrated resilience and adaptability, they cannot replace structured mentorship and Continuous Professional Development (CPD). From a theoretical standpoint, the study extends Institutional Theory (Meyer & Rowan, 1977) by illustrating how formal policies function through mediating actors, relational dynamics, and organisational culture. It shows that compliance alone does not ensure effective induction; meaningful support depends on leadership behaviour, school culture, and relational trust. The resilience of novice teachers emerged not only as a personal trait, but as a socially situated construct shaped by these contextual conditions. Therefore, the study underscores that sustainable induction requires a shift from bureaucratic compliance to developmental leadership that embeds mentorship, reflection, and collaboration within institutional practice. The findings contribute to South African education scholarship by foregrounding the lived realities of novice teachers in lower-quintile schools–contexts often excluded from mainstream research. Practically, the study proposes multi-level recommendations. The Department of Basic Education should implement mentor-accreditation schemes and developmental accountability measures; universities should prepare mentors and sustain post-graduation support; and SMTs should institutionalise instructional coaching, formative feedback, and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to embed reflective practice. The research concludes that the success of teacher induction lies not in policy design, but in implementation. Translating policy into practice requires empowered SMT leadership, relationally grounded mentorship, and coherent alignment between national frameworks and school-level realities. Embedding these supports within institutional structures can enable novice teachers to move from survivalist coping to professional mastery, thereby enhancing retention, instructional quality, and equity in the South African education system. Masters 2026-04-16T14:17:16Z 2026-04-16T14:17:16Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135975 en Stellenbosch University 93 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Oelofse, Brandan Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape |
| title | Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape |
| title_full | Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape |
| title_fullStr | Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape |
| title_short | Novice teachers' experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the Eastern Cape |
| title_sort | novice teachers experiences of support from school management teams within a metropolitan district in the eastern cape |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135975 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT oelofsebrandan noviceteachersexperiencesofsupportfromschoolmanagementteamswithinametropolitandistrictintheeasterncape |