Supporting beginning male teachers as they transform to skilled professionals

There has been much media speculation and general conversation about the crisis of masculinity, the lack of male role models – in particular the lack of fathers, and how many boys are becoming a ‘lost’ generation. An Australian House of Representatives report “Boys: Getting it right” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2002) investigated this issue in depth and made recommendations to the Australian Minister of Education, Science and Training concerning policy direction and strategies that could be developed for teacher education courses relating to boys and boys educational needs. The research reported here was designed to investigate the needs of male teachers as they enter their professional life in schools. This research is significant because it addresses a major area of concern, namely the retention of newly qualified male teachers in both primary and secondary school environments, as well as issues related to the male identity and the impact of older beginning teachers as they enter the profession.