Since 2000, a full year of internship became mandatory for all students of the teacher training colleges in Israel.

Researchers studying the experience of being a first year teacher, describe it, using metaphors such as "shock", "trauma", "uprooting", etc. (Kremer Hayun, 1985; Sabar Ben Yehoshua, 2001; Regev and Sagii, 2001, and others). In light of these findings there's great importance in identifying the various components of the induction process and their relative contribution to the interns welfare.

In the Gonen, Shimoni and Yaakobi study (2002) five induction agents were identified: (1) the principal, (2) the mentor, (3) the inspector (especially in pre-school), (4) the school faculty and (5) the internship workshop. In addition, five major induction factors were identified: (1) Initial orientation (2) social acceptance by the school staff (3) backing when problems with students and parents arise; (4) pedagogical support (5) emotional and mental support.

The study examines the contribution of these induction "agents" and factors, to the intern teachers' job satisfaction and commitment.

198 interns, at the end of their internship year, were asked to fill a questionnaire, inquiring about the various induction agents' and components' roles in their induction, their job satisfaction and their commitment to continue teaching.

Results showed a significant positive relationship between the interns' job satisfaction and their perception of the contribution of the various induction components and agents. School principals' involvement, and the initial orientation the intern receives, were found to predict job satisfaction (β=**26.), (β* 43. =).    

It is recommended to make clear to the principals the immense importance of interns' initial orientation, and their own role in the interns' induction.

Introduction

Since 2000, a full year of internship became mandatory for all teaching trainees of the teacher training colleges in Israel. Trainees usually participate in the internship program in the fourth year of their studies towards a Bachelor's Degree in Education (B.Ed). During the induction period every intern has two main support "agents": the internship workshop conducted at the training college throughout the year and a mentor - a teacher appointed by the principal of the school where the intern is employed. The role of these two "agents" is to provide emotional support and 1on1 professional assistance during the first year of the novice's work in the field (Chief General's Circular, Ministry of Education 2001). In the Gonen, Shimoni and Yaakobi study (2002) five induction agents were identified: (1) the principal, (2) the mentor, (3) the inspector (especially in pre-school), (4) the school faculty and (5) the internship workshop. In addition, five major induction factors were identified: (1) Initial orientation (2) social acceptance by the school staff (3) backing when problems with students and parents arise; (4) pedagogical support (5) emotional and mental support.

This research studied the contribution of the various induction "agents" and induction factors, to the intern teachers' job satisfaction and commitment to continue teaching through the following years.

Theoretical Background

The novice teacher's world is a constant struggle for survival. She needs to adapt to the complex school culture, and while overwhelmed with her class and home work, she needs to learn to juggle all of the commitments and responsibilities, which come with the job. At the same time she is expected to continue to grow and to help her students grow. Researchers studying this topic tend to use metaphors such as "shock", "trauma", "uprooting", etc. in order to describe the grueling and intimidating emotions that characterize novices' first steps in the field (Kremer Hayun, 1985; Sabar Ben Yehoshua, 2001; Regev and Sagii, 2001, and others).

Different studies have shown that novice teachers' difficulties can be divided into five main categories: (1) personal issues, such as second thoughts about her career choice and her suitability to do the job; feelings of loneliness, anxiety and rejection; overload and the difficulty to manage her time and energy in the constant tug of war between work and personal life; (2) problems stemming from work relationships (3) managerial and organizational problems like classroom management, discipline and organizing work time; (4) pedagogical concerns, such as: choosing the right teaching method etc.; (5) unbearable physical conditions and lack of school resources, such as: the size of the class, freezing cold classrooms in the winter and stifling hot classrooms in the summer, the state of technology etc. All of these issues are interrelated and have perpetual impact on one another. They create an entangled web the novice teacher is caught up in (Regev and Sagii, 2001).

Thus, the following research questions are asked: (1) how do novices perceive what is currently being done by the various induction agents? (2) What is the connection between these perceptions and their professional welfare?

Method

198 interns, who attended the internship workshops at Levinsky College of Education in Tel Aviv during the 2003 academic year, participated in the study.

The participants were asked to answer an anonymous, mostly close ended, questionnaire relating to seven topics: (1) details about the novice's field of specialization and job placement; (2) the principal's role in her induction; (3) the inspector's role; (4) the mentor's role; (5) the role of the school faculty; (6) the role of the college internship workshop; and finally, (7) work related difficulties and the degree of the novice's satisfaction from her work and commitment to continue teaching. Topics 2-6, which related to the different induction "agents", included the five induction factors as described above.

Major Findings

There is a significant positive relationship between the novice's job satisfaction and her perception of the contribution of the five induction factors: Initial orientation (r=.30); social acceptance (r=.30); backing (r=.31), pedagogical support (r=.30) and emotional and mental support (r=.32). All the above results were significant (p<.01). In other words, the greater the perceived contribution, of each individual factor, to the induction process, the greater is the novice teacher's job satisfaction.

There is a significant positive relation between the novice's job satisfaction and her perception of the contribution of the three induction "agents" at school: the principal (r=.38), the mentor (r=.27) and the school faculty (r=.28). All the above results are significant (p<.01). The greater the perceived contribution, of each individual "agent", the greater is the novice's job satisfaction.

The principal's role in the induction process has a unique contribution to predicting the novice's satisfaction from her work and her commitment to teaching (β=**26.). The greater the principal's contribution to the novice's induction is, the greater her satisfaction and her commitment will be. On the other hand, the role of the mentor and that of the school faculty do not uniquely contribute to predicting the novice's satisfaction and commitment.

The quality of the initial orientation the novice receives has a unique significant contribution to predicting her satisfaction from work and her future commitment to teaching (β* 43. =) and  (β=.28 **). In other words, the more positive the novice feels about the guidance she has received, the stronger her satisfaction from her job and her commitment to teaching will be.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In light of the findings it is recommended to make the national internship program's policy makers understand the importance of the various induction agents and factors. The schools' principals should be informed about the immense importance of their role in the induction of novice teachers and the necessity of giving the intern the right initial orientation should be stressed.

The findings of this study and others that will follow will create a foundation to an "induction doctrine" that will help the educational system induct its novice teachers the best way possible.