Professional collaboration experiences : perceptions of novice teachers

Dissertation supervisor: Dr. Carole Edmonds.Includes vita.There is a gap in the research regarding structured collaborative processes and experiences that draws a parallel to the disconnections discovered between what is needed to be a successful teacher candidate in the field and what is taught through coursework and the lack of authentic experiences in teacher preparation programs such as collaboration. This qualitative case study seeks to expand the extant research by understanding and identifying perceptions and comfort with collaboration, as well as its impact. The study outlined one university's approach to strive to meet the competencies for accreditation and prepare highly effective professional educators with a focus on collaboration. This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of novice teachers regarding ways in which collaboration impacted them and their teaching experiences and examined the perceptions of these novice teachers and their comfort with collaboration during their induction period.Includes bibliographical references