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This book presents an interpretive analysis of the professional experiences of six beginning secondary school teachers in Malawi. Grounded theory was used as the methodology and analytical framework of the study. Research in teacher education acknowledges that learning to teach is a complex process and that the first year of teaching has a very important impact on the future careers of beginning teachers (Stokking, Leender, De Jong and Van Tarwijk, 2003). The transition from the teacher training institution to the secondary school classroom is characterised by a type of reality shock in which the ideals that were formed during teacher training are replaced by the reality of school life (Lortie, 1975). The book presents a three-stage substantive-level theory of the beginning teachers experiences and argues for the redefinition of the perception of teacher learning in Malawi: from a definition of pre-service teacher education as teacher learning, to teacher learning as a triadic process comprised of teacher education, school induction and continued professional development.

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Esthery Dembo Kunkwenzu has a PhD in Curriculum studies. She is a lecturer in Curriculum and Teaching Studies at the University of Malawi. Esthery is an experienced teacher educator with particular interest in issues in African Education. She has published in areas of gender, population education and teacher socialisation.

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