Understanding Early Career Teacher Instructional Quality: A Person‐Centred Approach

ABSTRACT The instructional quality of early career teachers is an important area of research that has potential to inform policy and practice. However, earlier research on this topic is primarily concerned with examining the relationship between early career teachers and their instructional quality. This study took a person‐centred approach to examining instructional quality profiles of early career teachers and relevant correlates. Data analysis conducted on a sample of 712 early career teachers in Australia revealed five distinct profiles of instructional quality: a laissez‐faire profile, a controlling profile, a low instructional clarity profile, a high instructional clarity profile and an exemplar profile. Teacher self‐efficacy and formal mentorship were found to be significant predictors of teacher membership in these five profiles. The findings offer important implications for early career teacher education and teacher professional development.