Novice Teachers’ Challenges and Coping Strategies in Qatari Governmental Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges and coping strategies of novice teachers in Qatari governmental schools. Fifteen teachers of both genders participated in the study. A qualitative research method, including interviews, was used for data generation, while a thematic method was used for the data analysis. The findings of the study show that the majority of the participants face a number of interrelated challenges, including individual issues and hurdles both within and beyond the school environment. Further, the findings indicate that the participant teachers confront the struggles in their first years of teaching by either using coping strategies to keep themselves in the profession or by choosing to leave it entirely. Finally, the study provides a list of implications and recommendations to support novice teachers’ long-term success when working in Qatari governmental schools or in similar contexts.