From Stories to Staying: A Narrative Inquiry into Novice Teacher Professional Identity Development

This longitudinal narrative inquiry explores novice teacher identity development through moral and motivational lenses, using stories from two teachers shared in a pandemic-initiated book club. It examines how experiences of ‘good work’ reveal contextual factors like relational belonging, curricular autonomy, and security, which shape engagement, satisfaction, and commitment. The deep theoretical engagement of these stories underscores needs for schooling sites to offer collaborative and reflexive self-improvement opportunities to enhance novice teacher motivation, enjoyment, and satisfaction throughout their careers, enhancing retension. • Curricular and pedagogical autonomy and collaboration impact teacher engagement. • Policy and curricular transparency impact novice teacher safety and long-term commitment. • Personal relationship building on campus guides teacher identity formation. • Motivations of the personal, relational, and productive influence teacher satisfaction. • Teachers complex lived-experiences are best understood through self-told stories.