Abstract:
Classroom management is a critical component of professional teacher competence and
is strongly emphasised in Kenya’s competency-based teacher education framework.
Teaching Practice Programmes (TPPs) serve as a key opportunity for novice teachers,
those who have taught for up to 3 years after completing their teacher education course
at the university, to build these skills. However, many novice teachers report struggling
to maintain classroom discipline, organise instruction, and engage learners effectively
in their career. This study therefore sought to explore novice teachers’ experiences of
developing classroom management skills during TPPs in public junior secondary
schools in Kisumu Central Sub-County. The objectives of the study were: to explore
how novice teachers understand classroom management during TPP; to establish
novice teachers experiences constructing classroom management competencies during
TPP; and to illuminate the conditions that enable or constrain their skill development.
Guided by Marzano’s classroom management framework and Kolb’s experiential
learning theory, the study adopted a phenomenological design within an interpretivist
paradigm. 15 novice teachers from 13 public junior secondary schools in Kisumu
Central Sub-County were purposively sampled and data were collected through semi-
structured interviews and semi-structured FGDs. Data were analysed thematically using
Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach. The findings showed that novice teachers
initially understood classroom management mainly as discipline and control, but their
understanding broadened during TPPs to include instructional organisation, learner
engagement, teacher-student relationships, emotional regulation, and reflective
practice. Experiences of skill development were uneven, shaped by both supportive
mentorship and constraining conditions such as large classes, limited resources, and
inadequate guidance. Classroom management development was also closely connected
to emerging teacher identity, with some novices experiencing confidence gains while
others struggled with identity uncertainty, including challenges linked to linguistic and
migration-related backgrounds. The study concludes that TPPs are central to the
development of classroom management and professional identity among novice
teachers and highlights the need for strengthened mentorship, realistic TPPs conditions,
and structured reflective support, as well as further attention to identity-related and
migration-informed experiences within career preparation programmes.
