Reframing early-career teacher professional development: Toward a multi-level conceptual framework

Song Xinling; Taufani C. Kurniatun; Abu Bakar

doi:10.17509/curricula.v5i2.617

Authors

Song Xinling Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Taufani C. Kurniatun Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Abu Bakar Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17509/curricula.v5i2.617

Keywords:

digital and hybrid support, mentoring, multi-level framework, professional teacher development

Abstract

Early-career teachers face a crucial transition period, marked by high professional demands, uneven support, and ongoing retention challenges. Several studies still view professional development as a linear process of induction and mentoring, thus underemphasizing the interaction among teacher agency, the school context, and broader structural conditions. This study aims to critically examine dominant conceptualizations of early-career teacher professional development and develop a more integrative framework. The study employed a systematic critical review using the PRISMA procedure of Scopus-indexed journal articles published since 2016 that discussed early-career teachers and professional development. The results revealed several key patterns: the dominance of compliance-oriented professional standards, the weakening of teacher agency in restrictive school environments, unequal access to mentoring and support, and the importance of core teaching competencies. The study also emphasized the increasing relevance of digital and hybrid mentoring models as more flexible forms of support. These findings suggest that early-career teacher professional development should be understood as a dynamic, multilevel process shaped by interactions among individual, school, and broader structural factors.

Abstrak

Guru pada awal karier menghadapi masa transisi yang krusial, ditandai oleh tuntutan profesional yang tinggi, dukungan yang tidak merata, serta tantangan retensi yang terus berlanjut. Sejumlah kajian masih memandang pengembangan profesional mereka secara linier melalui induksi dan mentoring, sehingga interaksi antara agensi guru, konteks sekolah, dan kondisi struktural yang lebih luas belum banyak diperhatikan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menelaah secara kritis konseptualisasi dominan tentang pengembangan profesional guru awal karier serta merumuskan kerangka yang lebih integratif. Penelitian menggunakan systematic critical review dengan prosedur PRISMA terhadap artikel jurnal terindeks Scopus yang terbit sejak 2016 dan membahas guru awal karier serta pengembangan profesional. Hasil kajian menunjukkan beberapa pola utama, yaitu dominasi standar profesional yang berorientasi pada kepatuhan, melemahnya agensi guru dalam lingkungan sekolah yang restriktif, ketimpangan akses terhadap mentoring dan dukungan, serta pentingnya kompetensi dasar mengajar. Kajian ini juga menegaskan meningkatnya relevansi model mentoring digital dan hibrida sebagai bentuk dukungan yang lebih fleksibel. Temuan tersebut menunjukkan bahwa pengembangan profesional guru awal karier perlu dipahami sebagai proses dinamis dan multilevel yang dibentuk oleh interaksi antara faktor individual, sekolah, dan struktur yang lebih luas.

Kata Kunci: dukungan digital dan hibrida; kerangka konseptual multi-level; mentoring; pengembangan profesional guru

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