SUPPORT SYSTEM AS A PREREQUISITE FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION OF NOVICE TEACHERS

Abstract

The process of adaptation of any person to the new place of work is an important stage that contributes to the further motivation both to stay in a particular place of work and to continue to be a representative of the chosen profession. Encouraging novice teachers to remain in their chosen profession is the actuality of the modern educational space. It is therefore important to evaluate all possible support tools and resources for the adaptation of novice teachers, as well as to identify opportunities for their useful, meaningful and targeted use. Thus, the questions become relevant: "What factors contribute to the adaptation of a novice teacher in a general education school?" and "What support system is needed for the successful adaptation of novice teachers in general education schools?".
This article, without excluding other possibilities and probabilities, will examine the factors contributing to and hindering the successful adaptation process of novice teachers who started working in general education schools, the offer of support measures from both a historical and contemporary perspective, choosing the situation of the Latvian state as the basis for the study. The importance of the support system for the successful adaptation of novice teachers will also be highlighted. The research is based on the study of theoretical literature and the personal experience of the author of the publication (as a novice teacher).
The aim of the article is to study the offer of existing support systems for novice teachers, based on periodicals, various scientific publications, legislative regulations, OECD and other educational studies, as well as the content analysis of other historical sources, and to identify elements of the model of successful adaptation of novice teachers. This will become the basis for further empirical research, the result of which will be the development of an adaptation model for novice teachers. The research method: theoretical analysis of scientific literature and sources. 
As a result of theoretical research, based on the content analysis of various historical sources and international research, the following elements of the support system have been identified as the most important: participation in mentoring introductory programmes, the attraction of a teacher-mentor from an educational institution, introductory training, opportunities for self-expression, the quality of mutual relations in the school team. More on these and other aspects of the adaptation of novice teachers in the main part of the article.
It should be noted that the study was conducted within the framework of the educational situation in Latvia, therefore, further research would be necessary to confirm the results in the international educational context.