SUCCEED
ncsu college of education

Perceptions of Success Inventory

for Beginning Teachers

Corbell, K.A., Reiman, A.J., Nietfeld, J., Osborne, J., Meade, A.

Directions:
You to consider several aspects of your experience as a beginning teacher in this inventory.  Your individual responses will not be given to your school or school system, so please answer each question honestly.  Your participation in this survey is valuable as we attempt to better understand beginning teachers’ perceptions of success.  The identification code is required information to link your responses together. The last item on this inventory, number 54, will not be reported in anyway to your school or school system.  Please rank each of the items in the following two ways:

1. This is my current experience in my school:
2.  This item is essential for effective teaching: 

Use the following scale to answer each of the questions. 
1:  strongly disagree
2:  disagree
3:  slightly more disagree than agree
4:  slightly more agree than disagree
5:  agree
6:  strongly agree.

 

Required Information:

Please provide your county name and last four digits of your social security number.

This is the code we will use for your survey.

 

Mentor Support

Instructions:  Please think about the mentor assigned to you or another experienced teacher who provides you with assistance.  If your response to question 1 is no, only answer question 2 and move to the colleague support section.

 

Item

Responses
1. Do you have a mentor assigned to you by the school or another experienced teacher to provide you with assistance?

yes

no
2. The mentoring relationship is or would be important to me.   

Strongly Disagree Disagree Slightly Disagree

Slightly Agree Agree Strongly Agree

1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This item is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
3. My mentor or an exemplary teacher has provided assistance with classroom management.   
4. My mentor or an exemplary teacher has provided assistance with instructional concerns. 
5. My mentor or an exemplary teacher has provided assistance related to communication with parents or caregivers of my students.
6. My mentor or an exemplary teacher is empathetic.  
7. My mentor or an exemplary teacher encourages me to reflect about my teaching. 
8. Working with my mentor has been a positive experience.

 

Colleague Support

Instructions:  For the following questions think about your experiences this year with your colleagues.

1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This item is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
9. I have opportunities for meaningful conversations with other novice teachers in a setting free of evaluation.  
10. I have common planning times with other teachers at my same grade level or subject area.  
11. I have opportunities to visit and observe exemplary teachers.  
12.I have a colleague in my same subject area (secondary) or grade level (elementary) who will answer my questions.   

 

Administration Support

Instructions:  For the following questions consider your experiences this year with the principal and assistant principal(s) in your school.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This item is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
13. The administration at my school provides appropriate feedback for my discipline decisions.    

14. The administration at my school encourages me to be an effective teacher.

15. The administration has oriented me to the school and staff. 

16. I am satisfied with the contact I have with my administration. 

17. The administration provides me with effective instructional leadership.

 

Classroom Management

Instructions:  For the following items think about the management of your classroom in terms of routines, procedures, and discipline.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This item is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
18. I have developed clear routines and procedures for my classroom that are aligned with school policy.  
19. I have implemented consistent routines and procedures in my classroom. 
20. The discipline procedures in my classroom are effective. 
21. The discipline in my classroom is supportive of a good learning environment for my students. 
22. I feel in control when I am teaching. 

 

Professional Judgment

Instructions:  For the following items think about your professional interactions, judgments, and decisions.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This item is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
23.I think about my professional conduct in light of moral and ethical standards. 
24. I feel empowered to take action when I see vulnerable students that need my attention.
25. I communicate with parents in a professional manner. 
26. I communicate with other faculty and staff in a professional manner. 
27. I feel like I have autonomy in making decisions about my class. 

 

Student Success

Instructions:  Answer the following items by reflecting on how successful your students are in your classroom.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This item is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
28. I am able to successfully teach students of all ability levels.
29. I am able to motivate all students.
30. I am able to use a variety of teaching strategies to provide my students with instruction that is effective for them. 
31. I am able to effectively teach my students with learning disabilities.
32. I am able to effectively teach my students with limited English proficiency.
33. I am able to effectively teach my students from diverse backgrounds.
34. I am able to frame my instructional decisions based on my students’ learning.

 

Instructional Resources

Instructions:  For the following items think about the instructional resources your school has provided to facilitate effective planning and instruction.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
35. I have been provided with curriculum that aligns with the state's objectives for my grade level or subject area.
36. I have the curriculum materials I need to teach effectively. 
37. I feel confident in my ability to use the instructional technology available to me.
38. The school provides professional development that is valuable to my instruction in the classroom.  
39. I feel confident in my ability to grade student work.
40. I feel comfortable with reporting the assessment of my students’ work.

 

Assignment and Workload

Please respond to the following items about your teaching assignment and current workload. 

1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
41. I think the number of preparations I have for my classes is appropriate for a beginning teacher.
42. I have at least one period per day that I can devote without interruption to planning for my classes.
43. My overall teaching workload is reasonable. 
44. Beginning teachers are allowed to choose whether to take on extra duties or not.
45. I am satisfied with state and national testing policies.

Parental/Caregiver Contacts

Instructions:  For this section, consider the experiences you have had with the parents or caregivers of your students.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
46. The parents or caregivers of my students are supportive of their child's progress in school.
47. I feel comfortable with communicating with the parents or caregivers of my students. 
48. I have adequate guidance and support in working with parents or caregivers. 
49. It is important to communicate with all of my students’ parents or caregivers

 

Satisfaction

Instructions:  For this section, consider your satisfaction with your current job.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
50. In general, I am satisfied with my current job.
51. If someone could change any of the following items, which ones would be most important to improve your satisfaction with your job?  Using the two columns of choices below, choose the THREE most important items only.

salary

health and retirement benefits

mentor support

colleague support

administration support

student discipline

your professional judgment

teaching students with varied abilities

assessing student progress

student motivation

your instructional resources

your teaching assignment

your overall workload

parental support

professional development

 

Commitment

For this section, consider your level of commitment to teaching as a profession.
1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Slightly Disagree; 4 = Slightly Agree; 5 = Agree; 6 = Strongly Agree
 

This is my current

experience in my school:

This is essential for

effective teaching: 

Item

1

 2 3 4 5

6

 1 2 3 4 5 6
52. I consider teaching to be my ideal career.
53. I feel inspired to instruct students to the best of my ability. 

 

School systems will not receive any information from the following item.  Your response to this question is needed only for validation purposes of the survey. 

Item Response
54. Think about your intentions of teaching.  Which category best fits your intentions. 


I am not considering leaving teaching.

I have considered the possibility of leaving teaching, but have decided to teach next year.

I am making preparations to leave the profession of teaching at some time in the future.

I have made the decision to leave teaching after this year.