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This thesis explores the experiences of unemployed non-teacher trained graduates who became employed by secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. These graduates were required to undergo teacher training in form of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) within two years of their employment. The study is therefore about the initial teacher education and inschool development of school teachers in urban Lagos. Situated within an education context indicted for the low quality of its graduates, the study provides an opportunity to explore the potential of graduate recruitment as a solution for educational improvements in Lagos State and indeed Nigeria. The study aimed to uncover and examine the context and learning factors that influence new teachers’ early professional development (EPD). An interpretive phenomenological paradigm was adopted, and literature concerning teacher learning and professional development anchored the main propositions of the study. The study uses a qualitative design, comprising indepth interviews and thematic analysis of data generated from teachers, school principals, and an education leader from Lagos State Ministry of Education. The study revealed gaps in the learning experiences of new teachers both during formal teacher training and upon arrival in schools. It showed that sociocultural factors and a lack of synergy between teacher preparation and in-school support placed a limit on new teachers’ EPD, while new teacher’s sense of self-efficacy acted as enabling influence in determining their behaviour. This study highlighted problems faced by secondary school teachers in Nigeria; along with the need for commissioning further studies to evaluate undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training routes, it is essential that immediate attention be given to the content and delivery of post graduate teacher training curriculum, with a view to improving the quality of teachers produced in Nigeria. In this way, the prospects that graduate recruitment brings for improvements in teaching and learning can become a reality

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