Examining Novice Teacher Performance through Support Structures: Insights from Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory in Tanzania

Teachers' preparation in Tanzania has long been affected by systemic challenges, particularly within initial teachers' education institutions. At the same time, the growing student population has intensified the demand for qualified educators, placing considerable strain on existing training systems. This study investigates the influence of support services on novice teachers’ performance in public secondary schools in Njombe Town Council, Tanzania, through the lens of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. The study employed a quantitative research design whereby data were collected from 62 novice teachers across 14 purposively selected schools. In this study, descriptive statistics, reliability testing and multiple regression analysis were used to examine the impact of various supports construct More Knowledgeable Others (MKO), Scaffolding (S), Social Interaction (SI), Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as well as Cultural and Institutional Context (CIC) on teachers’ performance. Structured questionnaires were used to collect quantifiable data, which clearly led to actively achieving the study’s objective. Results in this study, especially when MKO, S and SI are applied, revealed that scaffolding, mentoring and collegial collaboration significantly enhance performance, and that scaffolding is the most influential predictor. However, ZPD and CIC did not demonstrate statistically significant effects, indicating that novice teachers play a more indirect or context-dependent role. It was found that broader constructs like ZPD and CIC were not statistically significant predictors of performance, suggesting that theoretical support frameworks need practical translation to yield tangible results. The study concludes that structured school-level support mechanisms are critical in bridging the theory-practice gap among early-career teachers. The study recommends the institutionalisation of mentorship programs, consistent in-service training and collaborative learning environments to enhance novice teacher performance and retention. These findings offer actionable insights for education policymakers aiming to improve teaching quality, especially in secondary education.