PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The teaching profession is considered one of the most challenging careers. Teachers, especially new teachers, are more exposed to challenges and pressures than experienced teachers. New teachers face various challenges and pressures at the beginning of their careers, which can lead some to leave the profession, particularly within the first five years of their teaching experience. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to identify the challenges and pressures faced by new secondary school teachers in the Malaysian education context. The study employed semi-structured interviews involving 12 new secondary school teachers. The thematic analysis findings revealed five challenges and pressures new secondary school teachers face: teaching and learning, workload, classroom management, relationships with senior teachers and parents, and challenges and pressures related to professionalism. The findings of this study can assist the Ministry of Education Malaysia, which is responsible for the continuous professional development of new teachers, in strengthening them to face the current challenges and demands in the teaching profession.