Norway undertook a comprehensive revision of its teacher education programs in 2017, introducing a 5-year master-level qualification for primary and secondary school teachers to address challenges in schools. These challenges included low student performance in core subjects and criticisms of teacher education for being fragmented and too general (Trippestad et al., 2017). The revised programs now emphasize subject specialization in three or four subjects and the development of teachers' research knowledge in scientific theories and methods. This shift aims to better prepare teachers for continuous professional development. However, a significant research gap exists regarding how Norwegian Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) with master's degrees experience leadership practices, posing a potential risk that their research-based competence may not be effectively utilized in educational settings. The current research question is whether and how the research-based competence acquired during teacher education is acknowledged and supported by school leaders for NQTs. The theoretical framework employed for analysis is the theory of practice architectures (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008), emphasizing practices as social phenomena and highlighting three intersubjective spaces where participants interact: through language, in the material world's space-time, and in social relationships. Data collection involves two studies: 1. STEP Study: Conducted through semi-structured interviews (Brinkmann & Kvale, 2018) with eight principals in 2023, focusing on how principals perceive and support NQTs during their initial years of practice. 2. RELEMAST Study: Semi-structured interviews with 27 NQTs at intervals of one, two, three, and five years after completing a piloted master's level teacher education at UiT the Arctic University in Norway from 2015 to 2017. Specific guides developed for each year to capture changes in NQTs' experiences of using research-based knowledge during professional development and how it is received by their leadership. Data analysis follows the thematic approach (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Principals express positivity toward NQTs' new research-based competence but lack in-depth knowledge about it. While supportive of established traditions, they demonstrate a lack of initiative in utilizing this competence during the induction phase. Some NQTs themselves seem to contribute new knowledge to the schools. However, principals often maintain distant relationships with NQTs, delegating support to mentors or teams. There is a notable absence of arenas for NQTs to contribute their competence, indicating a gap in informing and preparing schools and principals for the arrival and inclusion of new NQTs and their unique competencies.

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