The teacher study group as a space for agency in an era of accountability and compliance

This paper examines the impact of discourses upon teachers who strive to be professionals amidst the US No Child Left Behind era. Using qualitative research methodology and ethnographic techniques, a case study was conducted within the context of a teacher learning community comprised of two female...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTeacher development Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 467 - 481
Main Author Masuda, Avis M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 01.11.2010
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Accountability
Case Studies
Communities of Practice
Compliance
Cooperation
Discourse Analysis
Educational Change
Faculty Development
Federal Legislation
Females
No Child Left Behind Act 2001
No Child Left Behind Act 2001-US
professional development
Qualitative Research
Reflection
Research Methodology
Secondary School Teachers
teacher collaboration
Teacher Education
teacher role
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Summary:This paper examines the impact of discourses upon teachers who strive to be professionals amidst the US No Child Left Behind era. Using qualitative research methodology and ethnographic techniques, a case study was conducted within the context of a teacher learning community comprised of two female secondary teachers and the researcher. Data were collected via transcripts of the conversations, teacher interviews, written reflections and field notes. Discourse analysis was employed to unpack discourses operating within the context of the teacher learning community. The study illustrates the push-pull relationship between constraint and possibility for teacher professionals. The paper illuminates how a teacher learning community becomes a space for agency for the 'teacher as professional' and how teacher development can be sustained within a contemporary context of compliance and accountability.
ISSN:1366-4530
1747-5120
DOI:10.1080/13664530.2010.533489