Emerging possibilities: A complex account of learning to teach writing
Abstract
In order to prepare effective writing teachers, teacher educators need an understanding of how preservice preparation programs, inservice professional development, and the policies and practices of K-12 schools work together to influence teachers' writing instruction. This qualitative case study uses complexity theory (Davis & Sumara, 2006) to analyze how one teacher learned to teach writing within and through the emergent, nested, interacting systems of teacher education and the school where she took her first teaching job. Data sources were fieldnotes of her teaching and interviews about her instructional decisions, which were coded using constant comparison (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and the theoretical lens. Findings indicate the teacher's understanding of writing instruction emerged through interactions between systems as she reproduced and recombined the ideas, values, goals, and activities she encountered within her undergraduate and graduate courses, her school district, and her sixth-grade classroom. The study concludes with discussions of the dynamics of learning to teach writing that emerged through the research and the implications of these dynamics for teacher education, educational policy, and future research.
Reference
McQuitty, V. (2012). Emerging possibilities: A complex account of learning to teach writing. Research in the Teaching of English, 46(4), 358–389.
Journal
Research in the Teaching of English
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
Preservice Sample Size
1
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- fieldnotes
- Interviews
- Observations
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
Researcher Positionality
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
What nested systems influenced this teacher's writing pedagogy?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
How did her understanding of writing instruction emerge through reciprocal interactions across these systems?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
How did she combine ideas from different systems into a single pedagogy?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes