Adjusting Personal Expectations: An Analysis of Early-Career Teacher Narratives

Abstract

iii AbstractThe early years of a teacher's career are often a site of tension, where long-standing beliefs about what it is to be a teacher are challenged. The images and ideals that teachers have of themselves -their "personal expectations" (Cole & Knowles, 1993) -have recognised implications for the development of a teacher's professional identity. Early-career teachers often confront a disparity between their personal expectations, and what they find to be realistic to achieve in practice. Understanding how early-career teachers adjust their personal expectations, whilst at the same time maintaining their commitment to the profession, is at the core of this narrative study.This study of four early-career teachers in Queensland seeks to address the following research questions: (1) how do teachers adjust their personal expectations during the early-career years? and (2) This study drew upon semi-structured interviews (Schuman, 1982;Seidman, 2013) in the data collection phase. Not only did the research method allow for depth in the responses, but also allowed for participants to engage in a process of ongoing reflection and engagement in the construction of the narrative. The analysis was guided by the narrative approach detailed by Clandinin and Connelly (2000), andConnelly and Clandinin (2006). The findings of the study are presented as narratives:individual, idiosyncratic stories of teachers' lives, experiences and expectations. Abstract ivThe findings of this study suggest that early-career teachers adjust their personal expectations gradually and with difficulty, and only through reflecting and acting upon their own professional experimentation. Importantly, the findings demonstrate that whilst feedback, collegial relationships and trial-and-error practices are critical for early-career teachers to develop more realistic expectations of themselves, retaining some aspects of their initial expectations allows them to maintain their ideological vision of themselves in a teaching role. This study provides considerable insight into the ways that teachers can be better prepared for their first years in the profession, and, as such, has implications for early-career teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and for universities. The findings suggest that encouraging early-career teachers to confront unrealistic personal expectations is critical in empowering them to shape strong professional identities.Abstract v

A BRiTE Journey: 2013–2019

“…The notepad appears with a question as a prompt and often accompanies specific learning activities. Figure 3.3 shows how the notepad "make a note to self" section is used to record thoughts about what can be learnt from Deanna's story (Constantine 2017). • Personal resilience toolkit.…”