Montclair State University Montclair State University Digital Commons Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects 5-2021 Professional Capital Across the Careers of Four Veteran Teachers Stephanie Brown Tarnowski Montclair State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/etd Part of the Elementary Education and Teaching Commons Recommended Citation Tarnowski, Stephanie Brown, "Professional Capital Across the Careers of Four Veteran Teachers" (2021). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects.edu/etd/710 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Montclair State University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects by an authorized administrator of Montclair State University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@montclair.
PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 1 PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL ACROSS THE CAREERS OF FOUR VETERAN TEACHERS A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of Montclair State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by STEPHANIE BROWN TARNOWSKI Montclair State University Montclair, NJ May 2021 Dissertation Chair: Dr. Jeremy Price PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 3 Copyright 2021 by Stephanie Brown Tarnowski. All rights reserved. PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 4 ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigated veteran teachers’ professional experiences over 3 decades of their teaching careers.
Drawing from professional capital theory (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012), I present 4 veteran elementary public-school teachers’ experiences and development of their professional capital over nearly 3 decades of their careers. I examined 3 dimensions of the professional lives of teachers: (1) the ways in which they developed their teaching expertise; (2) the kinds of decision-making possibilities they experienced; and (3) the kinds of interactions and relationships that were fostered in their professional communities. The research question that shaped my study was: In what ways do veteran teachers experience and develop teaching knowledge, decision-making possibilities, and collegial networks across 3 decades of their careers? In this way, I captured the ways in which veteran educators negotiated the terrain of ever-changing work environments while sustaining their involvement and commitment to their craft. Overarching themes which emerged are categorized into 5 main areas: professionalism, development of teacher expertise and knowledge, teacher opportunities and school culture, collegial relationships and collaboration, and administration support of teacher collaboration.
Various studies (Cohen, 1990; Kremer & Hoffman, 1981) have shown a correlation between autonomy and longevity in one’s field, concluding that employees’ levels of enthusiasm for their work increases when granted sufficient freedom and independence to fulfill responsibilities. Building leaders who acknowledge teachers’ capabilities and assets, while also providing autonomy and support, enhance teachers’ enthusiasm and inspire them to grow as professionals (Meister & Ahrens, 2011). This study reinforces the connection, as it was clear that the participants’ professional experiences throughout their careers were remarkably positive when the teachers were given decision making possibilities and, in their words, treated as PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 5 “professionals.” They were inspired and motivated when given leadership roles and their autonomy most often aligned with their enthusiasm for their job. A possible interpretation of this finding is that these collegial relationships, along with the teachers’ passion and devotion to their students, kept them grounded in their teaching careers over time.
Overall, this study provides support for the validity and importance of supportive administrative leadership, as the participants’ experiences often mirrored the positivity or negativity of the direct leadership. Keywords: veteran teachers, professionalism, teacher knowledge, teacher decision- making, collegial relationships PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank many people who have helped me undertake this research. I wish to thank the professors of the TETD program for supporting me and teaching me so much and my TETD colleagues who encouraged, challenged, and motivated me along this journey. I would like to thank Dr.
Monica Taylor and Dr. Emily Klein for sharing their expertise and constructive feedback with me. Thank you to my critical friends’ group, Angela, Cyrene, Graziela, and Sa- Qwona. You truly are the epitome of brilliance, boldness, and beauty, and I am so grateful for our bond.
Thank you for your endless support. Thank you to all the incredible teachers, my colleagues, that I have had the pleasure to work with throughout my teaching career. I have learned much from all of you, and I consider many of you my closest friends. Thank you to my college sister Nancy for helping me prepare at the start of this journey and for supporting me the entire way through.
To my unofficial mentor and friend, Danielle, a woman whom I admired in so many ways and aspire to be like, thanks for always being there for me. I feel your presence with me. Thank you to my advisor and mentor, Dr. Jeremy Price, whose support, guidance, and incredible patience has brought me to this point.
Since the day I first had you as a professor in this doctoral program, I felt your support and understanding. Jeremy, you have been my savior with this work, and I am so fortunate to have had you in my corner throughout this process. Thank you to my brother, Stephen, whose love and support has always meant so much to me. Thank you to my parents, who instilled in me the value of education and always encouraged me to never stop learning.
I am so grateful that you are with me to celebrate this lifelong dream of mine. Thank you for always allowing me the freedom to choose where I received my education, whether it be highschool or college, and for always being my biggest fans. Dad, thanks for always making me feel that I am enough, and Mom, thanks for always pushing me to be better. I am who I am all because of you, Mom and Dad.
To my incredible boys, Anthony and Owen, thank you for being there with love and support throughout this process. You will never know PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 7 know how much your interest in my pursuit of education means to me. Thanks for the moments of comic relief as I sat at the kitchen counter endless nights and weekends working on this PhD, for your patience, support, and for being the sunshine in my life. And to the one person who this definitely could not have happened without, my husband and best friend, Todd.
You have supported me in this dream and have believed in me like no other. When I waivered, you built me up. When I thought I could not do it, you assured me I could. You took over making dinners, and made many sacrifices throughout the past several years, so I could achieve one of my biggest dreams.
I absolutely could not have done this without you, and I am so grateful to have you as my life partner. Thank you, God, for the gifts you have bestowed upon me. I know how blessed I am, and I owe it all to You. PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 8 DEDICATION This is for Todd, Anthony, Owen, Mom, and Dad -- my beautiful world.
Nothing means more to me than the 5 of you. Thanks for always having my back and for loving me unconditionally. I hope I make you proud. PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 9 CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL ACROSS THE CAREERS OF FOUR VETERAN TEACHERS.
13 Statement of the Problem. 14 Purpose of Study. 15 Significance of Study. 18 Understanding the Meanings of Veteran Teachers’ Professional Experiences.
18 Teachers’ Professional Lives. 19 My Identity as a Veteran Teacher. 20 Teaching, Professionalism, and Federal Policy. 22 Teachers as Professionals.
22 No Child Left Behind Act. 24 Policy Mandates and Teachers’ Sense of Professionalism. 27 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW. 29 Teachers’ Commitment, Resilience, and Sense of Professionalism.
33 Collaborative Culture and Administrative Support. 36 PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 10 Collaborative Culture. 36 Social Capital and the Development of Collegial Networks and Communities. 37 Human Capital and Development of Teachers’ Knowledge.
46 Methodological Approach: Qualitative Design. 46 Context and Participants. 48 Francesca Savard-Pondview Elementary School. 51 Sienna Smith-Valley Elementary School.
53 Lawrence Joseph-Mountain Brook Elementary School. 54 Bridget Wolff-Sunnyside Elementary School. 57 Initial Round of Interviews. 58 Second Round of Interviews.
59 Third Round of Interviews. 60 Data Collection and Analysis. 61 PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 11 Recordings and Transcripts of Interviews. 61 My Documentation Sheets and Data Memos.
63 My Role and Positionality. 65 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS. 73 Lack of Autonomy. 74 Veteran Teachers Feel Disrespected.
76 Development of Teacher Expertise and Knowledge Over Time. 78 Weathering Curricular Change. 78 Feeling Ill-Prepared for New Challenges. 81 Weathering a School Paradigm Shift.
83 Teachers’ Opportunities and School Culture Over Time. 85 School and Union Leadership. 85 Administration-Driven Culture. 86 Collegial Relationships and Collaborations Over Time.
89 PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 12 How Will I Get You Through Your Last Five Years?. 89 Negotiating Relationships with Administrators. 91 Shift to Administrative Surveillance and Lack of Trust. 96 Administration Too Far Removed.
99 Administration Support of Teacher Collaboration. 100 Sense of Community. 111 Summary of Findings. 116 Teachers’ Opportunities and School Culture Over Time.
117 Collegial Relationships and Collaborations Over Time/Administrations Support of Teacher Collaboration. 117 Implications for Future Research and Policy. 119 Reimagining the Professional Lives of Veteran Teachers. 123 PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 13 CHAPTER ONE: PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL ACROSS THE CAREERS OF FOUR VETERAN TEACHERS This dissertation study aimed to better understand veteran teachers’ professional experiences over 3 decades of their teaching careers.
Drawing from professional capital theory (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012), I studied how teachers develop their professional capital over nearly 3 decades of their careers through examining 3 dimensions of the professional lives of teachers: (1) the ways in which they developed their teaching expertise; (2) the kinds of decision- making possibilities they experienced; and (3) the kinds of interactions and relationships that were fostered in their professional communities. The research question that shaped my study was: In what ways do veteran teachers’ experience and develop teaching knowledge, decision- making possibilities, and collegial networks across 3 decades of their careers? Through my research, I uncovered the experiences of veteran teachers and their development of professional capital: (1) the development of their expertise and knowledge; (2) their decision-making possibilities, and (3) the various kinds and forms of professional communities to which they belonged. It is important to not only understand the 3 dimensions of professional capital that I explored, but also the relationship among these 3 dimensions. In this way, I intended to capture the ways in which veteran educators negotiate the terrain of ever-changing work environments while sustaining their involvement and commitment to their craft.
This chapter begins with an appraisal of the need to look at teachers’ professional lives and then outlines the purpose and significance of this study along with dissecting my research question. Background information which focuses on veteran teachers’ professional experiences, lives, and identities is presented in addition to divulging prior research of teacher professionalism and federal policies in education. PROFESSIONAL CAPITAL OF VETERAN TEACHERS 14 Statement of the Problem One of the most important challenges in the field of education is developing strong, competent teachers and creating work environments that sustain educators’ involvement and commitment (Alvy, 2005; Billingsley, 2004; Day et al. For decades, issues such as teacher attrition and shortages have plagued our profession and have been of great concern to administrators and policy makers who work to recruit and retain the best teachers.
Given this attrition, it is important to understand teachers’ professional lives and how they develop professional capital over their careers (Day & Gu, 2009).