Gaining Confidence, Managing Conflict: Early Career Conceptions of Teacher Leadership During Graduate Coursework

Abstract

Increasingly, graduate programs in education are promoting the development of teacher leadership. Yet the discussion on how to prepare teachers for leadership roles and responsibilities is only beginning. In this article, we draw on the written reflections of early career teachers enrolled in a curriculum and instruction master's program so that we might better understand their conceptions, experience, and interest in leadership. Study findings highlight the promise and challenge of preparing early career teachers for a range of leadership roles and responsibilities.

Although I feel proficient in most areas of my teaching, I am still working on becoming a teacher leader in my school community. As I discovered through my reading and critical reflection, I frequently fear taking on the role of teacher leader because I attempt to avoid conflict with more veteran teachers and I have not embraced my confidence in teaching to be willing to share my ideas with others. While I believe I am a successful teacher, and my principal and teaching partner frequently compliment my teaching style and ideas, I still am not quite ready to expect others to value my teaching. – Early Career Teacher (Written Reflection, Fall 2008)

Notes

¹At the time this study was conducted, both authors were teaching in the same Midwestern master's degree program in curriculum and teaching.

²We cannot be sure why only 45% agreed to participate. Despite reassurances offered through the Human Subjects consent process, it is likely that some worried about how participation might impact their progress in the program. We also waited until the end of the term to invite participation (to avoid coercion), which made it difficult to follow up with those who missed the first invitation. Others may simply have been too busy to respond to our invitation, which suggests the limitation of this form of data collection.