“What If Those Two Things Come in Conflict?” The Effects of Threat Rigidity on a Beginning Teacher

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Opportunities and Challenges in Teacher Induction

Abstract

This yearlong case study examined the influence a suburban school district’s implementation of the Common Core State Standards had on how a beginning English teacher approached and defined her work. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and post-observation conversations, and analyzed using the sensitizing concept of threat rigidity. Findings indicate that while the teacher believed in, and valued, the constructivist principles of teaching she encountered in her teacher education program, she largely abandoned them in the face of pressure to comply with district policies that encouraged test-driven instruction. [89 words]

Authors

• Sean Connors, University of Arkansas

• Ed Bengtson, University of Arkansas