Contrary Socializations: Organizational Influence on the Teaching Approaches of Two Beginning Teachers in an External Threat Environment

• In Event: Examining the Influences of Teacher Collaboration and Socialization on Instructional Practices

Abstract

This two-case study examined the experiences of two beginning teachers who completed the same teacher education program with the intention of understanding how organizational leaders’ expectations influenced the way they approached their work in the classroom. The research question that guided the study asked: What were the driving forces from building and district leaders that caused two promising beginning teachers with the same training and preparation to develop dramatically different approaches in their teaching? Data were collected through interviews, observations, and post-observation conversations, and analyzed using the theories of threat rigidity and organizational socialization. Findings suggest that how school leaders respond to perceived threats, and how schools, as organizations, socialize new teachers, can have a dramatic influence on instructional practice.

Authors

• Ed Bengtson, University of Arkansas

• Sean Connors, University of Arkansas