What Makes an Expert Teacher? Narrative Analysis on Dispositions of Expert Kindergarten Teachers in Shanghai

• In Event: 46.085 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 46.085-16 - Lives of Teachers: Experiential Sensitivities

Abstract

Expert teachers are in high demand. The current literature about expert teachers focuses on teachers’ knowledge and skills rather than teacher disposition.
This paper is to explore what dispositions contribute to the development of an expert teacher through thematic analysis on narratives from three Shanghai expert teachers. After coding the original narratives, six thematic concepts emerged: passion, precision, intentionality, tenacity, bravery, and introspection.
Findings on expert teachers’ dispositions will benefit preschool education (mainly means kindergartens for 3-6 years old) in China, but also teacher education programs and teacher policies all over the world.

Author

• Haiping Hao, Texas A&M University