Accountable Change Agents: Analyzing the Contribution of Practitioner Inquiry to Teacher Leadership

• In Event: 18.071 - Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: 18.071-5 - Building Instructional Capacity Through Teacher Leadership

Abstract

The nature of impacts of educators’ participation in practitioner inquiry (PI) on teacher leadership is the focus of the research reported in this paper. Data is drawn from retrospective career history interviews with experienced inquiring practitioners and from professional standards codes across several national and state jurisdictions. Teacher leadership is conceptualized in terms of an interaction between professional accountability, recognition of expertise and change agency within an overarching perspective of schools as complex networked systems. Analysis of career narratives, demonstrated that all three dimensions of teacher leadership were associated with participation in practitioner inquiry. While professional standards typically referred to reflective practice and professional learning as characteristics of proficient educators, few explicitly mentioned research or inquiry. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Sue Mary Nichols, University of South Australia

• Phillip A. Cormack, University of South Australia