"I Do What I Am Told To": Pre-K Teachers' Professional Identity Development During Universal Pre-K Expansion

• In Event: 77.055 - Voices of Teachers and Students in Urban Settings

Abstract

This study examines how a massive universal Pre-K expansion initiative in New York City, Pre-K for All, has impacted teachers’ professional identity. We utilized data from in-depth interviews with teachers in publicly funded Pre-K programs. Focusing on teachers’ exo-system of critical ecology of professionalism (Dalli, C., Miller, L., & Urban, M., 2012), the thematic analysis of transcripts revealed that teachers’ felt the urgency to conform with the DOE’s expectations and requirements, compromising their values, beliefs, and needs. Our findings also indicated that the messages from DOE’s personnel lacked consistency and caused confusion in teaching practice. Our implications include developing clearer communication with the teachers and providing them more autonomy in their practice.

Authors

• Sanae Akaba, Hunter College

• Eva Liang, Hunter College

• Sherryl B. Graves, Hunter College School of Education

• Lacey Elizabeth Peters, Hunter College - CUNY