Professional Development School Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Emergent Teacher Leadership

• In Event: Advancing Social Justice and Cultural Competency in Professional Development Schools

Abstract

As conceptions of teacher leadership (TL) continue to shift away from formalized roles toward a process involving the exercise of influence, teacher candidates, particularly within professional development schools (PDSs) have been recognized as an untapped reservoir of TL potential. This paper responds with a case study of emergent TL as perceived by six teacher candidates within a grades K-4 PDS in which developing as a teacher leader committed to social justice was an expectation. A thematic analysis of interviews, field notes, and documents revealed teacher candidates’ ambivalence toward TL, which was characterized by three tensions. The study highlights practitioner inquiry as a vehicle for promoting TL in PDSs and carries implications for conceptualizing TL in preservice teacher education contexts.

Authors

• Logan Rutten, The Pennsylvania State University

• Rachel Wolkenhauer, The Pennsylvania State University